The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1932-12-16

INJURED Pnlllp.
do you think so? oh, you're laugh
ing at mel You think am awfully
silly and countrified and"
"You precious kidd" exclaimed
Philip, sitting bolt upright in alarm;
and then, as the startled look came
into the blue eyes again. he went on
very quickly and gently. Excuse me.
! didn't mean to be rude--or fresh.
But I've been pretty sick. and It's
long time since have laughed, or
felt able to laugh. Please go on about
the little French countess. Did she
fall In love with him, too?"
"Oh. yesl Head over heels At
first sight, tool Just like story!"
"Such things do happen"
eyes, suppose So" said the present
Blanche, a trifie hurriedly, once in
great whiles and ever SO long ago. of
course. So they were married, al
though her family wasn't very en-
thusiastic about her going across the
sea to an unknown wilderness-but
as all the rest of them were guillotined
not long after, she was better off than
they were. anyway. OF course Col
onel Moses brought her to Hamstead
to live. She had fortune in her own
right, and a wonderful trousseau-
great boxes and chests Of linen and
lace and clothes and silver and jewels
and books. and she had furniture
sent, too, from the chateau. And my
neutrality-suspicious. built her a
big brick house-the handsomest one
anywhere around here-and-"
"It's lovely story. What happened
next?"
1.-The rest Of 1t isn't SO lovely. It's
rather sad. The other farmers wives
In Hamstead didn't care for Lady
Blanche. l think they were a little
jealous of her because she was so
much richer and more beautiful than
they were, and she couldn't talk Eng
lish well enough to make them I'M
derstand that she wasn't naughty and
cold, as they thought. but just as gen.
tie and lonely and anxious to be friend
ly as she could be. And-for long
time, she didn't have any children.
That was considered almost disgrace,
in those days, 1t seems!"
"What was the end Of the story?"
Philip asked. gently.
"Whens she had been married about
Eve years. she had twins-a boy and
girl. She wasn't strong, like most of
the pioneer women. She died.
Moses Manning never got over It,"
Blanche went on, after long pause.
HE didn't marry second time, the
way most of the settlers did, when
their wives died-some of them three
or four times! And he never called
his place anything but Lady Blanche
farm, after that-it's never been called
anything else, ever since. When the
twins. Moses and Blanche, grew up.
he built them each house on his own
place, and as the boy wanted to be
lawyer, he built little Office connect
ed with the big brick house. for him.
They both married-the children of
other pioneers-and had large fam
lilies, and inherited Lady Blanche's for.
tune, of course. The houses have
never gone out of the family. Mother
and Paul and / live In one-the big
brick one-and Cousin Jane Manning,
who's never married. In another, and
Cousin Seth and his children in the
third. OF course the fortunes been
divided UP so many times that 1t isn't
In hsIf
to make US comfortable. and give us
good education, If we want 1t. Paul
and didn't specially, and Mary, who
loves books. had to give UP going to
boarding school when she was al
most ready for college. because her
mother died, and there wasn't anyone
else to look after her father and the
little boys. All the other families in
Hamstead have kept on feeling that
the Mannings are little different from
the rest of them. We wish they
wouldn't-all except mother-I think
she rather likes it-but they dol And
there's always one Blanche in each
generation. There's queer supersti.
ton about that"
"What is it?"
"Oh. can't tell you! You'd think
1t was awfully conceited and-fresh
and"
II wouldn't-please-"
But the girl, laughing. shook her
head, and got to her feet. "Have you
any idea what time it is?' she asked.
mo, haven't. don't care what
time it is. And won't tease you to
tell me about the superstition now, If
you don't want to-that is, If yeu'll
promise to tell me some other time.
You--you'll do that. won't your?
The girl hesitated. and, for the first
time, blushed. Then she smiled.
''Where were you thinking of 60
ing" she asked, before you decided
to have swim and left your motor
beside the road?"
"To Burlington, to visit some friends
who have big summer place near
there. But i can't get there tonight.
now, can II" he asked, pleading In his
voice.