OUR STORIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14482, 1 July 1911, Page 2 (Supplement)

OUR STORIES.

AN ABSORBING SERIAL.

(By Editii C. Ker.yon).

" RODERICK ST U TELLY'S TRUST." Or *' THE SQUIRE OF WKSTHAiI."

John Sturcley tells the atory of ha secret marriage to his biotuer, v. lio shears that lie "will fi«d his wito auu child righted. Rut;. Tick Scutaloy breaks tlw suloni'i outb. he.took at hiS brother a c»vi»t-i b:d, and, holdiug the pruo—, possession of th© pruptrry »vu.«.U ( rightly belonged to bis ,iei>uc\r. Jc&>;e Baker, the woman wuuiu Jc-iu fc;uwtey married. John Baker or Stuteley, bar son, the real lieir of \Y&»Uiujo* iails ui *>v« with Alaxgefy, thid of tbiarping uucto. Aiwaary. viii daujikwr oi Roderick &*ute*»y, a sruw>iKK*xu*i| gu-i, tans Ji iov%) wiui tfouu. Bwuy i>«sai'Uat, WilOHl John nui\»wO. uiruugu tui itiiiv-da, awa " rtXLO «ocu by iad in hou: wiasa all wars agauwt him. lloysio, a gxi with o but B'tiubd fato ixi iuo wus a n&id one. CHAPTER iV.— (Coaunued). KociOTidi iiiKU ftuYci iii wiOCi during brothers £>ow I*l y%tjj very &ugiy, <*ut to cuui-rui lunßielt. "v«iiy *ui»uiu 1 ©wearc' «sk-*xi haUgiituy. "±o\x o-a.v : yull iiUd ft. -'■'>■ i'>-- * 6h'« )vll iivUUi,:, >i'v iiii. i iiu.vc bvtn iK>uf at»u vcu iuv; tIXUC',' ; isO "tUlxi \ua UiU lioL lile up yvur Liii~ xmgi2r Co h.eij> me."' "1 repent it! I -repent it, brother/ cried the suiforor, struggling now tor breath. ''Upen the wniaow Avider, I beg. I want airl >; ho coughed repeatedly, toa&Jig away tha bedclothes and baring his chest as if to lighten its oppression. jfctis brother watched the pitiable sight -with a hard look on his sallo*' • face. Thus-and thus hg was suffering. (Well, he deserved it. He had had his good time, now ho was having his evil time*

John Stuteley, looking at him, noticed the hardness, the cruelty of his set face, and lost all hope of softening him by appeals. There was jet Another method. He would try it. ••Roderick," he said, "if you do not fulfil my behest and act worthy of the trust I am going to moke over to you, I have no doubt that yoa will be punished. I will pray, if pray are can avail where I sun going, that you may be. ies, I will do my heart to Lring trouble on you in life and in death unle% you do my bidding." Ic was torture to hirq to utter tksse emphatic words, which he <id so in a sJrrili tone which rose at length almox. to a shriek.

Eodsriek, aa his brother knew well, was a most superstitions, nervous man. The dying man's convulsed, ghastlv features, his wierd, shrill voice, ancl dreaded words, now followed by a. torrent of muttered oaths, almost unnerved him. Ho shook visibly as he sat there; his face grew very pale. - '"I swear it," he said, as.soon as he could command his voice, *T swear bv the k»ve of wife and children, I will do your bidding." "Swear it again," cried John. "I swear it by all I hold most dear." "Again."

-I swear, it "He stopped: the great beads of perspiration stood- out upon his brown; his features were yvorking; he was conscious even then rhat he might not keep his oath—nay, more, that ft was probable he would not keep it. "Confound you," he cried wrtn unseemly roughness in that room St death "confound you, I have sworn enough." "Yes," said John, faintly, falling bock against his pillow. "It is enough! « you break that vow, may my curse jjg ™- J™- listen now, I "will tell yoa

'Take this first," Eodariok handed fama glass wherein the nurse had left ft restorative, to be used if reouired Yoa nave fljought me a bachelor afl these yearo, but—:—" m ."™S don't tell ne you got marned!' 4 Eoderick's eyts were almost starting out of las head; he felt quite sack and giddy with Won. If h, s brother was mafrleX fc« had probably children, *. eon and ieir TVlcto then would be his own succession to the property? "Listen,' said the other feebly: "I young man then, and foolish as are-she was a very handSome .housemaid—Jessie Baker Mi I »e you renw-iiMr her. She left Vit.tom abruptly without any apuarent CSU69-I was tl» cause. She met roe *» ijonoon. It was the *es.r IS7O I aarrivd tei-—"

