CHAPTER XCII. CONCIUSION

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 262, 9 May 1888, Page 6

CHAPTER XCII. CONCIUSION

How it all ended. What foitune, Kood, or bad attended The little lml> jou wish befriended. Hkownivc:. At the end of thi-> month's leave Colonel Fitzgerald, accompanied by Gertrude, ictumed to his regiment at Wrndover, where the little lady renewed her acquaintance with the young lieutenant whom she had met at the gatu of the barrackb on her first \ieittheic, and who having heard of her wondrous escape from ■shipwreck, now undei>rond all that had pteviously mystified him. The \Ventlo\cr Barracks were not nearly desirable a residence as the beautiful Summit Manor House ; but the colonel's quarter note \ery pleasant, after all, and so long a^ hhe \ui- beside her husband Ger1 trude could be happy anywhere. Gertrude and Gerald frequently visited and leceived \ isits from their friends in the Wilde counbj, and in the first yeoi of their residence on 1' little lady turned match maker, and piomoted two marriages among four desolate elderly peoplo that turned out \erv haopily for all concerned. The Hr-.b was the marriage of the good old lector of lied Sandstone Parish with Mis;-* Sue Gieonleaf, who made a most excellent and popular minister's wife, and added much to the comfort and cheerfulness of the icctory. The second mairiage was that of Mi Benjamin Bower*, who, finding that Mi«s Maxima Rowley was to enjoy a life inteie^ in the Manor House and revenues of Hill Top, foimally pioposed to that lady, and was accepted because she bad nc\er icco\eicd fiom the taunt cast in her teeth by old Je-s, to the cflccfc that she would h\e and die an old maid, for tlu»t thore was not a man in the world so poor and miserable as to marry herexen for her money —a taunt that she dispro\cd by becoming the wife o Mr Ben Bowers, whose sanguine temperament and com i\ ial habits had rather a haj >py eflecb than otherwise on her morose temper and austere manners. Theie were yet two other marriages in the family, not of Gertrude's promotion, but still very agieeablc to her feelings. The first of these was the wedding of Mi^s Fitzgerald with her German prince, w Inch came oil in midsummer at the hou.se of the American minister in Bcilin. And this union was all the more pleasing to the i Fit/gerald.s, because the immense wealth of the bridegroom enabled the newly-married pair to dispense \ cry easily with the manor Geraldine had lost. Whether she was happy in her marriage no one knew ; but she had wealth, rank, and a splendid career, and if these could nob make Geraldine happy nothing could. Besides, she had a very phlegmatic philosopher for a husband, who, when she fell into one of her furious passions, would most likely light bin pipe and walk into his library, it the season were winter, or into his garden if it were summer, and smoke until the storm should be pabst. But the most delightful of all the weddings, to Gertrude's mind, was that of her beloved cousins, Sallust llowley and Patricia Fitzgerald, which had been .set for the golden days of Indian summer, late in the month of October. Having had half a year's warning, our generous little lady had ordered from Paris a wedding outfit for the bride quite worthy of a princess. Colonel Fitzgerald presented the jewels. The marriage ceremony was to be performed at .St. Patrick's Church, and at Gerald and Gertrude's earnest request, the wedding reception (and banquet) wa& to be held at the Summit Manor House. On the iirst of October Colonel Fitzgerald got a month's leave, and, accompanied by Gertrude, went to the Summit that they might take their places as host and hostess for the occasion. On tho nineteenth of the same month Sallust Rowley and Patricia Fitzgerald were married ab St. Patrick's Cathedral, in the presence of a very large company, Father Dubarry performing the ceremony, and Colonel Fitzgerald giving away tho bride. . Immediately after the ceremony the brido and bridegroom, with their attendants and

