The Wagner post. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1912-current, 1912-04-26

all come back. At the time 1 thought
the letter Of this man who called him
self Philip de Mountford nothing but
humbus. So did Mr.. Warren, and yet
ne and l talked it over and discussed
II between us for ever 50 long. 1t all
sounded so strange. Uncle Arthur-so
this man said who called himself Philip
de Mountford-had married In Martin
lque q h~alf-caste girl named Adeline
Petit, who was this same Philips mo-
Their. He declares that he has ali
the papers-marriage certificates or
every word he says. He did not want
to trouble his uncle much, only now
that his mother was dead. he felt all
alone In h world n longed for the
companionship and affection of his W
kith and kin. All 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 n other proofs which he held
that he was in real n 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
TO Der
We'll, he said in hat 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
year and christened In the same church
under the name of Philip Arthur, and
registered as the son OF Mr.. Arthur
Collingwood lie 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
pleasure, but in any case not possessed
of either wealth or social position. Be
tween you and me, dear, I suppose that
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 n did marry him, you mean"
IF 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, them"
II don't know what to think and
that's the truth"
Tell me more" said Louisa sim
ply.
We'll, this Philips story goes on to
say that his father-Uncle Arthur-ap-
parently soon tired Of his exotic wife,
for 1t seems that 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 i~nterrupting you; but
have any Of you-Lord Radclyffe I
mean, or any of your friends-any rec
objection of your 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-veiy well, too,
I believe-but he threw 1t all up almost
as soon as ne got his commission, and
started roaming about the world. I
do know for a fact hat once his peo-
pie had no news Of him for about three
or four years, and then he turned UP
n fine day as IL he had only been
absent for a weeks shooting"
when was that?" Z
IT can't tell you exactly. I was only
a tiny kid at the time, not more than
3 years old, I should say Yes, I do
remember now, 1 come to think Of 1t,
Christmas after my third birthday. 7
have a distinct recollection of my dad
telling me that Uncle Arthur was one
Of my presents from Father Christmas.
and Of my thinking what a rotten pres
ent 1T was. Later on in the nursery
all OF us children were rather fright
ened of him, and we used to have great
discussions as to where this uncle came
from. The Christmas present theory
was soon exploded, because Of some
difficulty about Uncle Arthur not hav-
ing been actually found in q stocking.
and his being too big anyway to be
hidden in one, SO we fell back on Jim's
suggestion that he was the man In the
moon come down for a holiday"
"You," she said, had your third
birthday in 1888"
THAT was the year, then, that your
Uncle Arthur came home. from his wan
behring's about the world, during which
he had never given n news Of him
self or his doings to any member Of his
family.
by Jove, Lou, what a splendid ex-
aiming magistrate you'd make" was
Luke's unsophisticated comment on
Louisa's last remark.
But h frowned a little at this show
Of levity, and continued quietly:
And your uncle, according to this
SO called Philip de Mountford, was
married in 1881 in Martinique, his son
was born in 1882. and he left Martin
ique in 1888, never to return"
Hang 1t al. Ioli" eYclaimed tha
young man, almost roughly. that is all
surmise."
Continued Next Weekly