Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1910-05-25
1t doesn't matter to me. Sir.


rather to mans credit that ne
should have risen from nothing
4But Mr.. Melford didn't rise from
nothing" said Guy, quietly; he rose
from CLAY and dirt, and he brought
great deal of it with him, sir.
The earl raised his eyes and glanced
AZ the grave, handsome face.
| what does it natter? he salu'
"you do not marry the father!
..ueayen forbid" CALCULATED Guy
..Tba father is nothing. A NAVY
We have the sons of nayvies, OF niue
hot+er in the House of Lords! re-
800 Il doesn't matter! The son IS not
a navvy!' :. :.
cad!" - o,,er
b,,t failed, and Guy got in and pokeu
the fire. III hos
800 bare-has the manners OF q
gentleman. ao,,h+ y,
said Guy.
The earl froWneu. .4;o,
/ sRut this is wide OF the queselon
The thing is the girl he SAID Diu
YOU see much of her! r
..Not much; dined there, anu
drove them to the races yeslel uos
! and gave them some lunch SAD Guy
"And she is beautiful and ladyllhe'
rbo+ ie enough. 1t is more than can
be said of half our order Ano no" i"i
has the thing gone?
..No further" said Guy, AFTER !"
pause. 49,, Glow
~ and with oppressive politeness'
that YOU did not read my letter.
Eyes I did, sir"
"Then its purpose must nave
caped you: and yet / thought thaO
had nut the matter plainly
ssYou put it plainly enough SIT!
said Guy ,d
.cNot too plainly In case ! should
rot have done so, let me repeat the
Reist of nv letter. My dear Guy, we
arc IN the brink of ruin. For years
mast, long before my time, Latcnahi
has been in difficulties. | have oohe
nv best! But it has been as eHectlVe
as the stopping of foot leak IN tne
hold of a vessel with an inch OF putty
For generations the Latchams nave
been spendthrifts There is not an
acre not an inch of the estate that
| could be mortgaged that is not mort
gagged. There is a lien ON the very
plate that stood upon your d1nlng
| table tonight. We are poor beyond the
dreams of poverty"
Lord Guy pulled in silence for mo-
uent
81 dined like a prince tonight!
There must be an army of servants
here?"
'.You did. There are" admitted the
earl. q suppose you think it would
have been better if you had had a
cold mutton chop, and glass OF
cheap sherry? Pshaw! You do not un-
derstand! A house-such house as
ours-stands erect till it falls! 1t
neither bends nor crawls. While we
live we live as our forefathers did; as
princes, if you will! We have duty
to perform; we discharge it! But the
whole thing is rotten-rotten to the
core; l tell you that every acre is
mortgaged; that the plate you saw
upon the table is pledged; that there
is a bill of sale upon every article in
Latcham pom this chair in which l
sit!"
Guy flung his cigar in the fire.
1--WE are on the brink of ruin. There
is only one thing can save us, only
one person. You are the person, and it
is by marriage that the crash may be
averted'
81 did not know it was so bad"
ct is very, very bad. have told you
the plain truth. Great Heavens! when
] think that there are people in the
world who envy us; who actually rant
upon public platforms against the
bloated aristocrats, as they call us!
There is no time in my life that /
would be willingly have changed
places with the workmen who came
to mend the roof, or one of the gar
deners-with any of my man servants.
/ have never, walked along the ter
race without wishing that the Court
could be levelled with the ground, and
that / could live in small cottage
built upon its ruins. Envy If the
world knew how heavily our resposi-
bilities prey upon us, how weary we
were with the burden of it all, l
think even the idiots who rant and
rave about equality on public plat.
forms would pity us Will you be kind
enough to give me some of that lem
on water?"
Guy reached the silver jug, and
poured out gIassful of the decoc-
ton, and the earl drank it slowly, his
eyes fixed on the fire
But enough of this Now that you
know all. Guy, what do you intend to
do? | did not write to you, and
propose this plan without considera-
ton Of course 7 know that I1o,, 1x-o,,1d