HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Times, 1900-07-27, Page 7z
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Co»Yriaht, 1899, by Jeannette H. Walworth, 'V
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BY lEAiluN1E 4 U IE o lilt '11L OR R t11i9.
things who ate Ices, wasted cake and
,talked the Moat 'delicious nonseuso
with an abiding conviction of profun-
wclity, It wits there and then that he
had drunk In 011ie's loveliness from
the crown of her pretty head to the
tlimpliug sweetness of her mouth, with
its ready smiles,
011ie had been one of the tour, the
,ehiefest,. the only one of the slightest
Importance. A Miss Westover (Jeanne,
,he believed 011ie had called hear) and a
Air. Westover (Clarenee, he believed
h1s sister bad called him) made up the
quartet.
The 'Westovers were of no- more val-
• me to Tom's vision than the daubs of
green and brown paint the artist flings.
in for a background to his portrait of
,;a. lady.
mantis,"
"Olivia is a spoiled child, nothing but.
a spoiled child," said bot father, so
stiffly that a much duller witted man
than Tom Brexten would have captur-
ed his meaning,
Tom laughed again.
"I am afraid thatafter tonight, sir,
the world will decline your definition,
The chrysalis never reverts to the
grub." •
Mr. Matthews waved his hand Im-
periously, "We were speaking of your-
self, Thomas. Olivia has occupied our
attention to the exclusion of more im-
portant things. 1 presume you return
to college tomorrow?"
"No, sir. That would get me back
to my rooms on Friday. My leave of
absence permits me to spend Sunday
at home."
"Oh, it does:"
"Yes, sir." He was not unmindful of
the uncotdial acceptance the idea met
with,
"Well, then, there is more time for
talking" over affairs than I expected.
Now that you are here we may as well
discuss several projects which I have
on foot for your benefit—Broxton Hall,
for instance. Westover has taken a
greatfancy to it. That was one of my
objects in holding the fete here. The
old place put its best foot foremost to-
night. Westover wants a house just
this size. Now that his daughter Jeanne
is in society they will be wanting to
entertain a good deal, I presume. He
1s charmed with the place.' •
.
Tom flushed hotly.
"Of course, sir, you told him that
Broxton was not in the market."
"No, my dear boy. I told him noth-
ing of the kind. • It would have been
most 111 advised, I have made it a rule
In life never to slam a. door in a man's
face unless I am quite sure I am on the
right side of it"
"I hope you Would not advise me to
sell the old place,' Mr. Matthews. 1
might lease it for a time. I expect to
make my own home here. I expect to
bring my wife here. I have never
thought of any other place as home."
"Leased property runs to the devil
fast enough, Tom. Broxton is a need-
lessly large and expensive establish-
ment for a solitary young gentleman.
"But perhaps I shallnot always be
solitary, sir. Men marry, you know."
This with a wistful smile and a look
that seemed to appeal for comprehen-
sion. But his guardian knew well how
to harden his heart'in the day of provo-
cation. This attachment of the boy to
the 'old homestead had come to ;him as
a• disagreeable surprise. He, braced
himself against the shock of It.
"Yes, men do marry; boys, not often
—sensible ones, that is. .liiatr'imony is
a remote factor in your affairs as yet,
far more remote and uncertain than
the depreciation of real estate in this
county and the rapid decay of this
property.. But we will not agitate that
point further at present."
"Thank you, sit," said .Tom grate-
fully. He was only too glad not to
put himself in .'ening posture at once.
His guardian resumed blandly, "1
have devoted every moment of my
rare leisure hours, Thomas,' to mapping
out a plan of travel for you. In point
of fact, it is a resurrected map,one
that your dear father and I drew to-
gether. You Will recognize his mar-
ginal notes. We had planned to go
over the very ground I want you to
take and after a year of travel to lo -
tate in some quiet German town for
another year of supplemental study
and reading. I was looking at the old
map only last week. I am sure it
would please my dear friend Rufus to
have his son carry out our itinerary."
"Why did he not go—you, I mean?"
said Tome' politely Including the lawyer
in " his eager desire to at last hear
something a his father's boyish days.
