Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1917-09-06
CHAPT Err M.

Louise awoke the next morning
Oiled with curious sense OF buoyant
expectancy. The sunshine was pouring
Into the room. Frightening up its most
somDer corners. 1t lay across the quilt
of her bed, and seemed to bring out the
perfume OF lavender from the pillow
on which her head reposed.
Aline. hearing her mistress stir,
fastened at once to her bedside.
1T is half-past nine. madam, and
your breakfast is here. The old i'm
beetle from the kitchen has just
brought 1t up"
Louise looked approvingly at the
breakfast tray. with the homemade
bread and deep-yellow butter, the
brown eggs and clear honey. The
smell of the coffee was aromatic. She
breathed little sigh of content.
How delicious everything looks 7"
she exclaimed.
THE homemade things are well
enough In their way, madam" Aline
agreed, but l have never known
household so strange and disagreeable
That NJ. Jennings. who calls himself
the butler-he Is a person unspeak-
able, SAVAGE"
Louise's eyes twinkled
Il don't think they are fond OF wom-
en- In this household, Aline," she re-
marked. Tell me, have you seen
Charles?"
Charles has gone to the nearest
blacksmith's forge TO get something
made for the car. madam" Aline re-
piled. HE asked me to say that he
was afraid he would not be ready to
start before midday"
That does not matter" Louise de-
clared, gazing eagerly out of the case
ment window. Immediately below was
grass-grown orchard which stretched
upward, at precipitous angle, toward
belt OF freshly plowed field beyond, a
little chain OF rocky hills, sheer over
head. The trees were pink and white
with blossom; the petals lay about
upon the ground like drifted snow
nakes. Here and there yellow jon
quils were growing among the long
grass. A watt OF perfume stole into
the room through the window which
she had opened.
Sill my bath quickly, Aline," Louise
ordered. Il must go out. 1 want to see
whether 1t is really as beautiful as 1t
looks"
Aline dressed her mistress In ST.
ience. Then. suddenly. a little excla-
nation escaped her. She swung round
toward her mistress, and for once there
was animation In her face.
But, madam" she exclaimed, ~
have remembered The name Strange
wey. Yesterday morning you read 1t
out while you took your coffee. You
spoke Of the good fortune of some
farmer in the north of England to
whom some relative in Australia had
left a great fortune-hundreds and
thousands of pounds. The name was
Strangewey. the same es that. l re-
member 1t now"
She pointed once more to the family
tree. Louise sat for a moment with
parted lips. /
You are quite right, Aline. l re-
member 1t all perfectly now. l wonder
whether it could possibly be either of
these two men?"
Aline shook her head doubtfully.
1T would be unbelievable, madam"
shs decided. could any sane human
creatures live here, with no company
but the sheep and the cows, If they
had money-money to live in the |
cities, TO buy pleasures, to be happy? |
Unbelievable, madam %
Louise remained standing before the |
window. She WAS watching the bios |
som-laden boughs Of one OF the apple |
trees bending and swaying ia the fresh |
morning breeze-watching the restless |
shadows which came and went upon |
the grass beneath.
That Is just your point Of view, |
Aline." she murmured; but happiness |
well, you would not understand. |
Ihey are strange men, these two"
Louise found her way without diff |
Guilty across cobbled yard, through |
postern gate set in red-brick wall,
into the orchard. At the farther end |
she came to gate, against which she |
rested for a moment, leaning her arms |
upon the topmost bar. Before her was |
the little belt Of plowed earth, the |
fresh, pungent odor of which was a |
new thing to her; a little way to the |
right, the rolling moorland, starred |
with ciumps of gorse In front, across |
the field on the other side of the gray
stone wall, the rock-strewn hills. The
sky-unusually blue 1t seemed to her,
and dotted all over with little masses
Of fieecy, white clouds-seemed some
how lower and nearer; or was she, per-
haps, higher up?
She fingered there, absolutely bewil-
dered by the rapid growth In her brain
some newly kindled faculty Of appre-
citation. There was a beauty In the
world which she had not felt before.
She turned her head almost lazily at
tho sound Of . mans voice. A team Of