davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Just in Time

Nicholas now became highly civil and asked: "When does your lordship return to England?'
 Immediately said Colamore' anu left the room.
 He did return immediately to England, but the packet upon which he sailed from Dublin was becalmed for some hours. and when he reached his father house in London MT. Nicholas Garragh- l tv was there before him, and Lord Cioh- brony was about to sign the leases ana ether papers which the agent had brought him.
 Colambre denounced the agent, but SIT Terrence O'Fay, who was present, said "Faith, if your lordship does not sign. where will we get the money we must haVe?'
 Lord Clonbrony at length listened to the advice of his son. sending MT Gar raghty away in a rage.
 Now it became necessary that some serious attention should be paid to the financial affairs of Lord Clonbrony which affairs could no longer be allowed 10 drift upon experiences of raising the wind"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Clearing a Mystery

Count O'Holaron, coming up to Lon don on business, called upon Colambre snd in the course of conversation, spoke for the first time of his Austrian experi- ences. He happened to mention fellow officer in that service by the name Of Reynolds.
 The name struck Colambre. and he learned the whole story of the St. Omar connection. Reynolds had married Miss St Omar in Vienna. The marriage had been perfectly legal but had not been announced to the Reynolds family at first.
 When Captain Reynolds died he gave into the hands of Count O'Halloran a packet containing the certificate of his marriage and narrative of his story. That packet the count had sent to the father of the captain in England by the hands of the British ambassador.
 Reynolds widow had afterward mar ried q man named Nugent, and the child bern of the marriage of Reynolds and Miss st. Omar had taken the name of Nugent. and been brought up as his iauclter.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
But They Were Cousins

Now, my dear Colambre," said his mother, put down that paper and lis ten to me. I hope that tonight you will pay especial attention to Miss Broad hurst l know that the family come here on your account"
 q shall endeavor to neglect none of your guests" returned Lord Colambre
 My son, Miss Broadhurst is every. thing you can wish except beauty.
 Perhaps" he replied, you think can see no further than a human face and he looked directly at Grace Nu- gent.
 And Grace was beautiful, though, as Lady Langdale once remarked, she was not woman's beauty--it was only the men who admired her"
 Having grown up together from childhood, it fell out that as years passed Grace and Lord Colambre grew rearer to each other. But it had early been instilled into them that first cousins could not marry-and they were first cousins.
 Now, as Colambre saw Grace every day as a young lady, he began to fret at the restrictions of consanguinity. But Grace accepted, as facts never to be disturbed, the old rotations.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Burke. the Good Agent"

Colambre remarked that the estate seemed to be in excellent condition, and the landlord launched out in fervid culo- gism of a MT. Burke. the agent of his ab- sentee lordship.
 The next day Colambre saw more of the town from which he took his title and also saw MT. Burke. ''the good agent He found him everything that he landlord had described him to be.
 He was a man who encouraged the im- proving tenant and. residing always in the country and going about among the ten entry, he knew where to press for rent and where to be lenient, and when to leave the money to be put out upon the ground.
 He levied no petty blackmal or glove money" scaling money'-and such like heeching, as most of the other agents of the absentees did.
 But MT. Burke complained that his work was not, appreciated by Lord Clonbrony, who, of late, seemed to de- sire only one thing-that he should squeeze the tenants out of the last pos sible penny and let the estate go to ruin.
 q fear" said Mir. Burke. that, at tached as l am to this place and these people. shall have to give up the agency.' .f
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22

In writing "The Absentee" Maria Edge worth was dealing with a subject con- corning which she ought to have been familiar--the Edgeworths were once ab- sentees themselves. But not for long, and when Marias father went over to manage his Irish estates at Edgeworths- town it was the young Maria who acted
 as his secretary, wrote his letters and kept his accounts.
 Lady Ritcrie, Thackery's daughter says in her introduction to recent edi- rion Of The Absentee: "The present own CT of Edgeworthstown told us that ne was still reaping the benefit of his grand fathers admirable organization and that when people all around met with end less difficulties and complications he could scarcely understand it.
 So Maria practiced what she preacheo in The Absentee, and no one can read her sermon on absenteeism in Ireland without feeling that 1t was then, If 1t Is not now, the greatest curse or the land.
 And the crime of absenteeism seems so much greater when the possibilities of the island are considered.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
His Welcome Home

