The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-08-14
The Sale Of. Clough Manor

VI OAVu6"
"Americansl Well, now, you have
'o From = '0 the Nc" middle west. Nebraska.
I don't suppose you've heard Of II"
The old woman showed her gums
in a pleased smile. IT have. indeed, SIT
I knew of someone who went to Una
part years ago. Let me sect must
BE- 60 years ago. Yet I remember IL very
Elihu's pulse %quickened. It was prov
idential, his coming upon this old WON:
an sweeping her path: At last ne Woulo
hear something about his grandfather
did he go from this part?" he
asked.
father was head gardener here then.
And his father was, before him.
it's my own son. We've worked on this
estate for generations" ?
you'll be sorry to see it sold, I
The old woman's eyelids grew red.
terrible. It's seeing the end of every
thing you thought would 60 on for
ever. It's the old gentry that cares for
their tenants. It's them that comes n
brings things when you're sick or helps
you when you're in trouble"
1.-THE Tarringtons were like that,
eh?"
"They were indeed, sir. Especially
the old lord that's lately died. He was
an invalid, but he had himself wheeled
all about in his bath chair and he
knew the troubles and happiness OF
every c%ottager."
I've got to bring her to the point, he
thought, and asked: What relation
wa was 81 he to the one that went to Amer
She stared blankly.
1.-The one that went to America" he
repeated anxiously, afraid that she was
having a lapse of memory. What re-
lation was he to the old lord?"
But she was quite clear in her head.
related to Lord Harrington! Bless; my
soul-he wasn't anything to Lord Tar
Hayball."
She's crazy, thought Elihu. She's in
her dotage: She's got everything mixed
up. She said:
IT guess you're mistaken, aren't you?
went to Nebraska"
She stared at him suspiciously. "FIow
should you know aught of him?"
He forced himself to speak in an off,
hand way.
T%arringtons when I was a kid. I re-
member the old gentleman real well"
She peered inquisitively up at him.
Good Lord, he thought, what if she
sees my resemblance to them!
What was he like?" she asked. "Is
he long dead? What family did he
haye2"
tHN,,~I c@~k ~ ~~, -~ -,sk r~s4L
strangers. He's been dead 20 years. He
left n son. He's dead, too"
"All dead, eh?" she repeated sadly.
very sad."
Il wonder what put it into that
young Elihu's head to go out there"
She gave him a shrewd look. HE had
his own reasons. But they weren't bad
ones. He wasn't a bad lad. He'd Just
got into the sort Of trouble-4naary4a
young man does. But the maSter-that
was the father of the one just dead
was hot tempered and pretty hard on
him. And my WI father was harder
still-so he left. He flung off in a tenn
well there, too. He wrote to me three
times and he told me he was doing well.
He was engaged to the daughter of a
well-to-do farmer. But he was vexed
with me when I told him what I
thought of him for changing his name.
Hayball was good enough for him. It
was plain impudence for him to take
the name of his betters, and so I told
him. And I told him he'd no right to
marry a girl under a false name. He
might go to Jail for it, I told him. He
was vexed at that and he never wrote
Elihu asked thoughtfully, why do
yyNHY crYNVNNco H. 1Ia~~0l 1T. -@~~@n
We'll, he was always an uppish lad.
He liked fine ways and fine names.
And I think he had a feeling that If he
took the old lords name he was getting
even with him for the injustice he
thought he had done him. He'd never
liked the name Hayball. He was an odd
Still Elihu was unconvinced. He
could not bring himself to believe this
Of his grandfather. Yet it sounded
straight enough. He said:
Il don't suppose you have a picture
Of your brother? I'd be interested to
see if I could recognize in it the old
gentleman I remember"
I'll gladly show it to you" She led
the way into the low oak beamed room.
From the drawer of a dresser she took
an old lacker box and out of it the yell
lowed photograph Of a young man.
Elihu recognized in it the duplicate of
n he possessed. His father had had
It hung now in Elihu's own home.
He had forgotten how time was pass
ing. He might have stayed longer to
talk with the old woman but a clock
above the fireplace struck one. Ruth
would wonder what on earth had be-
come of him. He felt very unreal. He
looked into the face of the old woman
uyhn moe hic o,,of onl ON, IN r. q nr.n.
tesque likeness of the face of Viscount
Harrington on the tomb in the church.