Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-08-20

w nat ohdll VIC w aohOu OuCiC
Anthony, feebly, when they were alone
Let US get the TRUTH" said Uncle
Benjamin firmly.
Sc they went in a body into the
/ garden on their distasteful errand.
7 They came upon her suddenly at
the turn of corner arbor. Jack Ly-
man was with her, and what the
would-be inquisitors saw made them
forget their errand.
The young people did not see the
three anxious old faces-they were
too deeply absorbed in the telling of
a wonderful story, whose setting
should always be in rose garden.
Guiltily the granduncles tiptoed
back to the house. 81 will wire the
news to Isabel and ask their con-
sent" whispered Uncle Anthony.
At which his brothers blushed rosy
red, for they knew that meant
speedy solution of the problem. 1t
would soon be known to them whether
they had indeed been entertaining
their grandniece or an impostor, as
Mrs. Muffet had charged.
"She is a dear child, anyway" de-
clared Uncle David gruffly, and the
others nodded assent.
Uncle Anthony scratched off a tele-
gram, of which the others approved:
Helena is quite well and wants
your consent to her engagement to
Jack Lyman, our particular friend"
I'VE should receive reply by din,
ner time," said David as he prepared
to take the telegram to the station.
Helena did not make her appear.
ance until half an hour before dinner.
She pleaded a headache, and she
looked quite pale and dropping when
she came down stairs and joined the
waiting trio on the veranda.
Mrs. Strang's telegram arrived al
most precisely at the same moment.
Uncle Anthony opened it with shak.
ing fingers and read
Are you crazy? Helena is with
me and i'll with whooping cough, an
absurd ailment for girl of seven
teen. Will write. Isabel"
Without word the distressed old
man passed the message tc David
who read it in grim silence and then
handed it to Benjamin.
Helena stood before them, her eyes
looking like drowned blue violets in
her pale face
81 have something to tell you, all,
she began with catch in her voice
Il have told Mr.. Lyman-Jack-and
he has forgiven me. 1 hope you will
too, for love you all so dearly!"
What is it, my dear?" asked Uncle
Anthony compassionately.
Helena slipped 20 her knees anG
hid her face in his lap.
81 am not Helena Strang," she con
fessed tearfully. II am quite an
other Helena-Helena Clifton.
have been Mrs. Strangs private secre
tary for several years. am twenty
four. | never had a home. | was
brought up in an orphan asylum ant
when | was old enough to go out into
the world found a place in a store
and worked until l could save money
enough to take a business course
when | Yves competent Mrs. Stran1
employed me.
when she decided to go to Mon
treal she gave me six months vaca
tion-and had nowhere to 20
There had been much talk Of Heller
coming down to her uncles and i
was all arranged, but at the last mo
ment she decided to go to Canada
with her parents. Before she went
she proposed this scheme to me anC
insisted that l should impersonatt
her as your grandniece.
ut was a great temptation to me t.
come down here-and-so l came
: You know the rest-and if you wan
to send for the police, you may! Blu
you have been wonderfully kind t.
me and l don't believe Helena STRAINS
: could love you more than l do 81
there!"
/, She rose and faced them with tear
full eyes and trembling lips.
Dear mel" coughed Uncle An
: thony, looking properly distressed.
"Humph-nonsense!" growled Uncl,
David. "a man may have more thar
one grandniece eh, boys? Well, Hell
> ena Clifton, III adopt you as my niece
here and now! like you" He helt
out his arms and Helena promptly &C
cepted their protection.
It's my turn now" reminded
> Uncle Benjamin, rather jealousy.
After Helena had cried a little OF
: each kindly shoulder, and still
blushins divinely, and with a pathetic
quaver in her voice, she resumed: ."
= have promised to marry Jack Lyman
! uncles. l told him all about it and h
said it didn't matter in the least, 81
we are encyclopedia, of course
you give your consent"
, The three old matchmakers looked
: very uncertain indeed, but Will,
: they were pretending to conside
the serious question, their frowni
gave way to delighted grins, for Jacl
Lyman himself came striding up thu
: path.
Here comes our prospective
nephew-in-law," announced Uncle An
= thony cheerfully.
Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure Newspa
8 per Syndicate)
Chocolate was known to the Aztecs
i, of Mexico.