The castle was dilapidated, the park was a wilderness; the great gates were either thrown down or hung by one hinge.
 And this was the place he remem- hered as a child as happy and pros- porous community; productive and well cared for estate.
 The carriage in which he was travelling breaking down before he entered the town" Colambre became a guest for the night of the widow O'Neil.
 kindly welcome" were the first words the young man heard as he entered the cottage and kindly welcome" was in the sound of the voice and the countenance Of the old woman who welcomed him.
 A neat, pretty young woman was sit ting spinning by the fire. And she, too. said kindly welcome" They at once got him a meal of milk, eggs, potatoes ard bacon.
 Put down the salt there. Grace" said the old woman to the young woman.
 Grace repeated Colambre, starting ct the sound of that name. lis Grace a common name in Ireland?'
 "cSo, it was given to the girl by her godmother, Lady Clonbrony. from a niece Of her own who was foster sister to tnls girl"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22

look at him she saw by the expression Of his face that she had made a great mistake. Still she thought her power over Colambre sufficient to enable her to efface any unfa avorable impression her conversation with the count might have made upon him.
 But all the charms of her conversa- tion were tried in vain to reclaim the young man from the reverie into which ne had fallen.
 That very evening Lord Colambre, sit ting unobserved in a recess of the li- brary, heard Isabel talking with one of the daughters of the house in a manner which shocked him, it was so like her mothers sentiment, or, rather, lack of morality-the same as Lady Dashfort Lad talked to Count OHalloran.
 The face and figure of Lady Isabel appeared to Colambre to be meta morphosed. Instead of the tender, soft, gentle, amiable female, all sweet char ity and tender sympat thy, she appeared as one possessed by an evil spirit.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
All Obstacles Removed

The count and Colambre now began an investigation and after time dis covered that the packet sent by the ambassador had never been delivered, Gs tho bearer of it had died soon after his return home.
 But they found the packet itself and also an old and wealthy man. a Mir. Reynolds who proved to be the grand father of Grace Reynolds-not Nugent as she had been called.
 Now as she was neither his first cou- sin, nor was there any spot upon the reputation of her mother. Colambre proposed in form-and was accepted.
 Also the wealthy old grandfather, Reynolds. made Grace his heiress and soon they all returned to Ireland to live there happy for the rest of their lives and make their tenants happy too.
 Needless to say. MT, Burke became at once the manager of all the prop crty owned either by Conbrony or Co., larbre. Sir Terrence stayed in Lon- don and lived upon a modest pension from his old friend.
 Next weeks one page classic will be Griffith Gaunt," by Charles Reade.
 Copyright, 1911, by Irving King.)
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Climbers From Ireland

r ORD oLoNBRoNY was an Irish
 peer who lived in London, let his A agents squeeze his tenants upon his Irish estates-the only estates he had and his wife was social climber or the most pronounced description.
 Lady Clonbrony had great desire to be thought an English woman. In fact she had been born in England, but had been brought up in Ireland, and her er- forts to speak with a strongly marked English accent afforded one of the many opportunities which the "fashionabies improved to sheer at her and make her the subject of their bitter gibes-these same "fashionables'' who came to her receptions ate her food and drank her wines and invited her to their own houses when the party was not too select
 Lady Cronbrony had a piece, Miss Grace Nugent, stopping with her, and there was one son, young Lord Colambre, just re- turned from Cambridge, and not quite of age.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Called on Mir. MOrdecai

