The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-03
CHAPTER l.. s.Y our Daughter. Vida :"

that is on the keel-torn, screw 4 O tormented waters of the Firth of Cantyre. The misty blue mountains of Sannox anchored full in the fairway, made of the peninsula on which it stood T almost an embattled island Yet the mas ter of Gorm House stood at the window of his breakfast-room and looked on this ' beauty, but saw nothing but blur. H. # had crushed a letter in the palm of one huge hand, and risen from his untouched breakfast to stride about the room and frown upon the external world through expensive sheets of brand-new plate glass He had ordered the yet, newer footman out of his sight, and kicked the mornings Thistle into the corner with out even glancing at the iron and steel report" which as a rule was as holy writ to him. Altogether, Jacob Romer was in what MT. Bunyan would call "an evil villain tenaper."
 His forceful hands twisted visbly as you watched them. He wanted somebody to contradict him, so that he might twist his neck. Indeed. in a very few minutes he had worked himself into a fine mon arch-of-all-I-survey'' passion.
 And this was the letter which had so provoked him. It was from his brother Tom-a celebrated doctor and man like minded with himself-one also who had never asked for a sixpence Q<nowing that he would not have got iD. in all points equally cross grained, pushing, and un- scrupulous as MT. Jacob Romer himself
 Dear Jacob 0hus ran the letter., l :. have done my best for you-and a good aI deal more than I would have done for anybody else-more than you would ever t have done for me. or indeed than l should have asked you to do. But if it had been .s of the least use, I should not have minded.
 "As you supposed-personally Caroline
 al safely arranged for, and nothing would have been said, but for that Imp of Mis- chief, your daughter, Vida. She it WAS who brought the whole wasp-nest buZZing round my ears. No sooner had we sate- ly planted her mother in the Thorsby county asylum (and really the best and t safest place for herb than this Dantling 2 of Yours well-ngh lost me my municipal X positions of police doctor and city an tt alyst by raising the whole town Of < Thorsby against me.
 T .eIIJp to this point Old Tweedle and had worked the thing quite quietly. At tendants accustomed to such cases were on the spot, and took Caroline off from Wood Green one moonlight night without a soul being the wiser.
 M ''But the very next day our Young Hopeful, instead oN returning to school goes straight to the asylum and finds her mother on the poor side-4where l had placed her according to your instruo- 3 tions, as being less conspicuous. Then crack, Off she flies like q fire-rocket to 4 interview the mayor at the town hall. h. \ side of ten minutes she has him per- suaded that I am a cruel monster and an Ii unconsconable tyrant. Next she appears before the sitting magistrate-yes. before 8 our stipendiary. MT. Eugene Bridge, and z right in the middle of the police cases, z my young lady steps up and asks for advice.
 'Certainly,' says the magistrate, how v caA assist you?'
 | a'ts 1t tight (says Mademoselle), that a my mother. Il lady of independent means md the wife of wel-known Scotch ironmaster, should be dragged from her harne and put in an asylum-on the poor slde?'
 ti q fWhat are the circumstances? says lirt Bridge sharply And the reporters pencils could not get over the paper buick enough. Before that they had all ! been asleep. What name? What name bid she say?i they whispered, overlook Ing one anothers notes, eager as ter riers at a rat-hoe
 y "Then Miss Vida Romer states her fuil x name, also yours. and-what mattered Y most of all in Thorsby-mne. The court ! officials, across whose hawse 1 have had to come several times in the way of bus I mess, sat up like so many cocl1roaches a They thought they had plnehed me now for a certainty.
 "Ah, Doctor Thomas Romer.' says the < magistrate, in a melted-butter voice, I and the wel-known local physician, pr. X rweedlel Surely there cannot be any thing irregular-two officials of the mu- 2 ncrality and both justices of the peace Gle had sheer in his voice, l am sureO Are you certain that your mother is per fectly sane. Miss-ah-Romer? n She has been very i'll, sir said your daughter, she is weak and shy with strangers but she was always good and happy with me when they left us alone. We were so happy in our little house at Wood Green, and she never went out even when l was away at school. That is, when she promised not. But. at any rate. 2, my mother has money of her own, and ought not to be on the poor side of 0 public asylum That is piece of petty spite She has two hundred a year of her own, and l know her solicitors address, There 1t is. She ought certainly to be represented!
 "And if she didn't write the sddress down on a sheet of paper and hand it up to the magistrate as cool as an old hand He glanced at it, so they tell me, and scratched his head with the butt of quill.
 "'You may go home. Miss Romer,' he said Be assured that I will look into this
 And sure enough, l ndd tue mayor the magistrate and the chairman of the watch committee all after me that same day It was your business or mine, Jacob --and I had to let yours go by the board. Had to- l can tell you! For they were as keen as mustard after my scalp. The mayor has a nephew about ripe for my shoes, and the town clerk has had his knife in me for long time. l had to live way all along the line. l even {. <nowed your instructions. There was, of ls course, no question about the mental state of the patient-at least, on the occa- sion when Tweedle and I saw her. We not clear of the poor side on the plea that it was a simple mistake. So just managed to scrape out of it, but this is tie last time I shall meddle with your | domestic hornets nests. If you want to be rid of your wife get lawyer. Jacob a fellow who is paid for doing your dirty iobsj and carrying it off under cover of professional. duty and looking to his clients interests.
 But it is altogether too warm for your brother, Tom, with such a niece Miss Vida in the same town. I wish you joy of her, my friend. One of my competi- tors here, young fellow. Hubert Salver son. who recently married very much be- meath him, has been interesting himself (quite unnecessarily in the business. Miss Vida called him in to see her mother and he took the affair up-for the sake of any spare kudos. I suppose. His father is man of property and influence in