The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1915-09-16

Trophy.
Gratis came to sigh over the vanishing
glory of the old regime
But to the poor whites and the care
less colOred population it was Il fte
day and free picnic Dog fights aaI
the presence of the eccentric Engl sl
lawyer, Marmaduke Snlythe, enliyelpl
the proceedings.
AS no purchaser of the Whole had
come forward, the auctioneer was Pc
pared to sell the historic and proud II
place and all the fine. cid furnishing S
it contained, in separate lots. rictur g.
ornaments. rugs had been brought ,rt
upon the broad piazza to make lis
auctioneer's work the easier
Among all these furnishings aad
chattels nothing so took the eye Of ;;.a
English lawyer as Il fine mounted der
head that he was Informed had been L;
Stanley ball for over a century. IN
fact. none knew how OLD it vas. u,
the lawyer about to return to insu..i.
England from what he and his frikn..:S
deemed the wi;ds Of America, notlli.-
appealed so much as this. in Jest re
aimed his gun at the trophy as t;-oGi i
it had fallen to his prowess IS a Mini
rod
lie resolved to purchase the deer
head and take it to England as a to
ply or good hunting in "the juneles IF
virginia. AT his request it was rt!t
UP as first thing to be sold. and Il,
hc'1ght it. The jokes and mockery If
the crowd nettled Marmaduke Sn1ytflo
beyond endurance. and so, taking Lis
purchase, he mounted his hcrse AID
aWkWardly bore it away.
lie had hardly gone when Defective
Blake arrived. driven over from the
FAIRFAX depot followed in another sta
ton carriage by Blair Stanley and Lis
mother and the agitated-for every IT.
Tie thing upset her, and she would fell
you-NIrs. Randolph.
Blake asked that the house and the
furnishings be offered as a whole. ar.
rendered an opening bid of $1,000. Mis-,
Stanley drew her thin lips together
and Blair nervously dashed himself to
Z suppressed and murdcrous <at,rcr
Inc Stanleys had not expected comnet
tive bidding. Blake admitted acti,.o
for an unnamed client,
Neither Blair nor his mother d,ro,
openly aHront the inter!oper, as they
deemed him. But they bid desnerato
~ to the limit of their resources only
to see Stanley hall and all its furnisf7.
lnSs, save the deer head aiready mn.
chased by the English lawyer, go for
S1oVoO to Thomas Blake, the agent Of
the unknown highest bidder.
Iney dared not vent their cold an
ger upon the smiling and inscrutab q
hiake, out Mrs. Stanley turned with
torrent OF bitter, contemptuous cibes
upon poor Mrs. Randolph, who han
pened to remark that her poor nerves
We're shattered and that she wanted
to faint. In consequence Rlair an7
us mother went to their house in Fair
lax ana did not return with Mrs Ran
dolph to Richmond.
Esther reached the gypsy rendezvous
worn and exhausted, not KNOWING Of
the sale of Stanley hall. The cyps1es
received her with Wild delight. but sba
only stayed with thaee sincere thouo,,
humble friends long enough to make
another unavailing search for Hacar's
missing hoard.
y
Meanwhile what Of the diamond fro,,
the sky?
IL CLEANS upon the breast of pa
poose nursed by its stol;d mother. in
the glare of the California sunshine
outside an adobe hut. Luke Loye1t
II IS lated, is to see and gain again
the diamond from the sky. He HIS
taken up with associates as had q
hlmseif and has become a bootlcscer
OF Illicit whisky peddler. With q con.
.an1on or his own ilk he passes b.
the desert Indians hut and SECS tho
diamond the squaw has found ciearn.