In the meantime his first business Of the morning was to execute commis- sion for a college friend, MT. Berry', who had bought from MT Mordecai, famous London coachmaker, a curricle which had broken down three months after the purchase and had been sent back, as repairs were, according to the terms of sale, to be made by MT. Morde- cai.
 But nothing had been heard of the curricle since 1t had been sent back and now Lord Colambre went to see abcut 1t.
 Lord Colambre and MT. Mordecai had quarrel and finally, Colambre agreed to pay for the repairs.
 While he was waiting a fat, jolly looking, Falstaff-like person came into the yard and began trying to wheedlc Mordecai into completing new coach for him. It was Sir Terence O'Fay, an intimate of Lord Clonbrony's though Colambre did not know him.
 'It shall be done soon, Sir Terence. " said ~Mordecai. And Sir Terence being gone he ordered that no work at all should be done upon the coach of the Irish knight.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Arrived at Cola mbre

He arrived at a village, or, as it was called a town, which bore tile name of Colambre. He was agreeably surprised at the air of neatness and finish in the houses and in the street, which had a nicely swept and paved footway
 He slept at small but excellent nm The landlord came in to supper to in oujre if anything was wanting. Colan- ble took the opportunity to get into con versation with him and asked him who were the proprietors of the neighboring estates.
 This town" said the landlord, be longs to an absentee lord-one Lord Clonbrony-who lives always at London and has never seen the town since 1t was a town to call a town.
 Al the land in the neigrborhood be- longs to Lord Clonbrony; he is great proprietor but knows nothing of his prop ertv or of us: he might as well be a West India planter and we his slaves for anything he knows to the contrary.
 Shame for him-but there's too many to keep him company
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
EScaped

At some ejaculation which he uncon- sciously made, Isabel started; she saw the expression foh is countenance and knew that all was over. He bowed and left the room.
 That man has escaped me" she said to the young lady with whom she had been talking.
 The next morning Colambre took his leave of the Kilpatricl1s, and-after a visit to the count, who introduced him into many refined and elegant Irish homes-went on his way to his pater- nal estates.
 He travelled incognito, wrapping him self in shabby great coat, called him self MT. Evans and sent his servant to Dublin to wait for him there.
 He might see more and hear more travelling in this manner than if he entered his paternal estates as the heir apparent
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Ona Sane Basis

Tn a few days Colambrel would be of age and would not only come into a considerable property of his own, but would be able to join his father. in break ing such entails as were necessary to clear the estate. er eslt rsS
 Half of his fortune he offered to turn over at once to his father and to see tret he was cleared of all pecuniary Lon dor. liabilities.
 Put he named two conditions. One was that Garraghty should be dismissed from the agency. The other was that they should all go back to Ireland and be ab- sentees no longer.
 Lord Clonbrony was ready enough to agree to both of them, but they had a Lard time getting my lady to agree to the latter condition. She finally did, and tEe family made ready to depart for Castle Clonbrony as soon as his lordship' s London affairs could be settled.
 In the meantime an important discovery was made concerning the ancestry of Grace Nugent.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Seeing Things in Their True Light

And so these amiable people rattled on until the announcing of their respective carriages put an end to their rattling.
 Now it happened that when Mrs. Dare vile and Lady Langdale began their pleasing .conversation about the woman whose guests they proposed to be, Lord Colambre, who was totally unknown to the ladies, had stood immediately behind them.
 As soon as he realized the drift Of their talk he turned and walked across the room. But he had heard enough to make him sad.
 He realized that this society into which his mother had penetrated with such lh- finite toll and at such enormous expense despised and ridicued her. He saw that the renegade cowardice with which she denied, revled and abjured her own coun- try of Ireland. gained her nothing put scorn and contempt.
 The next morning when ne "ohe uP' the very first thing that came to his mlnd was the contemptuous emphasis which the Duchess of Torcaster had lad upon inc words Irish absentees" This led to recollections of his native country, com parisons of past and present scenes to future plans for life.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22

 in his power the. name of his own fath- CT, Lord Clonbrony!
 Full of what he had heard, Colambre hurried home, impatient to obtain further information regarding the state of his fathers affairs. A
 But his father was out-he was nearly always away from home and took little or no part in his wife's social functions Lady Clonbrony and Grace were engaged with the celebrated MT. Soho arranging tle decorations of the room for her lady ships gala
 As soon as he could get his mother alone, however, the young man asked her if she knew of any reason why his father should be disquieted about his af- fairs.
 Why, l can't tell,' replied Lady Clon. brony. 'There are difficulties for ready money, I confess, when I ask for it, which surprises me often. l know nothing about affairs-ladies of a certain rank seldom do, you know"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Seeing for Himself

