Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 July 1915 — PEG O' MY HEART [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PEG O' MY HEART

By J. Hartley Manners

A. Comedy of Youth Founded by Mr. Manners on His Great Play of the Same Title—lllustrations From Photographs of the Play

SYNOPSIS. Frank O’Connell, young Irish patriot. Is shot and wounded by British soldier! j while making a home rule speech. H« Is aided by Angela Kingsnorth. an English society girl, who defends him. Angela takes O'Connell to her brother’s home and helps to nurse him. He recovers, and he and the girl become fast friends. O'Connell when well Is sent to jail for disturbing the peace. He finally writes Angela that he has. finished his sentence. ! O’Connell and Angela wed. She has espoused the Irish cause. Her brother, a member of parliament, ts very angry. The happy couple come to America to live. A daughter Is born to them. Angela’s brother refuses to help the couple In any way. Angela dies. O’Connell names his daughter Margaret and calls her “Peg.” O'Connell receives * a most important letter from England, which perplexes him. O’Connell allows Peg to visit England at her uncle’s request. The elder Kingsnortti’s heart had finally softened toward his dead sister’s little girl. Peg goes to the home of the Chichester family in England at the direction of Mr. Hawkes. Kingsnorth’s attorney, as Kingsnorth suddenly dies. j She .first meets ttthel Chichester and Brent, a married man in love with Ethel. She interrupts them by accident in a secret meeting. ’ CHAPTER XV. The Will. TOW, in Mr. Kingsnorth’s will,’' lAI Went on the lawyer, produc-; A N ing a leather pocketbook filled with important looking papers -“in liis will” — he repeated. Mrs. Chichester stopped crying. “Eh? A will?” “What?” said Alaric, beaming. “Did the dear old gentleman leave a will?” Even Ethel stopped playing with Pet and listened languidly to the conversation. Mr. Hawkes, realizing he had their complete interest, went on importantly : “As Mr. Kingsnorth’.s legal adviser up to the time of his untimely death I have come here to make you acquainted with some of its contents.” He spread a formidable looking document wide open on the table, adjusted his pinee nez and prepared to read. “Dear old Nat!” said Alaric reflectively. “Do you remember, mater, we met him at Victoria station once when I was little more than a baby? Yet I can see him now as plainly as if it were yesterday—a portly, sandy haired old buck with three jolly chins.” “He was white toward the end and very, very thin,” said Mr. Hawkes softly.

"Was he?” from Alaric. “Fancy that. It just shows, mater, doesn’t it?” He bent eagerly over the table as Hawkes traced some figures with a pencil on ; one of the pages of the will. “How much did he leave?” And J Alaric'a voice rose to a pitch of well defined interest. j “His estate is valued, approximately, ' at some £200,000,” replied the lawyer. ! Alaric gave a long, low whistle and smiled a broad, comprehensive smile. Ethel for the first time showed a gleam of genuine interest. Mrs. Chichester began to cry again. “Perhaps it was my fault I didn’t see him oftener,” she said. Alaric, unable to curb his curiosity, burst out with, “How did the old boy split it up?” “To his immediate relations be left”— Mr. Hawkes looked up from the will and found three pairs of eyes fixed on him. He stopped. It mpy be that constant association with the law courts destroys faith in human nature; but, whatever the cause, it seemed to Mr. Hawkes in each of those eyes was reflected the one dominant feelinggreed. The expression in the family’s combined eyes was astonishing in its directness, in its barefacedness. It struck the dignified gentleman suddenly dumb. “Well? Well?” cried Alaric. “How much? Don't stop right in the middle of an important thing like that. You make me as nervous as a chicken.” Mr. Hawkes returned to the will and after looking at it a moment without reading said: “To his immediate relations Mr. Kingsnorth left, I regret to say—nothing.” , A momentary silence fell like a pall over the stricken Chichester family. Mrs. Chichester rose, indignation flashing from the eyes that a moment since showed a healthy hope. “Nothing?” she cried incredulously. “Not a penny piece to any one?” ventured Alaric. The faintest suspicion of a smile flitted across Ethel’s face. Hawkes looked keenly at them and answered: “I deeply regret to say—nothing.” Mrs. Chichester turned to Ethel, who had begun to stroke Pet again. “His own flesh and blood!” cried the poor lady. “What a shabby old beggar!” commented Alaric indignantly. “He was always the most selfish, the most” — began Mrs. Chichester, when Mr. Hawkes, who had been turning

