The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-04-11

,foubtedly would have arrived at a
fame which is now no his. He
seemed at home with the people. the
manners and customs OF the time of
which be wrote in his story of the
ia u,ous actress-at least as much at
home as it IS safe for an historical
novelist to be-and succeeded thor
ouehly in bringing before his readers
,he uiclurc. the character and the sur
,ourdings Of Mrs. Wellington. The
s.e,e where Peg disguiseS herself as
urs. B~racegirdie is one which has &C.
MUS in every line. eveTy turn OF a
word. 1t must be read in its entirety
so hc appreciated. Who would think
that the man who wrote "A Terrible
temptation" bcgan by writing Peg
Nofin9tOn?'
Ernest Van was a wealthy gen.
tInman of Shropshire whom business
had called to london -four n
before and now p~ieasuer detained
there. He was q man of learning and
tasfp. as the times Went-lt was in
the middle of the eighteenth century
and his love Of arts had taken him
to the theatre, where he had become
fascinated by Mrs. Woifingotn-Peg
Wellington, not Il Mrs though ac'
.ordlng to the custmo of the day SO
t.iIJed. jc IhSI iAoAS n
4yas an epoch in the history of Vane's
mind. He saw a creature all grace
ana bright nature, moving like a god
de>s and amid the stiff puppets or
the stage. Goodness and Intelligence
hepmed from her FACET was ike
no other face: his heart TO
meet it. She could make men laugh
or cry or still their fiercer emotions.
She was a woman whose fascination
haIa r lPI1oo1 two Centn11 eS-0Id
Ernest Vane was an inexperienced
young man in the matters of the world
"a country squire who seldom visited
london. Peg Wellington was charm
ing the world, it was not strange that
she fascinated Ernest Nane.
TIo rented a box at her theatre; he
was there every night before the cur
tain went up; he did not depart until
il fell. Peg was well known enough;
Nane had Ven heard some stories
about her. Her face was a reputation
10 these ISLANDERS. He knew loose
tongucd calumny; how prone it is TO
fasten its fangs upon the great and
good. At last he sent the actress a let
ter, in which he told her how neces-
sary it was for hin to express III some
way to her his admiration Of her tai.
rnt and his thanks for that land OF en-
chantment into which h had intro
,tuccd him. He sent the letter I'M
signed. Soon after he began sending
choice flowers to her dressing room
every night.
Then amid the flowers began to APP
t}ear verses e4d precious stones
mingled with the roses and eS1antfnes.
or, how he watched from his box,
night after night. to see if Peg looked
toward it, for he had sent the offerings
anonymously and how cOulod She
know? One night he sent her a
wreath With a note imploring ner, il
any word he had written her or any
present he had sent her had pleased
her, to wear the wreath that night, IN
the first part of the play Mrs. Wolf
'aSton Wore no wreath. Fool that !
am thought Nane. But when n
came on in the fifth act, 10, she had
his wreath upon her head. Then when
she poke the epilOguc h lifted her
eyes ITO the box where he sat. Not
only had he pleased her, but his con-
stang presence in the theatre had been
noticed by her-she knew him as the
sender of the flowers, the verses II
the jewels.
On} night. Mrs. Wellington being off
The sHge for a few moments, Vane
let hik eyes roam over the audience
aud Saw an old acquaintance of his,
one S4r Charles P~olnander. a man
whom De had not seen before for seV-
tiaI Eo BrS. Nane had met nm III
Shrop.Hire when Sir Charles had been
turned out to grass there for q while.
Sir Xharles was a man abOut town,
t y Tue Of the first water. He
'ons} before discovered his old Shfop-
Shirkef riend in the country gentleman
"ho\ nightly sat in q box at the theatre
and 4could not keep his ayes Off Peg
Nofi(nston. He had watched care
luilyt for any sign Of recognition to
bass xbatu-aaO the twO-fOr Sill Charles
had designs himself. He had resolved
Ia l$ffer Mrs. Wellington IAN estae-
ltShnhent--or rather he would have
her{ TO preside over his own as a