Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-05-02

couldn't make head or TAN OF IL. l
thought 1t all twaddle. You've no idea
what sort of letters Uncle Rad
gets some times from every kin Of
lunatic or scoundrel you can think of,
who want to get something out OF him.
Well, this letter at first looked to me
the same sort of thing. l had never
heard of any n who "a the right
to say, dear uncle to Uncle Rad
but it had a lot in 1t about blood be-
ing thicker than water and all the rest
of it, with a kind of request for JUS
tice and talk bou the cruelty of fate.
The writer. however, asserted positively
that he was the only legitimate son
of MIR. Arthur de Mountford, WIDTHS
he protested to have only heard recent
Twas own brother to the Earl OF
Radcliffe. The story which he went
on to relate at full length was queer
enough in all conscience. L remember
every word of 1t. for it seemed to get
right away into my brain, then and
there. as if something was being ham
fnered or screwed straight into one OF
the cells of my memory never really
to come out again"
and yet when-when we We're first
engaged" rejoined Louisa quietly, you
never told me anything about it,"
'Ill tell you directly how that was.
I remembered and then forgot-if o
know what l mean-and now 1t has
all come back. At the time l thought
the letter OF this man who called him
self Philip dc Mountford nothing but
humbug. SO did Mr.. Warren. and yet
he and l talked it over and discussed
it between US for ever so long. 1t all
sounded so strange. Uncle Arthur-so
this man said who called himself Philip
de Mountford-had married i'm Martini
ique a half-caste girl named Adeline
Petit, who was this same Philips mo-
Their. He declares that he has all
the papers-marriage certificates or
L Whatever thew arc ca1a6-tn nrnVa
every word he says. He did not want
to trouble his uncle much. only now
that his mother vas dead, he felt all
alone In the world and longed for the
kith and kin. AN he wanted he said,
was friendship. Then he went on to
say that of course he did not expect
his lordship to take his word for all
this. he only asked for an opportu-
nifty to show his dear uncle all the pa
pers and other proofs which he held
that he was in real and sober truth
the only legitimate son of Mr.. Arthur
de Mountford, own brother to his lord
ship"
How old is this man-this Philip de
acknowledgements to be-"
well, he said in that first letter
that the marriage took place in the
parish church of st. Pierre in Mar
Unique on the 2sth of August. 1881;
that he himself was born the following
1 SSAi oiio SIlI Is iIS III Ile same CIurCn
under the name of Philip Arthur. and
registered as the son OF Mr.. Arthur
C~ollingwood de Mountford, of Ford's
Mount. in the county of Northampton,
England: and of Adeline de Mountford,
nee. Petit, his Wife"
"Twenty-four years ago. said
Louisa thoughtfully. and he only
claims kinship With Lord Radclyffe
now"'
That's just" rejoined Luke. where
the curious part of the story comes in.
| This Philip de Mountford-I don't
know how else to call him-said in his
first letter that his mother never knew
that Mr.. Arthur de Mountford was
anything more than a private English
gentleman travelling either for profit or
of either wealth or social position. Be-
tween you and me. dear. J. suppose tina
this Adeline Petit was just a half-caste
girl, without much knowledge OF what
goes on in the world and why she
should have married Uncle Arthur I
can't think"
If h did marry him. you mean"
III she did marry him, as you say
said luke with a singular want of con-
viction, which Louisa was not slow to
remark.
You think that this young mans
story is true. then?"
II don know what to think and
that's the truth"
lell me more, SAID Louisa sim.
ply.
well, this Philips story goes on to
say that his f~ather-Uncle Arthur-ap-
parently soon tired of his exotic wife,
for it seems hat two years after the
marriage he left Martinique and never
returned to it to the day Of his DEATH"
Pardon" said Louisa in her prim
little way, my interrupting you: but
have any of you-Lord R%adclyffe I
mean. or any Of you. friends-any rec
objection of our Uncle Arthur living
at Martinique for awhile? Two years
seems a long time"
las a matter of fact, Uncle Arthur
was a bit Of a wastrel you know. He
never would study for anything. He
passed into the ~navy-very we'll, too,
1 believe-but he threw it all up almost
as soon as he got his commission. and
started roaming about the world. I
do know for a fact that once his peo-
pie had no news OF him for about three
one fine day as if he. had only been
absent for a weeks shooting"
when was that?"
II can't tell O exactly. I was only
a tiny kid at the time, not more than
3 years old. I should say. Yes, 1 do
remember now. I come to think of It,
that Uncle Arthur was home the
Christmas after my third birthday. I
have a distinct recollection OF My dad
telling me that Uncle Arthur was n
of my presents from Father Christmas.
and of my thinking what q rotten pres
ent 1t was. Later OH III the nursery
all OF US children were rather fright
ened of him, n we used to have great
discussions as to where this uncle came
from. The Christmas present theory
was soon exploded, because Of some
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