Lord Colambre suddenly announced his intention of going over to Ireland and viewing the family estates. He would make trip all through the coun- try, see it thoroughly. Tt is my native country, you know said he to his mother. "I really don't sec" she replied, what difference that makes.
 Tt is also," continued the young man, "the country from which we draw our subsistence"
 Subsistence. Good gracious cried the laoy 'Well, if you really must go and lcok after your fathers property l hope you will make the people pay their rents.'
 So my Lord Colambre was off to Ireland and Grace Nugent sent her heart and her thoughts after him. in spite of her. self.
 He landed in Dublin, where his father had many friends, who received him cordially. I
 He went to the country and make a round of visits before he proceeded to his own ancestral property Several officers he met, officers of the garrisons in Ire lend and men whom he had known In England.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
-By- MARIA EDGEWORTH


through the magnificent apartments hung with pictures of great value spoil ing with damp. There was a portrait of Grace Nugent as a child. before which Coambre paused and sighed.
 In what had once been Lady Cron- brony's dressing room there was a full levee and fine smell for sreatcoats.
 Greasy hats were thrown oni damask sofas, and muddy boots soiled the will ton carpet upon which. also. MT. Gar- raghty shook the ink from his pen.
 The people pressed forward and had audience of Nicholas, seated in state.
 It would be too long to tell of the proceedings of this levee. Its all the same," sighed Colambre to himself at each fresh instance of oppression and roguery.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Marked for Capture


 In Dublin he became acquainted with a certain Lady Dashfort and her daugh- ter, Isabel. Lady, Dashfort at once set tout to capture him for her daughter G When Sir James Brook. one of the of fceis with whom Golambre had become famfliar, left Dublin for a distant part of tho isla nd he said to the young mani -.'Dont think me impertinent; but I warn you to beware of counterfeits-fo for such are abroad. Lady Dashfort and her daughter are determined to capture you and you know their regulations. Bel w3re.'' Hf
 Yes, Colanibre did know the regulations of Isabel and her mother-stories of the desolation they had carried into many families. tsf
 Eut he only believed one-half of the stories at first and when he came to know Isabel better he did not believe anything unlxnd said about her
 Lady Dashfort carried the young man of to the country to visit with her a Lord Kilpatrick whose house and family seemed to be at her service whenever she desired.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22

posed agent, and said:. Be assured shall do MT. Burke justice
 Then recollecting his incognito he added, eff l hear this matter spoken of and as far as lies in my power.
 lie then set forth for castle Clon- brony. This estate he found to be thc exact reverse of the Colambre estate in everything pertaining to conditions and management.
 The roads were bad, whole planta- tions of trees had been cut down, the fields had not been properly cared for the people were dirty, ragged and dis couraged; the cottages were ruinous. Il was a scene of squalor and desola tior and poverty.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
RObbjnq Both Sides

There seemed 10 be no doubt in thf minds of the people that Nicholas an6 his brother were not only robbing the tolsntry, but cheating the lord of the manor.
 And as he looked about and heard the stories of queer leases, Colambre thought the tenants very likely right
 The widow O'Nei had confided to MT Evans" that she was sure of the re- newal of her lease-though it was ril- mored that the agent had promised it tc someone else for a consideration-becaus on her last lease Lord Conbrony had written in pencil with his own hand that it was to be renewed. They had beer hard pushed to get the money required Eut had got it.
 Grace was not Mrs. O'Neils daughter but the widows boy, Brian. was going to marry her at the signing of the leases
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Let the Young Man Speak!