over the pages of the document before him, gave an ejaculation of relief. “Ah! Here we have it. This, Mrs. Chichester, is how Mr. Kingsnorth expressed his attitude toward his relations in his last will and testament: “‘I am the only member of the Kingsnorth family who ever made any money. All my precious relatives either inherited it or married to get it.”’ “I assure you”— began Mrs. Chichester. Alaric checked her. “Half a moment, mater. Let us hear it out to the bitter end. He must have been an amusing old gentleman.” Mr. Hawkes resumed: “‘Consequently I am not going to leave one penny to relations who are already well pro. vided for.’ ” Mrs. Chichester protested vehemently: “But we are not provided for.” “No,” added Alaric. “Our bank’s busted.” “We’re ruined!” sobbed Mrs. Chichester. “Broke!” said Alaric. “We’ve nothing!” wailed the old lady. “Dear, dear!” said the lawyer. “How extremely painful!” “Painful? That's not the word. Disgusting I call it,” corrected Alaric. Mr. Hawkes tlumglit a moment Then be said, “Under those circumstances perhaps a clause in the will may have a certain interest and an element of relief." As two drowning people clinging tc the proverbial straws the mother and son waited breathlessly for Mr. Hawkes to go on. Ethel showed no interest whatever. “When Mr. Kingsnorth realized that he had not very much longer to live he I spoke constantly of his other sister, Angela.” resumed Mr. Hawkes. “Angela!” cried Mrs. Chichester in surprise. “Why, she’s dead.” j- “That was why lie spoke of her,” said Hawkes gravely. “And not a word of me?” asked Mrs. ’ Chichester. “We will come to that a little later.” and Mr. Ilawkes again referred to the { WilL “It appears that this sister, Angela. married at the age of twenty a certain Irishman, by name O’Connell, and was cut off by her family”— “The man was an agitator—a Fenian agitator. He hadn’t a penny. It was a disgrace”— Alaric checked his mother again. I Hawkes resumed: “Was cut off by her family, went to the United States ; of America with her husband, where a

daughter was born. After going j through many conditions of misery with her husband, who never seemed to prosper, she died shortly after giving birth to the child.” He looked up. “Mr. Kingsnorth elsewhere expresses his lasting regret that in'one of his sister’s acute stages of distress she wrote to him asking him for the first time to assist her. He, replied: ‘You have made your bed. Lie in it.’ ” “She had disgraced the family. He was justified,” broke in Mrs. Chichester. “With death approaching,” resumed Hawkes, “Mr. Kingsnorth’s conscience began to trouble him, and the remembrance of his treatment of his unfortunate sister distressed him. If the child were alive he wanted to see her. I made inquiries and found that the girl was living with her father in very poor circumstances in the city of New York. We sent sufficient funds for the jourI ney, together with a request to the fa--1 ther to allow her to visit Mr. Kingsnorth in England. The father consented. However, before the young girl sailed Mr. Kingsnorth died.” “Oh!” cried Alaric, who had been listening intently. “Died, eh? That was too bad. Died before seeing her. ! Did you let her sail, Mr. Hawkes?” ' “Yes. We thought it best to bring i her over here and acquaint her with i the sad news after her arrival. Had | she known before sailing she might not have taken the journey.” “But what was the use of bringing I her over when Mr. Kingsnorth was | dead?” asked Alaric. “For this reason,” replied Hawkes. “Realizing that he might never see her, Mr. Kingsnorth made the most remarkable provision for her in his will.” “Paovided for her and not for”— began Mrs. Chichester. “Here is the provision,” continued Mr. Hawkes, again reading from the will: ‘“I hereby direct that the sum of £I,OOO a Year be paid to any respectable, well connected woman of breeding and family who will undertake the education and upbringing of my niece, Margaret O’Connell, in acordance with the dignity and tradition of the Klngsnorths.’ ” “He remembers a niece he never saw, and his own sister”— And Mrs. Chichester once more burst into tears. “It beats cockfighting; that’s, all I can say,” cried Alaric. “It simply beats cockfighting.” Mr. Hawkes went on reading: “‘lf at the expiration of one year my niece

