Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1934-01-12
THE STORY


CHAPTER L--Following the splen-
did wedding OF her niece. Cintra. to
Lord Lester, which she has financed
Matilda smith Lovely t"Smif." BY her
own insisteneel, youngest and phys
ically the weightiest OF the four Love-
~ sisters. finds herself In decidedly
straitened circumstances. She has her
own plans for the future, however
Whlcn she refuses to diVulge to her
sisters. prominent figures In New York
society.
CHAPTER 1.-THE historic Lovely
estate, Loyelylea, In Virginia, is owned
oy Smif's brother. Bili-Lee, but. hnan.
claliy unable to maintain his position
there "as Lovely should" he Is liv-
ing In Chile. while the estate is rent
Cd to Mr.. tombstone Nesbt. Smlfs
dearest wish Is to own Lovelylea. to
which she feels sure her brother will
not return.
Now, when at last she was freed
from her burden, Shifts greatest de.
sire remained unchanged. To regain
possession Of the family estate was
her goal. Her brother was ready TO
assume that further effort was useless
and he had pointed out that where he
was, living was easy and cheap. Plain.
ly the old life In Virginia. love for
which seemed to have entered the
very marrow Of her bones, no longer
held lure for him. He was content
in South America and meant to stay
there.
Sniff wrote Bil-Lee long letter in
which she set forth the argument that
as he had no love for Lovelylea and
she had. she wished the opportunity
Of buying 1t from him at the expIra.
tion Of the present lease.
This letter would have impressed
her brother as even more extraordi-
nary than It did had he known how
nearly she had ruined herself for him
and his child. However, he was never
one to reject any favorable chance re-
quiring no exertion on his part. II
Smif wanted to sink her money in the
old place, by oil means let her Prob
ably by this time she was a rich
woman, an old maid who had found no
way to spend her income in all these
years.
And so the matter had been settled.
At some sacrifice, Smif had sent
thousand dollars as earnest of her ln-
tention, fearing him in want and too
proud to confess his difficulties; for 1t
must be put down to Bill-Lee's credit
that he had not sponged upon her as
he might have done, although from
time to time he had accepted the help
ing hand she had offered him.
With unusual business foresight,
sniff had demanded and duly received
an acknowledgment setting forth this
payment and their agreement, for Gin
tra's information should 1t happen that
she Inherited before her aunt had ex-
ercised her option.
The possession of this document
warmed Smifs heart even though she
had no idea where she could obtain
sum of money sufficient to avail her
self Of the opportunity II held out to
her. That Cintra might want to take
lover the ancestral halls had never
seriously entered her head and, If 1t
had. would at once have been dis
missed The place was only name to
the girl.
Knowing It to be impossible, Smif
yet longed to stay at Lovelylea with
the child through the changing sea-
sons. to awaken In her a love for the
land since, unconfessed at the time
even to herself. she was already fear
lful that Bill-Lee would neither return
there nor marry again. Reading be-
tween the lines of his letters. she
OWNED that he had parted with Cintra,
joyful at his release.from family cares
and expenses. He had made 1t quite
plain that his daughter was to be hers
to do with as she would. And she
reasoned that since there would be no
male heir. in the fullness Of time Love
iylea would be Cintra's.
At that date, 1t seemed essential to
.Emif that the little girl should see
the place and learn to love It; but her
grandmother gently negative7 the sug-
,gestion. Anything else they wished |
they might do. but they were not to
20 to Lovelylea.
Smlf inquired discreetly the reason
for the prohibition, and the answer at |
first made her smile.
Mr.. tombstone Nesbit was not a
lVirginian.
@Grandmama. darling" she cried, |
shat really has ceased to be a crime.
I've met some quite charming gentle
men who have had the misfortune to
be born outside Of our beloved state"
Gentlemen, yes. Mrs. Culpeper
agreed, Il should have said further
that this man Nesbit is not a gentle
man. BE has lived here for years and
he Is received nowhere. You cannot
visit your home while he Is Its tenant.
he certainly was mighty rude to your
Cousin Christopher"
Grandmama Culpeper's commands
could be neither questioned nor dis
puted, and 30 Il happened that Cintra
on that visit did not see the home Of
her fafher's fathers 4
Later. when Sniff had plumbed the
ahailpwn Of her nlece's nature, she
esfss Reuhlad 70 take Ae 70 VlFRIRIs