Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1917-08-09
AUTHOR et"THElONE
MOLf," THE BRASS
BOWL, "ETC.
COPYRIGHT By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE
"Liddy-tlear!"

l pawned some things-sOme Of your
presents-and got enough money for
my passage. And now"
vHer voice was breaking. Craven
PASSED an arm round her and drew her |
close to him. There, my dear girl.
there"
"And now-Tm In your wayr
'THdia" He had lost none Of his
hld-time trick Of Huicting her with q
show Of righteous Indignation. you've
pO right to talk like that to your old
dedtiy"
"What am l to think? I surprise
you making lOve-y0n are angry with
me"
mot angry. dearie, hut 80 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 1t never struck you
how little you really know about our
family hlstory7"
"How often have I asked you"
"Ah. but that was long ago, when
you -ah-too young to under
stand. I never meant to keep you per-
manently In the dark. In the first
place. you've always believed yourself
the child Of 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 I'm British to the marrow Of
me. Craven's good English name.
you know. Not that 1t matters. I 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 defied
the family, and 1t disowned me. and I
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 JUS was out of a
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, cnrelessly sown in the
past; but little or nothing had she ever
known definitely.
"You weren't strong child, and we
feared the effect on you Of the Atlantic
voyage. Besides, our engagement was
to Inst 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.
month later she died; and when
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. I wrote Mrs. Grummle to look
out for you, and But this isn't a
hard-luck story. Ultimately l 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 trip back t.
England, I found you in the best of
condition, and 1t 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 I came to them, properly intro.
duced, and I was careful not to excite
their curiosity for reasons that will
appear. So I never mentioned your
existence. This retfcence grew into q
habit as years went on. And when
Mrs. Grummle died I hal come to
think 1t best for you to attain woman.
hood in England, and IL 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 you live with me-"
"Oh, daddy, daddy dear! You
mean 1t? I'm not In the way?"
ut would have been better II thi.
} could have been postponed few
weeks" Craven returned without en-
thusIasm. "But there is no helpinl
} what mischief has been done"
"But surely, daddy, you can explain
to her" Lydia faltered.
He silenced her with a gesture ef
fective IL shade theatric, and walked
with her to closed hatch, where the,
seated themselves.
"But l."
"Hear me first, II you please, Lydia
Although your father, I'm by no mean.
nm old man. And-love is paramount
When you come to me and say, =
} love this man, whatsoever he may be