The Dolores star., 1916-01-07

consummation Of my Journey vUula
occur. I had set out from Winnipeg
filed with hatred toward those kins-
folk who had Gi1sowned my father and
left him to die In need In . far coun-
try. And here I was. the guest OF
my grandfather and his widowed
daughter. and engaged to my half
cousin, Charles.
But for the present the engagement
was to be kept secret. That In
sisted upon. determined that would
win the hearts of his relatives also BE-
fore allowing him to present me to
them a. his future bride. could nor
but fear that the old comte might treat
him as he had treated my father.
On the third morning after my A.
rival I wrote to Mary Jenner. my
roommate in Winnipeg. for tbs Est
time since my departure.
When tell you that am actually
in my grandfather's chateau" wrote,
you will open your eyes wide, in that
taking way you have. and be glad that
l am not there to say, 7 told you so.
For were you not the ringleader In the
conspiracy to keep me at home till the
close Of the school year. when We
rope? And. Mary dear. do hope that
scheme has not fallen through. Come
to France. and a royal welcome awaits
you.
Have you pursued your acquaint-
ance with little Mr.. Spratt? Poor lit
tie man! I have not yet glanced in
side the covers Of the monumental
work of his upon the Code Napoleon,
which he presented to me SO proudly
at the moment Of my departure Be
good to him. Mary. and make a man
of him He's timid with ladies'. so
don't be afraid to give him encour-
agement.
And now you'll want to know about
Castle Clichy, Mary. 1t Is the very
quaintest place-all early Norman,
with bastions and moats and battle
ments. set in the midst Of an enor-
nous park. and most delightfully."- feud-
al. But by the time you receive this
1t won't be in the possession Of our
family any longer. Fancy being turned
out Of your home after you have in
habited 1t for eight hundred years.
But we're wretchedly poor and IN the
hands Of an INSCRIPTIONS banker, one
Magniff by name. who owns a mort
gage on US. and unless we can obtain
twelve thousand francs-$2.40O-wit
In a few days. to meet the interest
Clichy passes out Of our hands forever
This Magnifr is the most avaricious
scoundrel imaginable. except his son.
who's worse. Mary. he's agreed to pay
me $4,000 for those bonds Of mine
you always laughed about. when the
safe is opened next week. And SO
thought l might just as well pay of
the interest on the mortgage out of it
l wrote to him. asking him to advance
me $1,000, and he CURLY refused. He
has a grudge against my grandfather
and means to turn him out of his
home. l went to Paris to plead with
him. and he sent out word he would
not see me. Think of IT.; my GRANDPA.
Their must lose his property when, Log
than week afterward. shall receive
enough money to have saved it many
times over! Well. I've done my best
and there's no use crying over 1t now
Come to France. Mary, and ell Of
you, right soon. embrace you and
salute you. as We French say.
Up. s. I'm quite French now!"
l did not convey in this letter the
sense of impotence, the burning anger
with which the bankers conduct had
inspired me. When l had proposed to,
my grandfather that he let me meet
the interest due out of the proceeds
from the bonds. he seemed to realize
the futility OF the attempt.
IT'S no use, my little Anne" he said
Il thank you from the depths of my
heart But you will be beating against
a granite wall. Magniff means to have
Clichy. and he won't advance you q
penny until the vault is opened. Then,
nothing can be DONE"
And, as l have described in my let
ter to Mary. ! beat in vain against the
granite wall OF Magniffs vindictive
hatred. Now we were already setting
our affairs in order. packing our few
cherished mementoes, ready to leave
There was pitifully little that We
could take with US. The castle was in
deed. as Magnifr had SO graphically
portrayed it. ''as bare as q hounds
TOOTH" All the furnishings of It's sew.
en- and forty rooms had long since dis
appeared, save those of the hah dozen
In the right wing where we lived, at
tended only by old servants who would
not be dismissed. Costly pictures, tap
estries. armor. whole sets Of Sevrea,
had gone into the nav Of Magniff, be-
ing sacrificed to meet the ever-recur.
ring indebtedness. For twenty Year,
ever since the failure Of the original
Panama company had ruined the comte
this process OF depletion had been
continued. Now our sparse furniture
would barely have accommodated
family in a six-room fiat.
But they shall never take our mono