Is found to be, in the judgment of iny executors, unworthy of further interest shells to be returned to her father and the sum of £250 a year paid her to provide her with the necessaries of life. If, on the other hand, she proves herself worthy of the best traditions of the Kingsnorth family the course of training is to be continued until she reaches the age of twenty-one, whenI hereby bequeath to her the sum of £5,000 a year, ito be paid her annually out of my estate during her lifetime and to be continued after her death to any male issue she may have —by marriage."” * ,

Mr. Hawkes stopped and once again looked at the strange family. Mrs. Chichester was sobbing. "And me—his own sister”— Alaric was moving restlessly about. “Beats anything I’ve heard of—positively anything.” Ethel was looking intently at Fet’s coat Hawkes continued: “ ‘On no account is her father to be permitted to visit her. and should the course of training be continued after the first year she must not on any account visit her

father. After she reaches the age of twenty-one she can do as she pleases.' '’ Mr. Ilawkes folded up the will with the air of a man who had finished an important duty. Alaric burst out with: “1 don't see how that clause interests us in the least, Mr. Hawkes." The lawyer removed his piiice nea and, looking steadily at Mrs. (*hi< lies said : “Now, my dear Mrs. Chichester, it vas Mr. Kingsnorth’s wish that the first lady to be approached on the natter of undertaking the training of the young lady should be—you.". Mrs. Chichester rose iu astonishment. “I ?” Alaric arose in anger. “My mother?” Ethel quietly pulled I'et's ear and waited, Mr. Hawkes went on quietly: "Mr. Kingsnorth said be would be sure at least of his niece having a strict upbringing in the best traditions of the Kingsnorths and that, though his sister Monica was somewhat narrow and conventional in ideas—l use his own words—still he felt sure slie was eminently fitted to undertake such a charge. There—you have the whole object of my visit. Now, will you undertake the training of the young lady?” “I never heard of such a thing!” cried Mrs. Chichester furiously. "Ridiculous!” said Ethel calmly. “Tush and nonsense!” with which ! Alaric dismissed the whole matter.

“Then I may take it you refuse?” queried the astonished lawyer. “Absolutely!” from Mrs. Chichester. “Entirely!” from Ethel. “I should say so!” and Alaric brought up the rear. Mr. Hawkes gathered up his papers and in a tone of regret ventured: “Then there is nothing more to be said. I was only carrying out the dead man's wishes by coming here and making the facts known to you. Mr. Kingsnorth was of the opinion that ydu were well provided for and that, outside of the sentimental reason that the girl was your own niece, the additional thousand pounds a year might be welcome as, say, pin money for your daughter.” Ethel laughed her dry, cheerless little laugh. “Ha! Pin money!” Alaric grew suddenly grave and drew his mother and sister out of Mr. Hawkes’ vicinity. “Listen, mater, Ethel. It’s a cool thousand, you know! Thousands don’t grow on taspberry bushes when yqur bank's gone up. What do ye think, eh?” Mrs. Chichester brightened. “It would keep things together,” she said. “The wolf from the door,” urged Alafio. “No charity,” chimed in Ethel. (TO BE CONTINUED.)

Hawkes Read the Kingsnorth Will.