, 1.
THE NEW NORTHWEST, THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1881.
- .
I;'
4
x . . , , ;
REAPING THE WHIRLWIND.
f arnUtsttoa for Copyright lunranlsi to ta Librarian of
, Oonirsaa at Washington,'!!. CI " .
, , -V '.- CHAPTER' VnL
. The night of .the masquerade tall cam at last
The Wycllffee were famed for the magnificence of
their entertainment, so that the anticipated ball
was -aznaUer of no little Importance la fashion
able society. The stately mansion was one blaze
of light from attlo to basement, and through' the
floallnr drtiries. of the low French-windows
could be seen graceful forma, flitting to and fro.
. Carriages tolled up to the entranoe and deposited
their preolous freight opon the, carpets spread to
-receive dainty feet -Folic kept at a respectful
distance the crowd of outside humanity who were
poshlifniid-JsUlng-ehher
side to side, eager to catch a glimpse of Fortune's
favored few who pressed In to the enchanted world
. i
- In that vast morlng panorama were costumes
.of every century ; celebrated characters of all ages
and all countries; famous beauties, whose lore
knots brave knights 'wore upon their casques of
steel; dresses of every texture and hue; Jewels
' from the mine and from the sea, set In every
style -all, U was there to dazzle and bewilder.
Surely no sin nor sorrow had entered there.. It
could not be possible that tliose masks hid faces
-traced with lines of pain, suffering or anxiety. It
could not be possible that costly silks and velvets,
Unen and broadcloth covered tired .bodies and
aching heart.
: Amid all r the glare and glitter, one figure at-
- tracted nnlversal attention tlat of a woman, who
seemed Indeed "a true daughter of the gods, dl
vtnely tall and most divinely fair," attired as
Ceres, In a heavy, corn-colored silk, trimmed
with grasses and ears of wheat,,: With every
movements her form, the diamond dewdrops
parkledanl tremw and Jtopazcs
flashed on her neck, arms and hair, fairly dazzling
the beholders with their gleaming lights of many
tints. She looked Indeed a "goddess of the har
vest. She passed slowly from, group to group,
conversing a few tnomeuta-wtth each, and calling
some by name, until the curiosity of all. was
awakened. No one could form an opinion as to
who she was. A tew ventured to guess, but they
were covered With confusion by her scedy proof
of their mistake. It was Impossible to judge her.
nationality.' A. French. Marehloneas- addressed
ner, anrsnc answered unhesitatingly in the same
tongue. A Spanish tambourine irirl lanfhTnyly f4-1 t,,l"t tY" r'" f " "' j11
ThiMjcnl htr, ind gtiin-TTTt rrrr-im int In per
fect accent. j A gentleman who was standing near
.addressed hcr.-1-IT'H , : : : , :
MI think that most Spanish ladies add music to
their numerous aocomplithments. Will you not
favor u with a song?" '; " -
Ceres- hesitated an Instant. 7 But those who
heard the request begged her compliance, hoping
thus to recognize her voice.
She acccptedthe gentleman's arm; and, seating
herelf at the piano, playod a few opening chord;
then her glorious Voice, tremulous with Its own
jwetnesJtilellbeipom with a ware of melodyJ
Every foott?rwa hushed, every voice wassllent,
listening to that wonderful Spanish love-song: -
M !, - '
,,-..1Ea rtv ' ?' "
---- -- U IVrM M SM
preferred the request was Mr. AYyrllff. lie drew
a step nearer, watting for her to finish. The song
was one he had heard Agatha sing a countless
number of times ; not as this woman sung UTwIth
her whole Voul la her vccy-but- softly-and
swcetly' How wvtt be remembered the playful
way Agatha used to finish It ! Unconsciously be
went near to her, and stood la the same waiting
attitude that he used to assume tea years ago
when his wife sung the last words Theo teach
wte to hate thee, I pray, for to love thee Is all that
I know."
She finished, to rned around, and. catching1 the
hand that WyrlltT extended toward her, pressed
It passionately to her lips; then, throwing It from
her, h sprang up, and was soon lost amid the
crowd. . ; --
A generatlaugh MloardthtrtfroefsaC-
It'e quit evident that they have recognized
each other, said several, and the Incident waa
forgotten la the subsequent events of the evening.