"Women got in the way. We both
fell in love, 1 with your dear Aunt
Lucetta, your father with your mother.
So you see, my boy," with a benignant
smile, "how necessary it, is for me to,
guard against a similar catastrophe
and riding whip froom a chair netts by.
"You would not be half a lean if you
dill not, But ailthat will keep, until
tomorrow. You arta tired, and so ant
I." tie held out his baltd cordially.
"Itide over tomorrow to dinner. We
can 'devote the afternoon to your af-
fairs." •
And Tom premised that he would,
fie followed his guardian to the front
doer and closed it after him. Tile
necessity for leaking doors was an un-
recognized one in that rural and law
abiding locality.
He walked back into the library and
flung himself down on a Safe, between
the (rout windows, Simon bad told
him he would ilea a lamp binning In
Ws own bedroom. tie would go up
presently, but just now be Wanted to
sinoko anti go back over the whole er
that jolly evening which had ended all
too soon for him,
The scent of dying flowers filled the
room, The strains Or that last waltz,
the one be had waltzed with 011ie,
haunted him. He hummed it audibly.
He was in love. lie was oblivious of
time or loss of sleep, '
It was the portrait of his lady, the
,daintiest, sweetest bit of womankind
that artist ever limned or lover mooned
over, that filled in all the foreground
of Tom's vision—no nebulous fancy -
lugs, with neither beginning riot end,
sense nor substance; a vision quite
perfect in all its essential roundings, a
vision which cast to: rosy glow over all
the veiled "to come" and made him
feel as if he had been taking great'
.drafts of some dew, strange intoxl-
oant. It was the probable made posi-
tive, the fitting final. But he would
;watt.
)V hen he got through with books and.
•college and came home to study law
' under his guardian, it would be time
to look at his lovely Vision in detail.
fading f om•memory,
No clanger of Its fg rat i
He was placidly sure he should never
see anything prettier, sweeter or more
entirely to be desired than Olivia Mat-
thews. She was the cornerstone of his
vision. Ile did not propose to be in
any clumsy haste about asking her to
be his wire. She was too young, and so
:was he. He was glad his youth was the
most serious impediment. Some fel-
lows had to labor so hard before dar-
ing to speak of love to their chosen
ones. For the first time in his life he
rejoiced in the possession of great
riches. •
"Por yeur sake, little one, all for
you! lou looked regal in your jewels
tonight. You shall have every desire
sof your heart, 011ie, minel"
He apostrophized his new found love
fervently and mutely while he was
holding out the cigar box to her father.
His beautiful vision had come to him
' •entirely unbidden. When he obeyed
Olif ia's urgent telegram "to come," it
vas solely with the good natured mo-
tive of entirely sanctioning the free
use of his house and all that it con-
tained. The little girl wrote that she
would be much better satisfied if he
shared the responsibility of welcoming
her friends to Broxton Hall. That her
father was not in entire accord with
this sentiment Tom was just finding
but, But even 011ie's father was only
, a bit of the necessary background
daubed into `t'om's portrait of a lady.
While the lawyer talked lugubriously
Of the depreciation of property in and
around 'Mandeville Tom smoked and
mused. When he had mastered a pro-
fession anti was actually a lawyer in
his own right, he should turn his atten-
tion toward snaking Broxton Hall very
heautlftll. 011ie had said the wall pa-
pering was too dark and so gloomy. It
should. be replaced by something more
modern and. distinctly cheerful. Then
—oh, several years further on in the
future, perhaps when his guardian'
should have taken him into full part-
nership—he would ask 011ie to marry
it had all been arranged to his entire
inenttl satisfaction in the time it had
taken them to consume their water
Ices, amid a lot' of laughter and non-
sense' such as only the young and light
hearted know how to intermingle, with
their feasting.
