The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1908-02-19
MIR. FOLINDEE'S CHOICE.
By MAUD SHIELDS.
Martin Eolinhea lay diving Th

stood his faithful attendant, John,
friend and servant for over thirty
years, shrewd, hard-headed man
like his master.
"John," said the dying man, Il am
what is called self-made man; I've
worked hard all my life to amass
money-and to what end? That 1t
may pass into the hands Of a fool!
I have striven to live honestly, to do
right as far as lay in me, and my re-
ward is to have bred an only son who
is a fool"
Here he paused for want of breath
and the servant did not contradict
him.
"Promise me that you will never
leave him, John, or he will fall among
thieves"
"As long as live 1 will bide with
Master Lancelot," John said, SOL
emnly.
Martin Folinbee groaned.
"His mother couldn't even give him
a mans name" he said, irritably.
"Lancelot! A son of mine -
Lancelot!"
The light faded in the west, and
the old shipowner's spirit passed with
1t through the golden gates.
John pondered on these things as
he counted the forks. The scene had
changed to Lancelot Folinbee's fiat
in the Oriental, where John had
taken up his residence as butler-valet
to the young man who, rightly or
wrongly, had been pronounced a fool
by the person most capable of judg-
ing.
Mrs. Lomax, called familarly
"Daisy" - very familiarly, John
thought-and her companion, Miss
Winter, had been Of the party. Now,
Mrs. LomaX was prepossessing
widow of some thirty years, and
widows-on the undoubted authority
of the immortal Mr.. Weller-are
dangerous one of them being, on the
same authority, equal to five-and-
twenty "ord nary women in pint O.
comm over you" John had never
heard of Mr.. Weller, but he regarded
widows-or Mrs. Lomax in particu-
lar-from similar standpoint. To
Miss Winter he had no objection; she
was a quiet-looking girl of some
three or four and twenty years, who
dressed becomingly-John had his
own ideas on the propriety Of decol-
lete gowns such as Mrs. Lomax af-
fected-but there was look some
times in the girls eyes that discon-
certed him-so clear and blue and
childlike one minute, and the next
brimming over with the very spirit
of mirth. Mrs. Lomax had adopted
Mr.. Folinbee-that is to say, she had
pitchforked him into her set-the set
that is called Smart in return for
which she allowed him to pay for
luncheons, dinners, theatre seats in
Vulnerable, sat on the box seat of his
drag, invited her friends to parties
on his launch, called him Lance, and
allowed him to call her Daisy-some-
times. A ring reused John from his
meditations, and told him his master
wished to rise. At breakfast Mr..
Folinbee opened his letters, and John,
passing from sideboard to table, had
ample time to study the contents of
one; it was jewelers. bill for dia-
mond star.
"When are We going to Ashcroft,
Mr.. Lancelot?" he inquired. Ashcroft
was the parental roof-tree-a gloomy
mansion in well-wooded park; and
Mr.. Folinbee knew that when John
suggested an adjournment thither
there was thunder in the air.
Il shall run down presently for a
day or two,' he replied, absently.
1Yes-give me poached egg. Ter
dare say things want seeing to-"
"Dootless the folks'd be glad to see
their master bit more than they
do" John said, severely.
"D'you think they'd like to see q
mistress?" Mr.. Folinbee asked, cas-
ually, with very slight click in
his throat. John laid the knife and
fork down with the air of q man who
AhoNo tiic NOlSI anu 10 dIHlSu.
II don't think they'd take kindly to
yon woman" he said.
Meaning"
"Ye ken who I mean right weel;
the old master 'ud turn in his grave,
do believe, IL yon Mrs. Lomax was
mistress of Ashcroft.
Il think you're becoming too free,
don't you know" Mr.. Folinbee said.
"It's time some one spoke to ye;
we've neighter kith nor kin to advise
nor blame, an / promised the old
master I'd look after ye."
"He didn't say l was to remain q
bachelor all my life, did he?"
"The man wasna fule; hope me-
self time'll see ye the father of as
bonny q family O. BARNS as ever man
had. but I'm not thinkin yon won
ans the mother for them"
"You think might marry, then?"
II think It's your duty, when the
right woman comes along, but not
before"
Mr.. Folinbee inspected his food
carefully, with the assistance of his