Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1907-04-08

If a girl harbors delusions before Dlar-
riage the experience Of married life is
rot a cure. but an incentive 4 less
tolerant man would have made her
safer husband"
Constance would listen to nothing
which would disparage him.
Il hate to be unjust to her even in
my thoughts but where could she have
found q better husband than you. dad?'
millionaire, indeedr protested Enid.
| breaking in with her own tumultuous
| thoughts. Il would not exchange you
! for twenty miIlionaires."
My methods cannot have been SO i'll
considered if they have brought me
two such daughters" he said. with
mournfUl smile But there. | am
; only deluding myself into a postpone
mcnt Of 4 painful duty. Ny secret
must QUITO YOU. at any rate. When
| | married your mother, Constance. /
| was an attache at the British embassy
| in Paris. Her maiden name was Mad
! cleine Narette de Courtray. Her fam
| lily, Notwithstanding the French sound
| Of her name, was almost wholly Eng
| lish. They were Jersey people. re-
cruted from British stock. but two
| generations of English husbands were
| compelled to assume the style De Cour-
tray owing to entailed estates on the
island. There is something quaint in
The idea as it worked out The place
| was only 4 small farm. When we were
married the stipulation lapsed. be-
cause it was more advisable for me to
retain my own name. I was then the
| heir to a title l can now claim. I an
legally ard lawfully Sir Stephen
| Brand ni-th barcaet Of Lesser Ham
bleGon. in Northumberland"
And You became a lighthouse
Keeper"
It was Enid who found breath for
The exclamation. Constance braced
herself for that which was to come.
That Stephen Brand was ! we'll born
man was Lot new thing in their IN
telhgence.
YES. a cleaner of lamps and trans
mitter of ships signals. Have we been
less happy" \ most vehement Mo-
was the answer.
Don't run away with the idea that
| was, therefore, endowed with ample
means. There are baronets poorer
than some crossing sWeepers The es-
tate was encountered. During my
fathers life. during my own until five
years ago, it yielded only a thousand
q year Even now. after fifteen years
of retrenchment-yOu both forget that
while 1 was stationed at Marlborough
| un16 I woe 0hCnn+ for 81 10
attend my fathers funeral-it pro-
dUces only a little over $4,000. Enough
for us, Ell, to enjoy life on? Enough to
satisfy Lady Margaret's scruples. Enid,
as to her sons absurd notion of matri-
| mony? Enough, too. Constance. to
! mate you to the man of your choice,
| whatever his postion?'
Dad" murmured Constance, sis
there no hope of the old days coming
back again.
"Who can tell? These things are not
in mortal ken. l need hardly say that
my allowance of one-third of the fam
lily revenues was barely sufficient to
maintain a junior in the diplomatic
service. Yet 1 married. heaven help
me. in the pursuance of an ideal. only
to find my ideal realized. after much
suffering, on lonely rocks and bleak
| headlands. With strict economy we
existed happily until you were born.
Ny wife at first was sufficiently de-
lighted to exchange Jersey society for
Paris and the distinguished circle in
which we moved there. But you were
| not many months old until change
came A Frenchman. rich fop began
to pay her attentions which turned her
head. l do not think she meant any
| harm. People never Go mean harm
who accomplish it most fatally l did
that which man who respects himself
loathes to dol protested There was
| scene. tears and wild reproaches
| Next day the crash came She endeav.
| ored to mislead me as to an appoint
| ment God l-noWS | only wished tC
save her, but it was too much to ask
me to pass over in silence the schemes
of a libertine. though he. too. was in
. | fatuated by her beauty. l discovered
them in a clandestine meeting. and
. and-my blood was hot and th2 coun
, | try was France. We fought next
morning, and killed him.
Constance bent her head and kissed
his right hand. Here at least was q
lineal descendant of nine generations
of border raiders. who held their swords
Of greater worth than musty laws.
+ Brands eyes kindled. His voice be
, came more vehement. The girls i'm
, pulsive action seemed to sanctify the
deed.
Il did not regret. have never regret
, ted, the outcome of the duel. He wa:
MORALLY wounded and was carried tt
, his house to die. | fed from Paris tt
r escape arrest, but the woman in whose
a defense l encountered him behaved
. most cruelty. She deserted me ant
, went to him. Ask Mrs. Sheppard. Sh'
. was your English nurse at the time
~ Constance. 1t was she who brough
you to England. | never met my wifi
| nv Sny1l that ShI