It seemed such an entirely proper.
climax to his social relations with his
guardian that it would have been al-
most like doubting Providence to en-
tertain the slightest fear of nonfrui-
*ion,
i -1r, Matthews.had lingered later than
the smoking of a cigar demanded. Ilis
saddled horse was champing the bit
restlessly at the rack outside. It would
be absurd to tell the boy what he had
seen In his father's study that other
night; and yet he had some compunc-
tions about letting Toni risk a similar
experience by remaining alone at the
I•Iail. He had not been able to account
for that o0currenoe to himself yet.
"I ani sorry, Thomas, we have not a
bed to offer you at the cottage," he
said apologetically, but Olivia's dreSs-
Maker, up from the city, occupies out
only spare rooms'
"Don't menton it, Sir."
"You are sure you don't object to
.staying here by yourself tonight?"
Tom stretched his handsome eyes
wide.
"Here, In my own house? Wbg, no,
air. Why should I? I expect to spend
it great many nights hero alone when 1
get through with college life,"
"Ilm—yes, perhaps. I have a good
Beat to say to you on that subject,
oin..1 hardly anticipated talking with
;you on It before your graduation. Yon
know your being here is a complete
surprise to me.",
"Something of One to ine, too, 'sir,"
Said h.
"01110 wrete me that l;. must come, with a clear, frank and
fancy We all obex When she Dona-
en greet ea arena
to grow passive unlet the humlliati0U,.
Auring the Rev, lett, isltem'a ineum-
bency she had been a power in Mande-
ville, and when time retrieved hila and
disabled iter she yielded up her scepter
reluctalitly and ungracefully. She waif
Still mueh given to asserting her TWITS
deg,anee oi" large npatoritles, p.fd, Ilii
for consulting iltalvizui, in a matter of
grave Importance, she could not bring
herself too do it. In this matter of the
lost papers, A1alvina could never be
brought to see it In the right light. She
would have stoutly stood out for Mat-
thews' rights as Teas guardian and
carriedthe documents when fount. to
Alin,
With all the strength of affection un-
diluted by diffusion this stern old wo-
man had loved the older generation of
the Ilraxtons, Balla 13ro ton, his wife
and bisbeautiful sister; Lucetta, had
all been objects• of her unstinted ad-
miration and love, As they had stood
by herin the time of her sorrow and
sufl'er'Ing, $o did she solemnly swear
to herself that she tivou1d stand by the
last of the name.
A endive but thorough examination
of the papers Jimmie Martin had found
had led her to believe that they were
of decided. value to Tom, Whether to
give them to Bina on the first chance
Meeting with him or whether to hold
on to the most impch•tant ones until he
came a age wasthe knotty point with
her. One of her innumerable theories
was that if Horace Matthews bad not
been willing, for them to be lost he
would have matte a more thorough
search for them- at the time of their
disappearance.
The discrepancy between this vlew
and the idea of Jimmie Martin having
resold himself did not concern her In
the least, The average woman does not
understand the necessity for dovetail-
ing her theories and rises superior to
consistency.
The old woman sighed and peered
restlessly towarcj the front gate, She
had half a mind when Malviva did
come back to tell her all about the
finding and the losing of the papers.
first, of course, swearing her to invio=
lable secrecy, but she had entertained
and discarded that same "half a mind"
scores of times already. Aialvina would
just get angt'y with her and put on su-
perior airs of rectitude. Malvina got
angry with her every time she cast
any ;discredit on Horace Aiatthews'
management of Tom's ttffairs. He cer-
tainly had bewitched Aialvina, as be
had others before her. Only that morn-
ing at the breakfast table, when Mal-
vina bad described the beautiful pearl
necklace that Matthews had clasped
about his •girl's neck 'aud she had
promptly recognized it as having been
Lucetta's, given to her as a birthday
gift by her brother Rufus, and had de-
nounced its appropriation by the law-
yer. Melvina had "flown all to pieces"
and had just stopped short of down-
right disrespect to her mother in de-
fense of him.
"As if I did not know 'him better
than anybody living!" the old woman
grumbled, striking one wrinkled fist
angrily against the other. "As if 1 did
not know his soul to be rotten to the
very core!"
Tom Broxton, cantering gayly down
the sun flecked road on his way to
Mandeville, caught a glimpse of the
bright spot of color in the cottage door-
way and drew relu with friendly in-
tent. He consulted his watch and
laughed.