l officer in the Austrian service-an ec- l centric in some ways, but man to whom 1 all honest and honorable men took d
 great liking at first sight. | The party rode over to as, permission 1 for the gentlemen to do some shooting on ] Count OHalloran's preserves-a perms- 1 sion readily granted.
 1 The count was full of some recent eX- l plorations he had made on his estate, | in which he had discovered an extremely | ancient graveyard, the burying place of l the Nugents which family once possessed
 large estates in that part of the coun- l try.
 | Lord Coambre was at once greatly in | terested saying that the Nugents were | his near relatives. Lady Dashfort at once interfered and carried Colambre off to the moose-deer, to the round tower | and to other antiquities.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Guessing the Truth

But Lady Dashfort did know, having obtained her information through the medium of a prying, listening lady's maid who had been in the employ oi |'Lady Clonbrony and was now in hei own.
 Early the next morning Colambre wrote off to his mother asking if what Lady Dashfort had told him was true In due course of time he received 2 reply in which his mother said that Il all took place before her time, but she believed what Lady Dashfort had said was substantially true.
 Colambre tore the letterto bits. But Lady Dashfort had watched him while he read and guessed at once the truth Many a tennis ball and many a heart has been caught on the rebound, said she to her daughter Isabel, II is now your time."
 And so perhaps. it would have been but for circumstances which her lady ship with all her genius for intrigue had never taken into consideration.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Under a Tyrant

Then he listened to encomums upon his mother-stores of the good she had done among the tenantry and how they all loved her and wept when she went away. He was told of the good old times before the landlord became an absentee, and of the present state of affairs.
 Much as he told that night. and the next day, in the town. of the tyranny of Nicholas Garraghty. who was agent for the estate and who was expected there tEat day to receive the rents and fix tbe new leases.
 He lived in Dublin--a sort of an ab- sentee agent for an absentee landlord and his brother. Dennis. lived in Clon- brony and acted as his bailiff.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Two Secrets Surprised

Mrs. Broadhurst labored with Lady Clonbrony for the union of Miss Broadhurst and Lord Colambre, but iabored in vain. The young people liked each other well enough-but were not in love with each other.
 Miss Broadhurst became bosom friend of Grace and surprised from her a secret which the girl hardly knew she possessed, that she loved Lord Co., lambre. And as she had surprised from the young lord the secret of his love for Grace she was able to assure each of them that the other returned the affection.
 But there was that bar of consan- guinity. Grace could never get over that and Colambre hardly dared to think of marrying so close a, relation, even had the girl been willing.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
A New Barrier

And her mother was"
 Reynolds, I believe. She was my aunt by marriage. Her maiden name was Reynolds"
 70, my dear lord, I am perfectly aware that she did take and bear the name of Reynolds. But that was not her maiden name-that was St Omer. But you see you are no worse off than we've have married into the St. Omers.'
 Colambre took the first opportunity he could to leave the room for soli- tary walk. Lord Colambre had the greatest horror of marrying girl whose mother had conducted herself i'll. His reason, his pride and even his lm- tied experience were all against it. And Grace Nugent's mother was St. Omer
 He had thought of trying to over come that barrier of consangu guinity- hut now? It must be true what Lady Dashfort had said-she could not know that Grace Nugent was the woman upon whom his affections were set
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22

of it, though I saw the end of it long ago."
 And putting his fingers in his ears he ran from the room. During this matrimonial dialogue Grace Nugent and Lord Colambre never looked at each other. The young man read a paper diligently and Grace
 kept trying new arrangements for some | ornaments on the mantelpiece.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-22
Reward for Services

That vory night the post brought . letter to MT. Burke which he gave to his wife to read, saying, See the re- ward of all my services" It was letter by Lord Clonbrony dismissing Burke, and saying that Nicholas O'Garraghty of Dublin, who now managed the castle Clonbrony es- tates. would also take charge of the Colambre estate.
 Lord Colambre-or MT Evans--was present and the letter was shown him. The young man saw that 1t had been written by Sir Terrence O'Fay anG signed by his father
 He sympathized deeply with the de-