their guoßte, ontorecl tho waiting carriages and proceeded to the Summit Manor House, where they wore entertained at breakfast by Colonel and Mrs Gerald Fitzgerald. In tho attornoon of (-ho samo day Mr and Mrs Salluat Rowley left for Wildevillo, whoro they took the evoning stage-coach for Washington, whence they went on to Baltimore to ombavk for Europo ; not on I an ocean .stoamcr by any means, but on tho staunch old merchant ship, tho Becky, George Wailes, master, bound from Baltimoro to Liverpool, with a cargo of tobacco, rico and cotton. Thoy were the only cabin passongers, and Captain Wailes hud fitted up the after cabin in elegant bridal state to do them honour. They spent a year in Europe, and thon returned and settled down on Sallust Rowley's estate, wheio, in duo course of time, a piomi.sing family ot girls and boys gathered around thorn. Mr Royal Creonleaf never married, but enjoyed a happy bachelor lifo ai Greenwood, solacod by tho company ot his favourite and widowed sister, Mrs Doy Fitzgerald. To icturn to Gerald and Gertrude. On the day after the departure of Sallust and Patricia for the wedding tour, an event happened that threw a full light upon a mystery in the past that had never been quite clcaicd up to their satisfaction. On the morning of that day the sexton oi St. Patrick's Church went into the building to clear it up, after tho great wedding, He was surprised to sec the door of the \ault, under the altar, standing wide open, and stiikinir a light lie descended into tho \ ault to m u if .ill w ere 1 ight. Thoie, to his oxtieme honor, lie iound tho dead body of the madwoman known as Magdala stretched across the coflin ot Aithur Lloyd fc'it/geiald. Kra\o old man as he was, the sexton iled at tho sight, and hastened into the adjoining priest s hoube to inform Father Dubai iy. The good priest, very much shocked at the news, huiiicd into the chinch and down into the \ault, wheio he also, to his amazement, recognised in the dead body of the woman lying actors. Aithur Fit/geiald's cotlin all th.it wa^ mortal of the mad wanderoi, Magdala. or tho gyp^v Clea IMmra. lie scut one message oil in haste to the Summit Manoi Jl'mseior Golonel Fitzgerald land another to Wilde\illo for Dr. Peter i Shaw. In due time both these gentlemen «irri\ cii. The body of Magdala was lifted out of the \auit and laid on some pew cushions in the chancel, and then the doctor made 1 an examination, and pionounccd tho deatli to lime lesiiltcd fiom pinery natuial causes, and L r i"\e a certificate to that eflect. ! It happened, however, that in the oouise i of his invcstigat ions the doctor had taken from the bosom of the woman a email 101 l ot paper, which he immediately handed to Colonel Fit/goiald, and which the latter | opened and tound to contain a news-paper I cut representing the portrait of a man, beneath which was plinted : Adam Lu'm vnd, tiik Mi him tu.k. And undui these wouls were scr.iuled in pencil : Alicia Arthur Lloyd Fi/'tjirahl, lln in >r of tlu Summit Manor. Colonel Fit/.geiald saw at once that this must, ha\e l)cen Ihe likeness Magdala had .shown to Mauiiei Fit/Gerald, who had le cognised m the condemned man his elder luothir's son, and w hose feais ot disco\eiy and dishonoui had caused his death. Colonel Fit/goiald crumpled the paper up and destiojcd it instantly. Then, armed with the doctor's eertiiicate of the death, he gave orders for the funeral ot Magdala, or Clea Phara, whose body was thereupon removed to the priest's house, to be piepaied foi buiuil, and aftoiwards interred in the church yard ot old St. Patiick's. To none but Gertrude did Geiald Fitzgerald tell what was found in the bosom of the dead gypsy's dress ; and then she, too, understood the cause of the shock which had hastened the deatli of old Maurice Fitxgeiald. j One more incident and I have done. I relate this onl\ because it is so stiongly illustrathe. It was on All Hallow E\c, the last day of October, and the last ot then stay at the Summit Manor Colonel Fit/gor.ild's loa\ c having cvpired, they were to retui n to \\ endova the ne\b morning, the fast of November. They had just finished bieakfast, but had not let t. the table, w lien Jubal onteud with the mail-bag, w Inch Colonel Fit/geiald took from him and unlocked. It contained the Washington, Richmond and New Yoik paper:-, besides scveial letters fiom fiiends — that is, one each fiom Sallust and Patricia, wi itten on the eve ot sailing foi Kuiope, one from Captain Wailes, ami one fiom lieutenant Wesley, of the regiment. Sonic of these were read aloud by Gertrude and others by Gerald for their mutual benefit. Hut the last letter was from Washington, with an oflicial stamp. This Colonel Fitzgerald opened, and icad in filencc, and with a gra\c tace, that giew gi aver as he proceeded. Gertiude looked at him with uneasiness, but foiebore to ask questions, waiting until he should finish his- letter, when, perhaps, ho would explain. At length he folded it, and said : ' They have ordered me to the frontier, Gertrude — to my old quaitcrs at Fort Teiror — where I spent so many long years of my youth ' She tinned pale, and caught her breath, as she looked at him, but she did not speak. No left his place and came around the table and seated himself beside her, saying : ' Shall I go, sweetheart, or shall I resign my commission ? Sweetest hcait, what will you have me to do 'C 'What do honour and duty bid you do, Gerald ?' she inquiicd attcr a pause, and in a \ cry low voice. ' Honour and duty arc silent and neutral on this subject, dear Gertrude, else I should not have asked the question, or hesitated an instant. ' Do you wish to £>o, Gerald V she asked, in a very soft \oicc. ' No, dear ; not at all. ' ' Do they need you f ' Yes. I am not their best officer, or oven their best/ soldier, but I have been many years in that country, and so lam the best for that post in the piescnt crisis.' ' Then go, dear Gerald, and take me with you.' 'What, Gertrude V Shall we leave this lovely climate, and this luxurious home, and our hosts of friends, to go a long and laborious journey to a savage and solitary frontier post, to meet privations, hardships, perils, such as you have never dreamed of?' he said, being resolved to put tho case very plainly before her. ' Yes, Gerald, >re will go ; for you will go because you are needed there, and [ will go because I will not be loft behind. Only in this shall I be wilful, dear Gerald, in staying, with you ; for I will not— l will not—} will not be parted from you again/ said the little lady, emphatically. ' And you shall not, little wife. In this you shall be as despotic as you please. We shall never part, my wife,' he gently answered. And they never did. So, in brief, they went with the regiment

to the far Western frontior, in the expectation of spending at leaet (ivo years in that savage aolitudo, but fato was kinder to them. After oighteen months of hard sorvice, the I'Ggimonb was recalled, and they all camo home. The colonol received his woll-carned promotion, and then, indeed, Brigadier-Goncral Fitzgerald folt that he could witli honour resign his commission, which he did ; and then, with his little lady, ho returned to the Summit Manor House. They live thoro, .surrounded by lovincj and adoring friends and neighbours, doing moie good and enjoying more happiness than usually tails to the lot of human beings. They have many lovoly children. Among them is a little dabriel, who is as dark and handsome as his lather, and a little Lily , who is a^ tair as her llowor namesake, and has hair which is ' silver in the sunshine and golden in the shade.' And finally— the 'girl's heart 'has long since found perfect peace in her husband's perfect love. (TUh LM).)