. Forgotten? One there was who remembered It
till the tast diyof his life. Could the ending hare
btu mere chance? or was It part of the song,
whoever might sing It? Over and over agala
WyeUfle aiiked himself the questloos and caaie
4ta nearer a solution the last UaMtluaKfilU the
BrU. He searched every room, every possible re
treat, hat never again, did the magnificent Ores
-hm oft ob gtng"lriioar 7"
A black douina forced. Its way slowly throagh
the crswi,. through the long rooass, oat lata the
.hallway, and then passed p the stairs, at the
bead of wbith It paased a aaosnent and looked
aroand. Here, too, were many person, although
they seemed f ewccrareJ with the namber la
the room lekw. . Clearly It was IssposslUe to go
aaywhete la that boose that night without being
seen, S soereir attempting to aroid laqaUrtire
rrvants the Cgare west boldly da the mala
hall fa the gpyer cod. and baited ta the shadow
before the closed door there. Placing a hand opon
the knob. It tried to enter, but the door was
Docked. JCrldently the domino had expected this,
for without a moment's hesitation It drew a key
from the folds of the black garment and fitted it
Into the look and tried to turn It But It resisted
stubbornly. The key seemed to be too large.
The sound of approaching footsteps counseled
flight, and trying to .take the key from the lock.
It suddenly sprung back and the door creaked
open, Twaa the work of a moment to spring In
side and lock; the door. The footsteps came nearer,
paused, came on to the door, then stopped. The
heart of the listener beat heavily as. the hand out
side tried lo open the door. A silence then the
footsteps turned and went back down the hall.
; The domino removed "lhekey and stuffed
handkerchief In Its place. After this precaution,
It took matches and candle from the pockets of
thedlsguise, and, lighting the candle, held It op
and looked around the room. The sight thus re
vealed was evidently a" painful surprise. There
Lwaa a lo w ry, the candlef ell upon the floor, And
In a second all was dark again. A hsndjf roped
helplessly over the carpet till It round tne taper,
relighted it, carried It to the dresser and ..placed U
In n silrer holder. Slowly It pushed back the
hood and lifted the mask and .laid It upon the
table ; then turning, the figure again surveyed the
room. The countenance was as expressive of wild
affright as Macbeth's when viewing the chair on
Which the specter of the murdered Banquo sat.
Had death In Its most horrible form stared her In
the face, she could not hare bet rayed more horror.
This and the room adjoining had been the apart
menta of thejorrner MnCiWycliffe, and they had
never been opened since the day her husband
closed the door and locked It, ten years ago. The
rich furniture, the silken curtains, the velvet car
pets, were white with dust, festooned with spider
webs, and eaten In holes by the moths. The "bed,
with its heavy, rich hangings, was standing as it
left, made by namls which bare crumbled
Into dust. The dressing-table, with its toilet arti
cles, was undisturbed. The .figure moved toward
It, and, taking a key which lay there, unlocked a
small case and, opened It, revealing the flashing,
shimmering Jewels in their velvet bed. The lid
was closed with a snap, scattering the dust over
the black garment. . N '
Nearly an hour the stranger tarried In the room.
At length site roused herself with an effort, and,
shaking off the lethargy which waa creeping over
her, crossed the room to the further end, fell upon
her knees, and passed her hand repeatedly over !
the walnut paneling; but the solid boards refused
to move lilsing, she went to the door which di
vided the two rooms nnd, bending over, counted
each board to the center of the room, and again
At lUllT
It yielded to the pressure and flew back, disclosing
a narrow aperture filled with papers. Inserting a
hand, ahc withdrew- them andclosed-the-panet fa.v1diKsror toyraw
She carried them to the light sod examined them. -4
They were letters, covered with du4 and Ttatned
with time. She brutbed them off. and. without
stopping to read them, thrut thcm.In hejnbnsum.
Blowing Out the candle.' ahe we at to the door.
drew the handkerchief from the key-hole, and In
serted the key. Stealthily she turned the lock if rom her In answer to the mad. nasaionate letters
that he sent to her. AIdL the woman there
only remained the fact" that she allowed, if she
nd opened the door. The passage was clear.
