Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-06-12
A PRICELESS PEARL.

Tor one day, and she has stripped his
FAMILY OF every penny of the property"
| i think you are too hard on the poor
young thing, Grace" said the mother
| quietly. "She may be quite unconscious
OF the wrong done in her name"
Then she ought not to be uncon.
| sclous," said Grace. "She is 10, and |
am sure she is old enough to prevent her
mother from making her seem like
common thief
Lettice Hamilton trembled like an as
pen leaf, for it was impossible that she
could misunderstood the conversation
she had overheard, and it filed her with
hrm passionate indignation. Not
| against the speakers-they were right
to espOuse their friends eause-but
against the mother who had played so
base a part.
An hour or two later the old house
keeper at Aspendale castle was aston
ished by visit from her masters wild
ow. Lettuce came into Mrs. Stubs
room with a depreeating air as of one
not sure of her welcome.
Have you come for me to show you
round the picture gallery, my lady 90
asked Stubs. Or have you any orders
TO give2"
Il came because l wanted to talk to
you, said Lettuce frankly. Mrs
Stubs, / want you to tell me all about
Mrs. Hamilton and Ter children new
er knew until this Afternoon that they
had LETT the dover horse
81 sand as much 10 Stubs, my lady"
said the housekeeper-Stubbs was her
husband, and the butler. 81 always felt
that you would never have been so I'M
kind yourself, it is just the lawyer peo-
pie"
1t was long story as told by Stubs,
but Lettice CLEANED the main facts, and
should not help sharing the indignation
'of the Dales.
1t seemed that her husbands father
had been thought a confirmed invalid
never likely to marry, and SO every one
expected his brother Edward to be his
heir. This brother married young and
had threee children before the baronet,
in fit of romance which none of his
friends could understand, married and
brought home his wife. This wife died
at the birth of her only child Dick, and
the latter was 80 sickly that he was
never expected to live, so every one
thought that his uncle, or failing him
his cousin Norman, was certain to be
the next baronet.
but weakly children sometimes grow
up strong, my lady" said Mrs. Stubs,
land by the time the old master died
Mr.. Dick was as fine a young man as
you'd want to see. His father had al
lowed Mrs Edward Hamilton a thou
sand year ever since her husbands
death, and he just continued it; he
helped her too in many other ways, paid
the expenses of the second son at Ok
ford, and gave a portion to the daugh-
ter who married"
II suppose he never dreamed of being
cut off so young, or perhaps he'd have
settlrd something on his aunt instead
of just making the allowance a gift de-
pending on his pleasure. Then you see
my lady, when the accident came Sin
Richard hadn't much time to set his
house in order, and it was natural be
should think most of you"
But the allowance ought to have
been continued" said Lettice, forgetting
that Mrs. Stubs was only a servant.
The housekeeper shook her head.
Perhaps you being under age, my
lady, no one else had the power The
family left the dover house the day be-
fore you came here. don't deny that
it was hard on them, but the law was on
Lady Ashgroves side"
"And where did they goP Is Sir
Norman a Clergyman"
"Eo, that's the second son, my lady;
Sir Norman was Just agent of this
property for his cousin. He sent in
his resignation to Mr.. Carter as soon
| as he heard"
About met" said Lettiee, filling in
the gap. How they must hate met"
Mrs. Stubs looked at her young mis-
tress with plying eyes.
'It seems to me, my lady, it is no
fault of yours. And it must be a com
fort to Sir Norman to feel that the
property must come back to him later,
or else to his SON.
as be marriedf''
ooh, no, my lady; though he's turned
80, Pve never SO much as heard any
talk of it
Lettice Hamilton left Mrs Stubs and
went upstairs to the three rooms which
had begun 30 seem to her like a prison.
She was desperately angry at the wrong
done in her name, but she had no idea
how it was to be righted She did not
even know the name of Sir Richards
| lawyer Mr.. Garnet and DIR. Bateson
were both away, and it seemed to the
poor child that there was no one but
herself to demonstrate with her mother
Simple and girlish though she might
be, Lettiee Hamilton was no fool; she
knew perfectly that her mother had
never forgiven her for being Sir Rich.
ards choice, that she was regarded in
the family as Beryl's despoiler, and that,
though her mother and sister benefited
far more by the Hamilton wealth than
she did, they had never forgiven her for
being its nominal owner.
Lettice did not appear at dinner, ard
after it was over her mother came up
stairs to see if she were i'll, for the last
thing that the Ashgroyes desired was
Lettice's death, seeing that it would rob
them of Aspendale.
Lettice Hamilton, strung up to the
effort, told her mother she would not
suffer her husbands family to be de-
spoiled, that the allowance must be con-
| tinued at any cost.
"You are an ungrateful, impertinent