Man-jed her! Married a housc-mnH' S £?• SX ?IF I' o '* riot so far fo'irni I JWaiselr! . esclaimtd Roderick, now powerfully agitated "l**s. I was mad, I think. Yet mv ■JMnyn* b-er w.is no sin. The sin was tnat, having married her, I had not .courage to acknowledge h4r " w'i^ n< " t ' kdge ,¥ r ' l sboul <i think OA?^0 A ?^, ,rfct ? , iooi r, cried the other. «> long and so jemiMly that Roderick was ol>lig«d to call the niirss. " It was half an hour before the good woman oould be prevailed upon to leave item alone a E <un. Whsa ft last she Snfelion v**"* l to miserable "We Uvea, together in London for half a year or. so and then I sent her to tor mother at Battle, and there our Otula was born." _**Chadl" Hoderick's hair almost 1 Wood on end. aJh^hJ?**'*? 7 - She Eamed Wm TOmafter me. I weJ it to see her once «r twice. Ken I wrote excuses and »nt iier money— a hundred pounds. \i 7 M halt wild with trouble! How oonltl I acknowledge her? Whv, it would: have broken onx father's heartto say nothing of the Mater's. Th=y cad such great schemes for me. I wis to effar myself as a candidate for our Iwrotiga at the nest general election. .Ambition had taken, hold of me at last My brief passion for Jessie had given plaea for a thirst for distinction. And I was bound to her, chained by oitmarriage, lettered for life. At first I tradi staren to teach and train her so tca» sfco might, speak and act a little oeoently out the lowness of her birth and breeding was always crcTroinn- up. I was a miserable— most miserable man

"You deserved all von got," s.v'd Roderick in his heart." Bring though c s brother was. he could scarcelv be'ar to listen to him. "-\Vell?" he sa'id impntrently.

;*!"> sick man coughed and choked a i , ::!c. Roderick was obliged to give him some restorative before ho could p.- irrcd. Then ho went on; •• There was enly one thing in mv favour. Jessie's ignorance—and pride". I pon them I traded and not in vain. 1 ran over to America, went to a. small town named Brwden. about thirty miles from Chicago, and sent a cabie"grom tr> .Te=.-'«. telling her to come to roe _ and to bring tho child and her mother. I knew thev would all three come: the mother's life was hound up "i ue» child, an 3 Jessie loved our baby. I told them in the oableeram I wpffid

wait at BowJua ior them. But 1 did nut ib su. Instead, i unite a long letter—an insulin,;.,, cruel i. tt.-r---ich-i»i J-cibiJ 1 cuu:d n.ji, undid urn, l)j disgraced by ior, and saying slio must slay at Bowdeii, i.vo quietly tbvre with h?r mother arid tho cinid, aud I would pay into thv uanl: for her tln-re one iiiuidivd pounds every quarter of a year'' Ho paused; the great drops stood out upon iais brow —a film cameovw his sight. "Well, and did it answer? Did sho stop out there;"' questioned Roderick, almost fiercely. "Yes. Shu never wrote to mo. And never tuueb.d my money, not a penny of it'l i knew htr pride, arid Has not surprised." "By Jove! And the boy. Her boy and yours?" •'riho brought him up, I i.uppcee. At least 1 lutvo uevi'r heard ho died.'' •'li:<«- old w.ll ho bo nowr" ■'J'lurtu-Jii.'' '•What sort of a lad will ho bflf"

"He was a fair hazel-eyed baby, strong and well when I saw him. The old woman .-'aid he whs like mo. But I behove old women always Bay that eort of tiling." "iiy Jovel" Roderick fro-.vned hcavi-

"It £>J3:n-ed all right that I should not put myself out of the way nor distress my family by acknowledging liim. But now I'm lying herd so ill, tho o-ase looks different. I w,s!h I had educated the lad and given him a chanou. Sometimes lately I have dreamt of hinj, as a big boy resembling me, x or rather resembling what I u»fid~ to look like as a boy, but dressed ooarsely, and speaking as the lower classes do. 'I haint bad no chance! No chance!' ho ahvaj-s says to im in my dream. And, after all, lioderiek, ho is my own son —my legal heir. -Oh, yes, the marriagewas all richt. You'll find tho oeirt.fic-.it3 in my secret drawer in that writing tab!"."