She went safely out and down the stairs; then on.
one. The black domino at length touched lightly
the sleeve of Lord Marmloo," and said, softly :
Follow me, I have something of importance
for roo, ' iL
iy-seaiehiag-for some did not crtcurgc-htmwrttc her t tiietloortrf a patient's room,
Without answering, Iord M arm ion mechan-
tcallr obered. and followed the fluttering black
Ae the singer wrll kiiew, the gentleman whoLj through the rooms, through the hall.
and out Into the conservatory, . But others rere
there before them. The black uiatk halted f.r I
moment, then went slowly to a vine-embowered.
ana, sitting uowa.
cant place. Again he obeyed, 'and seated himself
bei Je his mysterious gaide. . ... i
"Lord Marmioa, said a stmttn' voice, soft
and low, I hare brought you a rckagejjgjbJeh
you mat keep hidden until you go homey. Then
open and read it. It contains secrets of great mo
ment to you.. But you must promise me, before I
gire It to you, that when it has served your pur-
you will destroy it.-
"But, fair lady. Is It not possible that yon are
mistaken la the Identity of Lord Marmioa? May
yon not ha giring-youx
wrong nana. .
No: I am not mistaken. No assumed dis1
She knew enough of men and of the world to read
his thoughts as plainly as spoken words. lie had
sntlrelv mlataken her Intentions. She stood be
fore him holding the package in her hands. .
"You can never return this to me. will you
promise to destroy it after you are done with It V
JsckTOse, for he saw that he had misjudged the
woman's actions, and answered, respectfully :
'I will give you the required promise, madam,
though I fail to see in What manner the package
can possibly benefit me." -
You will understand when you have read IL,"
With this reply, the woman placed the packet
In his hands, and then left him swiftly and noise-
lessiy. - . ,
Jack slipped her gift Into bis breast pocket, and
went back to the gay world once more. Bat Its
beauty was gone, Its charm had fled.' And, after
wandering around aimlessly for a while, he deter
mined to go home and solve the mystery of, the.
black domino. He had failed to distinguish Bell
In the motley throng, and Jealousy prompted the
thought that probably she-had remained at home
to entertain Raymond. .-
Thoroughly disgusted with the entire world and
the,humanTbeiHgho peopled it, Jack went
honie, changed hls attlre for more suitable and
more comfortable garments, and seated himself
before the glowing Are to examlue the contents of
the strange package. To his surprise, they proved
to be letters, old and' yellow, but still perfectly
clear. They were, written In a bold, masculine
hand, and addressed to Mrs. Agatha Wycliffe!
He separated one from the others, opened It, and
looked at the signature. It was Jasper Ray
mond 1 - ' '. .
Jack laid the letter down unread. lie knew
what it contained ; but what right had he to steal
Its iHMifnta? Tn hnm muiLI ha trvm Hiom
Not to Raymond Certainly not to Wycliffe.
Who wjss the black domino ?He could think of
no one except St. Claire that would know that
these letters would be of any use to him. - Could
it have been SL Claire, who gave them to him?
If so, where did he get them? Pshaw 1 How ab
surd I He could have' sworn that it was a wom
an's voice that spoke to. him; and a very soft.
weet voice It was. too.. Could it have been Bell ?
Had she heard of her mother's promise, and taken
this means to defeat her? Baulh -the thought 1
He would have known Bell under any disguise.
All that he knew for a certainty waa that the let
ters were now In his . possession, without the em
ployment on hi -part of any foul means. The
proof he had coveted was within his reach, yet he
hesitated to avail himself of It ,
After much-deliberation and reasoning, Jack
determined "to take the good the gods provide'
and use the means thus afforded, to accomplish
the downall Uf Ueiiond. . He sorted them out
according to their dateeahd read them carefully
one by one. ot aJMnk-W a m I Aijqg I a the chain
not
many, nor long, but they , were enough to . answer
his purpose. There was nothing, jjn. them to im
plicate the Wooian nothing to prove that she
Jtad ever. carol for him; no reference to a word or
act on her part to encourage him ; nothing to be
token that he had ever, received a written line
meots. ; .
Jack gathered them' up and carefully Ire-tied
them, lie wondered how It would be possible for
hlmf ompIoythht w
could present himself before Mrs. IV Guerry with
the letters and demand the fulfillment of her
promise. He reflected. It was then twoclock.
He could not ' make the proposed visit before
eleven. Nine hours! It seemed like nine Tears.
rustic seat, which was Intended for two persons, j i.. iT.i .il i3- i iu. ,
, i' 1 t - i . .w '4pssotttn iiisJeefv clutching the precious
and, silting down, motioned Marmioa to the vn-T , .... . J . . . , . .. M
guise could hide Jack Ie Guerry from me."
