Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-05-09
CHAPTER nr-(continued.)

CHAPTER IIl-(Continucd.)
81 know 1t, dear; l was only think
ing"
Thinking what"
"Tha 1T all tallies so very exactly
and that this-tnis Philip de Mount
ford seems in any case to know a great
deal about your uncle Arthur, and his
movements in the past"
"There's no doubt of that: and"
Luke paused Il moment and IL curious
blush spread over his face. The Eng
Nshman's Unborn dislike To talk of Ger
tain subjects to his women folk had
got hold OF him, and he did not know
how to proceed.
AS usual In such cases, the woman
unmoved n businesslike-put AN end
to his access OF shyness.
1.-THE matter is or may be--too ser
ious. dear. for you TO keep amy of your
thoughts back from me at this juno
ture."
What | meant was" he said abb
ruptly. that this Philip might quite
well be Uncle Arthur's son. You know;
but 1t doesn't follow that he has any
right to call himself Philip de Mount
ford. or to think that he is Uncle RAIDS
presumptive heir"
That VIII. of course, depend on his
proofs-his papers and 50 on" she as
sented. calmly. HAS anyone seen
them?"
AT the time-it was some time last
November-that he first wrote tn Uncle
Rad. he had all his papers by hiln. He
wrote from st. Vincent; have l told
you that
no."
Well. 1t was from ST. Vincent that
he wrote. He had left Martinique, 1
understand. in 1902, when st. Pierre, if
you remember. was totally destroyed
by volcanic eruption. 1t seems that
when Uncle Arthur left the French coll
ony for good, he lodged quite a COM
Portable sum in the local bank at ST.
Pierre in h name OF Mrs. de Mount
ford. OF course he had no intention of
ever going back there. and anyhow he
never did, for he died about three years
later. The lady went on living her own
life quite happily. Apparently she did
not banker much after her faithless
usban l suppose that she ever inn
agined Tor q that he meant to
stick t. her and she certainly never
bothered her head as to what his con-
nections or friends over in England
might be. Amongst her own kith and
KIN the half caste population of a
French settlement. she was considered
very well of. almost rich. After a very
lew years of grass w%idowhood, she mar
ried again. without much scruple or
compunction. which proves that she
v thought that her English husband
would come back to her. And then
came the catastrophe"
What catastrophe?"
1.-THE destruction Of ST. Pierre. You
remember the awful %ccoun OF 1t. The
whole town was destroyed. Every
building In the place-the local bank,
the church. the presbytery, the postof-
nce-was burned to the ground; every
thing was devastated for miles around.
And thousands persisted. of course"
Il remember"
Mrs. de- Mountford and her son
Pnllip were amongst the very few who
escaped. Their cottage was burned to
the ground. but she. with all a French
women's sense of respect for papers and
marks OF Identification. fought her way
back into the house. even when it was
tottering above her head, in order to
rescue those things which she valued
more than her life. the proofs that she
was 9 respectable married woman and
that Philip was her lawfully begotten
son. Her second husband-I think
from reading between the ines that he
was q native or at best a half caste
wa one Of the many who persisted. But
Mrs. de Mountford and Philip managed
TO reach the coast unhurt and to put
GU to sea In an open boat. They were
picked up by a fishing smack from Ma
rio Ga1ante and landed there. 1t is q
small sisland-French settlement. OF
course-om Guadelcnpe. They had lit
tie or no money. ana how they lived
I don't know. but they stayed in Marie
Galante for some time. Then the
mother died. and Philip made his way
somehow or other to Roseau In D0min-
lea n thence to st. Vincent"
When was TIM? 2"
Last year. ] suppose"
"And." h said. meditating on all
that she had heard, at was In 81. vim
cent that hA frat reoliznA Sn,ho No 40.