Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-08-24

what dH TO (InlnK! surprise
you making love-you are angry with
| me"
mot angry, dearie. but SO surprised
was hardly myself. Do be quiet now
For time, and let me do the talking.
Listen, and learn never to judge a
man hastily. Has it never struck you
how little you really know about our
family history"
"HoW often have l asked you"
"Ah, but that was long ago, when
you were-ah-too young to under
stand. never meant to keep you per-
manently in the dark. In the first
place, you've always believed yourself
the childsof American parents
"But surely" the girl expostulated.
"Mrs. Grummle told me-
what she believed, too, no doubt.
The truth is, your mother was an Amer
lean; but Tn British to the marrow of
me. Craven's a good English name,
you know. Not that it matters. ! cut
away from my people forever when
they tried to prevent my marrying the
woman loved, an American girl
who'd taken to the stage and somehow
drifted to London. Well, we deffed
the family, and it disowned me, and ]
went on the stage with my wife. When
you were born-yes, in Mrs. Grum.
niles, BlOomsbury-Our combined pay
didn't run to anything much. Most
of the time one Of us was out Of q
Job. Still, we were happy enough till
we went to America"
He was silent for several minutes
apparently lost in memories.
Lydia, fearing to interrupt, waited
In mute fascination. Something OF
this history she had guessed; much
she might have guessed from words,
hints, clues, carelessly sown in the
past; but little or nothing had she ever
known definitely.
"You weren't a strong child, and we
feared the effect on you Of the Atlantic
voyage. Besides, our engagement was
to last eight weeks only. So we left
you in Mrs. Grummle's care. Five
weeks after we reached New York
your mother came down with typhoid.
A month later she died; and when i
had paid funeral expenses / was pen
niless in strange land, our company
had gone back home, and my chance
of ever seeing England again was to
earn enough money for my return pas
sage. l wrote Mrs. Grummle to look
out. for you, and But this isn't a
hard-luck story. Ultimately 1 left the
stage for employment more attractive
and better paid; but 1t meant perma-
nent residence in America. However,
nothing called me back to England,
since you were in good hands. think
we may say that for Mrs. Grummle."
"She was always kind" Lydia af.
firmed gently.
when I could afford a trip back to
England, I found you in the best of
condition, and it seemed hardly right
to uproot and transplant you to a
bachelor establishment in a strange
country. Moreover, my new work, you
see, had divorced me wholly from my
stage associations, and none Of my
new friends knew anything about me
before l came to them, properly intro
duced, and I was careful not to excite
their curiosity for reasons that will
appear. So / never mentioned your
existence. This reticence grew into a
habit as years went on. And when
Mrs. Grummle died I had come to
think 1t best for you to attain woman
hood In England, and If possible marry
some decent Englishman.
"Well-a substitute had to be found
for Mrs. Grummle. Mrs. Hicks-Lorri.
mer presented the strongest creden.
tials. I can only say I'm sorry she
turned out badly-and surprised. That
however, Is well over and done with
Henceforward yon live with me-"
ooh, daddy, daddy dear! You
mean it? I'm not In the way?'
cit would have been better If this
could have been postponed few
weeks Craven returned without en-.
thusiasm. "But there is no helping
what mischief has been done"
But surely, daddy. you can explain
to her" Lydia faltered.
He silenced her with a gesture eff
fective If shade theatric, and walked
with her to closed hatch, where they
seated themselves.
"But H.
"Hear me first. If you please, Lydia.
Although your father, I'm by no means
an old man. And-love Is paramount
When you come to me and say, !
love this man. whosoever he may be,
/ sha'n't interfere-even as now, when
you say, I can't love this man. / re-
frain from insisting. Mrs. Merrilees
and / love each other. She pays me
a great compliment; for I'm fifteen
years her senior. / can't permit my
daughter"
"But If you will only listen to me |"
"WellT' Craven demanded severely.
Il haven't the least desire to come
between you and Mrs. Merrilees.
think she's very lovely, and / wish
you both every happiness"
THAT is my own dear girll" Clip.
ping her face between his palms, he
49, l. T.