"A ,fine son!" Bodorick scowled apiin, but turned awav his face that ir:* li-j.-thfr iniiiit not se<r it. "Well, it's ahrinii! i,i v ;-i! But, if nobody knows ■}<•■ .'■•1:;. it, it need not be stirred up

"liodeTickl" cried the sick man; "ItodoKck, I've got to die, and if, as •Kinie say, I shall meet my judge, I'd bettor have something different than that to tell Him. That is wliv I sent for you. To you I have told"all—because—l wish to make it known, and fetch Km from Illmo's and produce my son John—as try heirl" "Your heir! Yonrsl"

"J es, mine. Ho is my onlv son, John Stntelev. No need to make" a will He is the heir—the direct heir after me." The dying man spoke with great vehsmenee. He pointed to a drawor in his writing table near the led, gasping out with difficulty "Certificates—proofs there I" »

The next moment, while his brother was stall struggling to suppress his rage ™,, the oaths -which he could not wholly keep back, John broke into another violent fit of coughing that before it had ended death itself oame to release him.

That night a solitary figure was to pe seen pacing up and down for hours in tie moonlight by the seashore soma little distance frovi the Hall. Tlie wind JL s l? 6 d<snrn; 5t F" 8 c 3l ™ and still after the storm. The sweet night air wrapped the solitary pedeetrinn in its cooling embrace, but for all that he wjs at fever heat; great beads of perspiration stood out opon his brow. From time to time he clenched h;s fists and sighed aloud; "I oannotl I cannot! It is too much. B;' George, it is more thou mortal man could do I" •_ ?^ r a ."'Me, as one -who had made up his mind, he muttered, "No one knows-aboiit it except me. At least m one m this country. And if anything tZ r ,^° m ?° ni * to. light, t can profess utter and entire ignorance. T shall act as if that wretchod confession had f£f 1 iVl7' to m * 3lcart jt was. nY£,f of a weakened n " nd - , I .. sluUl "J l -' £0 out to America T \ ra , ot \ any "*<*>■ wild goose rf'Jlf" r at , am a sans ma "- I sLali not seek for my supplanter. Oh I" Ho shook us ho stood A groan a screech,, weird and sepulchral, rent the I wW.,^ 3 * words, itZ B D 0 *s** T that y° u "ill be pun! 4' J* 3 ' * ,TiU " do ™y »»t to feg trfl ? lW * U P°» TO" in Iffe and in death unlessi you do my bidding." Bodenck Stuteley was oouvulsed with superstitious fear and an agony of ireX™ ie m ¥i hi 3 Bather's' charge. Then, sudden y upon the riittenngsea, the bright ligWof **&&£ a S 3 he ka ™ tta t whit he imagined to b e an unearthly eroan and shriek was really a signal the p-issing vessel. y himself. -No T , ril , not «a to be frightened out of my course of action. I, and no one eke, shall be the l r ° f i ,^ estl '. am - M V children shall be rich. May that housemaids brat perish in the obscurity in which it iras born!" , Having thus hardened.'his heart, he tamed and walked back to the Hall! Where lay his brother's corpse And eveu as he went the roaring of the sea aud the howling of the wind smote on his ears almost as h Wow He could not Asfc. off the .impre^o^l