"It is 'Mother' Spillman. I taught to
pay my respects to the old lady. I
have more time this morning than I
am likely to have again. I was asked
to a 2 o'clock dinner, and it is only a
little past 12 now. I'm. showing my
hand pretty plainly."
He sprang out of the saddle, threw
his bridle over a picket of the fence
and made his way quickly between
Miss " Afalvina's hollyhocks and lark-
spurs. The old woman peered forward
eagerly at sound of the gate latch,
'That ain't you back already, Mal -
vine?"
Her hands were caught in a warm
cordial clasp.
"No; it's only Toni Broxton, 'Mother'
Spillman. I've stopped by to ask after.
your eyes. Miss 11Ialvina tells me .you
have had a dreadful time with them
this winter, and, as if that wasn't
enough to keep both of you In work,
you had to go and sprain an ankle."
All of which was shouted so imined'-
ately into the old lady's ears at the top
of Toni's vigorous young lungs that
she recoiled in physical pain. But she
held his handS with answering warmth
and smiled a glad weleome up at the
'great stalwart fellow.
"My dear boy, my good lad, to think
of your taking the time to Stop and
call on an old woman like met But It
waS like you —• like the Broxtons, i
Mean. They never forgot other peo-
ple's feelings. Sit down, Tom, close
to me, laddie. where I can touoh •your
shining brown hair if I want to. But
don't yell so, Tom. They try to make
Out that 1 earl neither hear not' see,
but the old woman is not quite useless
yet—no, not yet—not too helpless to be
a good friend to the last of the Wax -
tons, Tom. Ea?"
"Indeed, no, ma'am," said Tom cheer-
fully. "I don't know of anybody I
would turn to quicker If I needed help
than to 3'ou Or Miss Araivina."
He was thinking of derelict buttons
and falling sock heels. She Was tltink-
Itigg of much weightier matters. She
gave a chuckle . of unmistakable tri-
umph.
"Say that again, my born; say it
again. It does One ,good after being
snubbed and laid on the shelf for
years. 'fon mean it, don't you, 'tom?"'
"Of course t de, every word of it,"
said 'tom khi11 r "Di* yeti must not
talk of being laid on the shelf yet for
a great minty years to tome, 'Mother''
Snili an. Yen have got 'plenty AVotit
to do iitl the world yet."
"Oh, Vtn not :getting younger, and .
L'rn not getting brighter. I'm willing to
go when fey time eomes. But, Tom,
MoMULIEWS PQ-ULTRY
CHAPTLIR VII,
The door of the Spillman cottage
stood wide open. "Mother" Spillman
sat just inside of It, Her tall figure,
crowned with a mass of snowy white
stair and the bright figured 'chintz of
her big armchair, made a conspicuous
spot of cGior visible from, the public
road,
She had•made A1aivinn. locate her so
that she could smell the mignonette
and keep an eye on the front gate.
She had never yet brought herself to
the point of admitting that her Small
establishment could be successfully
tuanaged without her personal super-
vision, Miss Malvina had stepped up
to the 'Matthews' to see how Olivia was
getting oa after the unusual excite-
ment and fatigue of the day before,.
She rather enjoyed "mothering" the
pretty thing. She was not to be gone
• lng, and before starting she extracted
a promise from her mother that she
would not leave the house. She quoted
from the manual upon which her own
Infant mind had been trained.
"I know 1 can trust you, mother, for
you never deceived' me in all your life."
Then she had kissed the withered
forehead and gone briskly down the
...front walk, quite unconscious of the
remarkable tumult she had stirred be-
neath the fresh white kerchief she had
folded over her' mother's • bosom when
assisting her to- dress that morning.
When she was sure she was quite
alone, the old woman developed unsus-
pected capacity. She got up and made
the tour of her small house experiment-
ally, first with her cane and then with-
out it. Presently she flung herself
back into her chair with a. petulant
sigh.
"She doesn't know me. My daughter
does not know me, lsbam used to say
when I got my head turned in one di-
rection there was' no power on• earth
that could make me look in. another.