The erewhUe lord started as the woman uttered
his name, saying, ta toaea of unmitfakabl dis
gust: ". .
"Is my disguise then o transparent? Doe my
air Utday the fact that I am not h the manor
-Neither, my lord ; but my eyes are as piercing
as my tscoymifs is complete." .
Then, Indeed, I could not hope to crape detec-
Bat will you not tell tne, bright eyes, to
whom I am Indebted for this package, whkh con
tains the secret of my future weal or woe?,
De Guerry spoke lithtlj, and leaned tenderly
toward the figure sitting beside him la aa, attitude
of atter weariness. Ht bad no thought that the
rackage contained "'aught of valgc to him. He
supposed this a mere rase,' aa Introduction tor a
flirtation, and, like all men, be accepted the chai-
leace without knowing or caring who the chal
lenger might be. ,
Tbe woman rose with ft gesture of impaUeoceu
letters tight In. his fingersf he laid down to ret.
At the earliest possible gmtUf Ct; Jicg went to
Mrs. De Guerry'a. They hai Just finished break
Cast and' were in the morning room. Jack went
In, and fond his aunt and cousin deeply Inter
ested In a discussion of the balL Bell greeted
him, and Inquired, la the same breath : -.
"Jack lie Guerryr why didn't you go to the
ball T ' : ; . . . S
VI did go," answered Jack, brUfly. .
uIa what character r
-Lord Marmioa."
wondered who that stiff-kneed, spider-legged
Individual was. Why did you leave before un.
masking? ' V: ' ''
-I was tired, and I had lost Interest."
-""How many did you know? . " ' r : ' '
Jack enumerated several whom he had recog
nized. Then Bell mentioned characters as she
saw them unmasked, and he guessed who person
atedtbem. , l 'J'' ,'
"Bid you know -Mr. St. Claire T
- Jack turned to Mrs. De Guerry and commenced. '
without any preface : .... - - '
4You asked me for proof of the story of the slu
of Raymond's past life. I have brought It."
As he spoke, he took the letters from his pocket
and laid them on a table which stood beside her.
Had a bomb-shell suddenly exploded In' her
presence, had a thunderbolt fallen at her feet,
Mrs.DeJ3uerry could not have been more horrl--fled.
Bereft of the power of speech and action,
she could only glare at him In awful silence.
"Will you read these, madam? They are let
ters written by Jasper Raymond to Agatha
.Wycliffe.".,.;. .. ' ' I
TMrs. De. Guerry sat there perfectly rigid ; 'but 7
Jack met her freezing Jooks with stern determina
tion In face and Voice, Seeing that be Intended
to wait for areply, she Inquired, hoarsely;
' "Pray how did you come In possession of a pri
vate correspondence of that nature?"
tPardon me, madam, if I say that It can make
but little difference to you how I obtained then7
-You can hardly doubt thel r genu I neness.1"
Jck pushed the package toward her as he fin
ished speaking,, but she recoiled as if the letters
bad contained dynamite and lierhand a lighted
match. , . .
Will you not examine thera?" ,
"Yes, I will. I hare no doubt that they are
forgeries: Ieave them here, and I will send for
you when I hare read them and Judged of their
authorship." .
The angry blood burned in Jack's face at the
gratuitous insult. If she had been a man, he
would have struck the sneering lips that uttered
It. As she was a woman, he bowed silently and
left her alone alone with her shattered hopes
and defeated ambition.
To b eontlnosil.1
GROSS BUPRSTITIOXS-
In my grandfather's family, the old cook was
customed to. bake cakes in large rounds, which
she cut Into fours with asharp knife, each quarter
being put to bake by Itself. She was most careful
that,duringbaklDglhe.poiuted.end of each of
. i . t M i. i i ..i
iimv iubi M.-ia iuuuiu iiu, u uruaru, oiaerwise m
death might shortly be expected. Even the slip
ping or a piece of soap from a person's hsnds
when washing has been construed to mean that
the death of some relative Is Imminent, as. In
deed, Is also the persistent burning of a fire on
one side only of the grate! Every one knows that
to dream of losing teeth means that some calam- .