r,™ TT , CHAPTER V. ' LITTLE JOHN" OVERHEARS A . SECRET. 'Jessie, oome here! come hers!" Sirs iSafcer s voce was shrill and! querulous an rL^ 6915 and a I""-? since she and her daughter and grandson arrived m America, and now, after a long brave strugdo with very bard work she was bedridden and helpless. Rheumatic fever had crippled her and lefc her heart so weaJ, that efce could not ma fee the slightest movement without deadly famtness She could not even lie still m bed, but was propped up in a si ting posture. A poor wreck, people called her, and indeed she was physically the wreck of her former self was i gpod daughter to her, ever mindful of the great sacrifice she bad made m coming out ihere so far away from her beloved home, and she mused her as well as she p-ssiblv could considering sne was running a," rather lnrco boarding house for working men with the assistance onlv of one "help" and her own boy. Little John, as he had always been called, though now lie was a tall slim boy, with intelligence far above the average, and i thirst for reading which astonished all who knew him, was of the greatest possible assistnnce. He cleaned boots, waited on the lodgers, ran errands, and I did countless demostie duties in the intervals of his somewhat erratic sehoolI inc. His mother and grandrcotlber had lately read in the newspaper, the I Chicago Express, that John Stntelcv, E--q., MP, ofAYestham Hall, Sussex! I Ermland, had expired at his residence. ,' in the presence of his onlv brother and hex, Roderick St.uteley, Barristcr-at-Law. "Tho dfceci.'ed gentleman," tho paper went on to say, "had never married." It gave i short account of his history, omitting, of course, the part in whbh was only known to these two 'ar distant euding with a vigorous eulogy of the departed statesman's • 'Warn Av.s life." ''Such lies!" Jessie Kud commented, wralhfullv flinging tlio paper down, after she had read the item aloud to her mother. "I saw tho ungodly flourishing like a (.Teen bay tre?T' cried her mother. "Aye, lassie, it wasn't only David's eyes «-.i\v that!" Then Jessie left her mother a'.one, turning vigorously to th-» solace of hard work. But tho old woman, racked with pain brooded over the matter tint'! she could not keep silence. "Coming, mother," railed .'es'ie from he'ow stiirs. ;.nd pvesc-ntly she ar[>e:.red with hor aim full of coarse ho>ise-lint-n. which she threw on the tabta bv the bed, StttLpe down, sh.e .sjmaH fpV.

a thimble in a voluminous rax-liel, •-id hot:aii to mend sundry rents and li.il"-:.

"Jc&u-:," said the old woman, pitifully, "i vo been Llr.it racked v.ith pain 1 could scarcely think, and yet I'vu, been tryintj to think what we had bettor do now little John's father's gone."

"00l Lor', mother, don't worrit your hond about thatl" cried Ju.ssio. "I've mado up my ntiud t' lad shan't go near them bad wkued folk at "Westham. Ho is a good lad, as it is, but know.* what ho'll he if ho gets there. Don't yuu re-member, mother, you always said "A small thin-j; that tho righteous hath is bettor than great riches of the ungodly.' And 'Better is a iiandful , with quietness than two hand tu Is ' '

"Whist, my lass; there's a timo for ialkiD<; tlcripUir' and a time for consdurin'. Oh, dear!" A cry of pain bioko from her parched lips which was not wholly caused by physical suffering. Could it ha slio was hinting that NT.ptnro was -ever anything but appropriate ?

Jessie rose, gave her a drink of barley water, and shook her pillows up a little. L

'ion vo no call to worrit, mother " slio repeated, 'tilings ia beet ns they is. I don t hanker after riches either or m-s.ul! or tor my John. The iad'.s •nappy as he ,s. He couldn't he linii- £"* ." l»e .was as rich as a kingi" Ihe lad himself thought diflerentlv, as he paused on the top of the na'rrow stiurcaso lip which ho had noiselessly S 1 " 8 » to j'«''B«. did not allow him to staii on her new st-nV onrpete with his boots on. and slippers were to km an unknown quantity mothcr wore saying about him* He ought not to listen but. " Little John's been vcrv hnonv wi+h nw lately that we've lied to hi;n in a hX hUn s&ther5 &ther - <^ d «-»-en "'""'as a 0303*, and it's written in the Bible 'lake "'"V, 11 H' re »'»U •; p ,h f ~ . ,»"* stopped short, lookin K Scu B ened ' for little Joll » }iaS

W C L? lm ,' !e! 3l " i .' lp '-!" lo cried, th* malciuK them very red; what's ill Jtiioi J Does ho hire? Does he' I »■ 11 fl™' , H % sti »P0" tto SSSi fir c h!S a " ger ' lus e - v <« *on>«l to to'i!"!"" ! "*i^- U Sr>^ k in that tone • „^ ,cd ]l!i > mother, w'th onuil with ILh Jl° f n e (md fRMd "irn a look of terrible .infer over a .t?, 1 ?" 1 * t,K> was £ m .V 1 Bon ?"> mother,"' he sad like that. I know I oughtn't. Rut if now lye longed tor a fatW iimA as Jam* BameU has, T * y' £££ Your rather wasn't like J-i,.,^ ffirC?? s%?«**, un C rnclo S "aZ ZL*P fathcrs - an < 7 ' Withers." on &&'.£?%* *t??£ST?

