Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1907-01-18
CHAPTER ".

they must be playing her false; that her
sight was failing her.
The living of Great Whitton was be-
slowed upon the Hon. and Rev. Wilfred
EllIotsen, a personal friend of the Earl
or Avon.
Her ladyship called out for her daugh-
ter in commotion; she sent her maid.
Charity to hasten her. Grace feared her
mother was worse, and flew to the room
with rapid steps.
What can be the meaning of this.
Grace?" gasped the countess. Henry has
not given the living to Mr.. Baumgarten
after all he has given it to young Elliot
sem"
"Oh, indeed" said Grace, careessly.
"Harry can do as he likes, l suppose"
mo, he can't, in such a case as this.
At least he ought not. Once his promise
was given to me, it should have been
kept. l cannot understand his going
from it. 1t is not like him."
well, mamma, don't see that it mat
ters TO us, whichever way it may be-"
But it does matter. / don't want
simpering young fellow like Wilfred Ell
liotsen down here, and whose wife goes
III lOI Idlh uStylSm DeSlueS. one mas
only been waiting for his appointment to
church, report says, to make him play
all kinds of antics in it; she leads him by
the nose"
Grace laughed.
1T is no laughing matter reproved
her mother, for me or Mr.. Baumgarten.
/ shall be ashamed to look him in the
face And he had begun to lay out plans
for his marriage with Miss Dane and
their life at Great Whitton ~
How do you know that?' asked Grace,
quickly.
Mrs Brice told me so when she was
here yesterday" replied Lady Avon. 'She
knew from the Danes that Ryle Baumgar-
ten was to have Great Whitton and to
marry Edith. Why Henry should be so
changeable l cannot imagine"
Lady Avon was evidently very much
annoyed, and justly so; annoyed at the
fact, and annoyed because she was un-
able to understand her son, who was
neither capricious nor inconsiderate She
wrote letter of complaint to him that
day, and awaited his answer
The i'll news broke abruptly upon Mr.
Baumgarten. The little hardworked, in
offensive Mr. Brice who had a kind heart
and never failed to have a kind word for
his patients, chanced to see in the Times
the same paragraph that Lady Avon saw,
and on the same morning.
and on the same morning.
BLESS my heart" he exclaimed, what
an unlucky thing! How could Baumgar-
ten have made such mistake? He said
"A fol- d. - L
who mistook the matter !"
Away he FASTENED to Whitton Cottage.
the newspaper in his pocket, and into the
clergymans presence, who sat in his lit
tie study writing sermon. And when
he got there, he felt at fault how to open
the ball. 1t seemed so cruel thing to
do. Mr.. Baumgarten, who looked gay and
unconscious, led up to it.
Have you heard any particular news
this morning?" began the surgeon, after
few words had passed.
NO." lightly replied Mr.. Baumgarten ::
'lvo not seen any one to tell me any !;
/ have been busy since breakfast with
my sermon for next Sunday. Nearly the
last | shall preach at Little Whitton,
expect"
-AA' i'iiSc NOuSHtu. nave you updTu
from Lord Avon?" he asked.
Not yet. / rather wonder at it. Every
morning l look for letter from him, but
1t does not come. He may be in France
again for all | know myself l don't like
to call at Avon House until my appoint
ment is confirmed 1t would look push
ing; as if l were impatient"
well, II saw curious paragraph
In the newspaper just now, about Great
Whitton being given away; but it was
another name that was mentioned, not
yours" said Mr.. Brice. 81 thought I'd
come here at once to see if you knew
anything about it."
Not anything; newspapers are always
making mistakes" smiled Mr.. Baumgar-
ten.
Mr. Brice took the paper from his
pocket. Finding the place, he laid it be-
fore the clergyman, who read it. Read it
twice over, and began to feel somewhat
less easy. He read it third time, aloud.
"We are authorized to state that the
valuable living of Great Whitton, Home
shire, has been bestowed by its patron,
the Earl of Avon, upon the Honorable
and Reverend Wilfred Elliotsen."
There ensued a pause. The two gen
tlemen were looking at one another, each
questioningly.
1t must be mistake" said Mr.. Baum
sarten. Lord Avon would not give the
living to me, and then give it to some one
else."
"The question is-did he give 1t to
you?" returned Mr. Brice. Perhaps the
mistake lies in your having thought So"
II saw it in his own handwriting, in his
letter to his mother Lady Grace showed
1t to me; at least, portion of it. He
wrote in answer to an appeal Lady Avon
had made to him to give me the living.
His promise was positive one. 1t is this
newspaper that makes the mistake, Brice
It cannot be otherwise"