Ity may be looked for. If the eyes of a corose are
difficult to close, they are' said to be looking for a
successor;, and if the limbs do not become duicklr
stiff, it is supposed that some one of the family .,
will be soon also among the dead.' If the house
door Is closed upon the corpse before the friends
nave come out to take their places In the carriara.
Sheffield people say -another death wijl happen,
before many days ; and If at a funeral whereXhe
v"" "if rri wtiii i 1. 1 r 1 1 ill rmion vfrnf In n nrnf-
of f trair2linirmaunfcrlhiswaailioufirht in ir-r
the west of Kotlaiid to betoken the same inisfoS " z:
tune. Even If the mourners walk quickly,, the
omen was bad. To walk under a ladder betokens .
misfortune, if not hangltii?. as it does in Holland.
To meet a funeral when going to or corulnii front
a marriage Mas ronilereu very unlucky In Lan- .
arkahire; for if the funeral was that of a woman,
the newly-made wife would not live long, and if
t was that of a man, the fate of the briJeroom-
was sealed. If one heard a tingling In his ears, It :
was the "deid liells" and news of the death of a
friend or neighbor might soon be expected. If
ami no person was found there when the door was
opened, there was little chance of recovery; and
I a man caught a glimpse of a person he knew.
and found, on looking out, that he was nowhere to
besecnthls was,savsAIrapier, alxn of the
approaching death of the person seen.- 3 fSnfrio;
wor to jsctffrarta.
Father PrKCEi.t.'s KixrixEss. A Cincinnati
dispatch of March loth reaidsr A si ngulsr story
or Uislnteresteuness was deveioneU in a.ca de
cided against the plaintiff in the Superior Court
mis anernoon. it was the suit or Kllza tonsnsn
to recover f TO.OOrt of Archbishop JJt. Iuirell, the
late Father Edward Purrell. and J. R Mannix,
Couauia
ftrncr: On'hU dt-Alh-ll. t'harlt'
confessed to Father Fxlward lurcell that he was
insolvent. This confession was kept In sacred
confidence. Father Edward assumed the debts,
paid them, maintained the whlow and .family, bid
a tne stock at the settlement of the estate, ana
kept up his kind services until his assignnient.
The testimony In the trial was the first revelation,
made to the widow or the outside world, that Mr.
Charles Conaban was Insolvent. Father Edward
managed to remit the widow money through Mr."
Wood, a large shareholder of the stock company
n which Mr. Conahan did business, so that sne
ho.ught.lt came .from her husband'a estate." ;
"No," aaswered Jack, with evident interest.
He was Xemeis.' I don't understand a
be sboald bare taken that character, than H h
did drees It most elegantly."
7 They were Interrupted by the entranc of a ser
vant, bearing Mr. Ray avmds card.
"Shall be come la acre, mamma?" Inquired
Beit, ' , ' . , : ' -; ...
-Mrs. ! Uoerry was about to answer. In.
anrmatirs, when Jack's voice InUrposed. ..
Take him somewhere else, BelL I wish!
speak with your mother a few minutes."
Bell acqniesced Ussogbahe looked surprtsed.
and left the rosea, v .
the
to
Since 1S27 half a century we znay.call It
of England's lrim Minlstera have died. U
it ten .
leorge-
Canning, Lord Rlpon (for a few. months), the
IHikeof Wellington. lUri Grey, Ivri Melbourne,
srr Robert IVel, Earl Russell. Lord Dcrhv, Lord
I'almerston, ami now Iiord Beaconsfield. Of these,
the only oh who accepted the visit of a ciertrT
man In hi closingiours was Iord Grey. The
Ihike of Wellington, to whom all the world was a
dri ll, doubtless would have had one, ar a matter of
regimental duty, had he not been suddenly takcrt
way, and Sir Robert Peel may have a similar
understaniliyirxc- iViUheothT
: . . I tn and Melbourusl IoihI lw! aimers about tn
Ctiurch through their r-xlitlcal life, did not vall
themselree of its consolations at lu close.
- - It Is remarkable what little bites a woman takes
when eating In the presence-of her sweetheart.
What a little mouth she has then I She nibbles
with her little white teeth like somedaintrsqulr-
rel eating a hickory nut. But wait until wash
day comes ! -Watch her when she goes to bang
ing out clothes and gets In a hurry. Bv the time,
that she gets the big ends of fifteen clothea-plnr .
hid in that mouth, you will begin to think that It
is a pretty good-sized, hearty i mouth after alL