hk

lJi he! " T c "' , - J<l Jessie, tartly "And Tf 3 "'"' "othering 'mv ? p ? nh,, PP.V memories. He s been a had husband to me, and I want to forget him." ' "Just let me ask one oue.<;tinn " ft*! - "Wd fe 9 c4me°out niij. jmu to America?" follv 0t 'w!l. J i eS ? e answ «l-ed, wrnthtßlly. Nov look here, John. I'll ?°ons aT r n T bot s erin ' r< ™ ,lfl a™" 4Ji • , ° aTV_, y downstairs." - I lie boy went out of the room and down the narrow stairs, but ivihn rebel+Jf £v ad - It was impossible hL^! e ? tl,e wo «fe that he had overheard. His mother, and grandmother had hed to him. With their *?i 0 ?' c S".' d be!ie ™ tham now? d,d ?° Irant a fa ther. Ho had long wanted one His fnend Jamie M? a i llc ? fa #' er - He a <3 long felt that he liad notlitng to compensate him for not having one too. Often he had dreamt, about his father, and woke sobbing Twrause it was a dream. JNow -t was eriaf indeed and shame and wrong to find that he had had a father a.ll the time, but was not allowed to know it.

He crept into the dismal little pantry where he blacked the lodgers' boots and wept for the father he had never known. His tears fell down upon the brnshes worn almost bare with tho labour of his hands. Prom that day his faith in the V wo women who had dominated him all his n>* was shaken H« could rever tru=t tlwm a ? ain. They were not (rood women Knee they !ied and wronged hira so. Harshly in his hot-headed boyish inexperience did he judge them, tas mother would allow no disrespect in lus manner, but in his he-art he no longer honoured her. Alas for the parent who herself dashes the ideal mother for ever from the cognisance of her child! "Little JV.!it) ,: wag not so good a bo-p----as formerly. Bw.itment cherished secretly crorvfc into his bchavious clouded his sunny face, produced n «>2nt- frown on his fair forehead, tvigerly he searched the newspapers, listened to long conversations and tried by every means in his power to learn about the man who was his father In his heart he idealised him. now Wiving to linn all the irf:«frinnrv Virtues wfch winch once lor/id had endowed his mother.

Of liis mother he dared not inquire any more, but ouce, when alone with his grandmother, ho said, questioninglv, "When you were in England, grannie, you lived in Sussex, I know. I suppose my fatherliv=d there too?" ■ "Ape, laddie, at ''iVesthani, near Pevensey. Oh, what am I saving? I mean did live. Mind he's dead now." This was true. But "little John" thought it was a lie.

''Grannie, shall I read fo yon?"- lie asked

"Yea, yes, quick laddie, read me something coaiforting." The boy got the "Bibte, and turned the leaves over until he came to the place he wanted. Then Ti« began to read slowly and with emphasis: "Brit the fearful, ajid unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that, burnetii with fire .and brimstone, which .is the second death."

A cry broke froirf tljo lips of the poor old woman.

Oo away away!'' alio screamed. "Von bad lad—l'll tell your mother of you."

And Jessie, coming in just then, soundly cuffed he hoy and sent him away in disgrace for plaguing his old grannie.

"Little John" went over to his friend Jamie's, and whilst helping him to -weed tiro garden—his. father was a market yairdener—he' confided to him that the great wish of his heart was to go to England,

"Why, that' 9 where my father talks of coing, some d'ay," said Jamie. "He's got a sister there, you know." "And I've iiot someone there, too." saif] John mysteriously. 'But don't yon split on me, Jamie'. It's a secret." "All right," said Jamie. "'Appen you'll go wi' us when we go." "T'd lice that," said John, stoutly. "Would vonr mother go too?" speculated Jamie. "No. nor 1 shouldn't want her."' said ilw other resentfully. "Father." f.aid Jamie" thai evening to his only parent "something's com-* oyer 'little John.' He doesn't lore his .mother." jJTp oe eontimtedr-