But I know I've got it turned at the
right angle. I'm not called on to tell
Malvin everything. I know what Alal-
vina thinks, I know what they all think
—the old woman; has gone daft. As
like as not, if I was to tell Malvin.,
she would go to Matthews the first one
with apologies for 'poor mother,' It
won't do. It shan't be done. I wanted
them for Tom, 1 wanted them for Hen-
rietta and Rufus Broxton's boy, and if
he can't have them nobody shall.
Where did I put them? What did I do
with them? Oh, my poor head! • Are
you really going to fail me when I
ltaveso much to do?"
Tears flow sluggishly from the eyes
of old age. The 'fountain of that re-
lief supply dries up quickly under the
scorching fires of life's passionate
years. "Mother" Spillman•pressed one
corner of her whitekerchief to her dim
eyes. Her withered bosom rose and
fell convulsively. She was sobbing,
whether because :she was deceiving
Malv.ina systematically and purposely
as to the condition of her sprained
ankle and other matters or because site
was not ,Iarryiiig out a cherished plan
very `satisfactorily perhaps 'she scarce-
ly knew herself. Lying back in her
big chair, slie lifted red lidded eyes to
the ceiling and frowned.
"If 1 could just leave Malvina entire-
ly.out of the question and think exclu-
sively about 'him, I could straighten
out this snarl much quicker and easier.
Some of these days 111 make it all'
right with her, Now I've got to work
for him."
The papers which Jimmy Martin bad
found in the garden and brought to her
had disappeared again in the most
mysterious manner. Either, she re-
flected mournfully, her memory was
getting so treacherous that she could
not recollect where she had originally
hidden them. to keep them from failing
into Miss Malvina's Bands or else they
had been stolen from her.
She had three theories touching their
disappearance, either of which was
sufficient to fill her soul with bitter,
ness—Malvina had fottnd them and re,
stored them to Horace Atatthews With-
out ever 'a. word to her about the
transaction, Jimmy Martin had been
bought by the lawyer at an advance
price over the One she had paid him to
hold his tongue and had burgle•
riously secured the package while she
slept,. or she bad herself eareiessly -in-
cluded, them among some papers she
had recently destroyed.
"Rut 1 know them by heart 10ould
swear' to every word in them if only
some one would believe in me. If I'm
failing so fast that 1 dotl't known legal
document from a pudding ,recipe, If
I'm grown such a witless body that a
clodhopper like Jimmy Matti can
overreachtee, it x'fn of SO Itttle,iiup of
tenet in the World that nay own chug
ter will make coimon cause with a
bad. Mali against Me, - the sooner 1 go
the better."
"Motiteir'r Spiltmnft, lied not . yet
and LAWN FENCI
are not surnamed in thea 1
Their Woven. Wire ;p"eatcbags
stood, oven iift6ext yeltraa cif
testmg on i+'AEM anti BA11,,W ,
Special offers made this paw w.r on L
These goods are all manufactured by
The Ontario Wire Fencing Co., limited, of Piston; Ont
'or sale by the Hardwaio Merchants and General Dealers throughout Canna.
Also by the Can, Ilardware Jobbers.
Gen. Agents—The/3. Greening Wire Co,, of Hamilton and Montreal.
Agent for Railway fencing James Cooper, Montreal,
eV -Correspondence with the manufacturers invited.
Travelling
to ^�
1�iuAL AGENT'.'
An experienced canvasser, or a man with good character
and address, with the necessary ability to travel from for 'tat
to town and appoint agents, No canvassing. Salary and ex-
penses paid. Position permanent and promotion according to
merit.
"•a
"ntat over tomorrow to dinner,"
111 your ease. Of course you would like
to see a little something of the other
side."
"Yes, sir, I suppoee so, btit'r '
"Of course you would," said 110
guardian, rising and tacking his' fiat
The Bradley-Garretson, Co., d,
Bit 4NTI'OEJD, ONT.
•
1�r Wh'OikelNr illAti•Ei WerZAZLAW13.1te%01 rlr't%'
JOB
N T 1
"Cif eA..• • ,
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