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?1MI'
The Planter's Daughter
? or fate's REVENGE
x By MRS. ALICE P. CARRISTON
Author of "A Waif from the Sea," "Her Brightest Hope,"
' "Wayward Winnefred," etc.
CHAPTER VI. (Continued.)
"Well," she said, falteringly, "for the
present it would be best for you not to
try to see him: sire him Mm tn fnraat
'you. It Is his only chance of never
knowing of the cloud that shadows his
life. So, when he no longer recognizes
you, I see no reason why you should not
approach him as a stranger, If that will
satisfy you."
"Satisfy me!" cried Sylphide, slipping
off the sofa and falling upon her knees;
"oh, madam, think what you are asking
of me! You, too, are a mother, you hare
also a son whom you fondly lore you
ought to sympathize with me! Then, in
mercy's name think! Is there no other
hope for me? Could I not take my child
and go away, abroad, anywhere where
we are not known? I am wealthy in
my own right, I will rear my boy aa
noDiy as any mother can. Oh, madam,
ay that I can do this, and I will bless
jruu to my dying day!"
"Yea, you could do it," was the cold
reply, "there is no law to prevent it.
But I warn you that, in whatever part
of the world you may be, your baleful
secret will find you out again. Then,
when your son is grown to man's estate,
what will he say to his mother when he
learns the truth? Will he not taunt you
wrth his ruin? Will not blame from his
lips be harder to bear than blame from
mine?"
"Heaven have mercy upon me yea,
yes!"
"I think I perceive in him already
signs of his father's pride; Lucian will
be pitiless upon you when he learns
that he has fallen an innocent dupe to
jour ambition."
Sylphide staggered to her feet and
caught at a chair for support while a
vivid flush mantled even her brow.
"Oh, madam," she murmured, "do not
Insult line; I have enough to bear. I love
SYLPHIDE CREPT
your aon, have always loved him whh a
pure, honorable love. We drifted into
each other's affections under the guid
ance of Fate. . As heaven Is my judge,
I swear to you that at the time I mar
ried Lucian I was as ignorant of the
tain upon me as be was!"
"Ah! But you learned the truth with
in an hour after you left the altar. Even
then you should have been fair and noble
enough to have released him from his
vows. The folly of your guilty procras
tination has come home to yon In the
birth of your child."
."Madam," cried the cruelly goaded
ere st a re, "who has informed you of all
thUr
"I tell you I know not," replied Mrs.
Courtlandt with ever-increasing irrita
tion; "perhaps when you read the writ
ing you will recognize your hidden ene
my." "Enemy! You are right there. I do
not need to see the writing; I know who
the fiend Is already!"
'And who Is It?"
"That Is my secret!" replied Sylphide,
proudly; "the knowledge can never touch
you, even remotely, and I propose to be
silent until the time comes for me to
speak!"
The elder womon shuddered at the co
, vert menace that these ominous words
embodied.
i "Well," she said, eager to change this
train of thought, "what do you propose
to do in regard to your child ?"
"What can I do? I am helpless in the
matter. I must give him to you!"
The words were pronounced with a
cold, desperate calmness that was appall
ing. . "Bravely spoken!" exclaimed Mrs.
I ikKfi Mm&mm 1
Courtlandt with a tinge of genuine enthu
siasm and relief; "I am aware that it is
a terrible sacrifice I ask of you, but at
the same time you cannot but consider
the favor I "
"Enough!" Interposed Sylphide imperi
ously; "the important point now is that'I
be convinced that you will take my place
In regard to my darling. Grant me until
to-morrow to take my leave of him."
"So be it; I consent"
"I will send him to you by Diana,
whom I wish ever to remain with him."
"There I must Interpose an objection.
I have never liked Diana; besides, I have
a competent nurse engaged."
Sylphide turned away and bit her lip
until the blood started.
"Very well," she said after a moment,
with suppressed force; "have your own
way. I will send my child to you to
morrow. Now leave me, madam. I can
not support your presence another in
stant." Mrs. Courtlandt bowed and withdrew,
silently congratulating herself that the
most trying episode in her hitherto un
ruffled life was over. The Instant the
door was closed, Sylphide flung herself,
face downwards, upon the floor in a very
agony of despair.
"What have I done? What have I
donef' she wailed; "I have given my
child away, sold myself and all for a
wrong which is not of my own commit
ting! Oh, father, why did you not tell
ma? Why have you left me to learn all
from the lips of the man who hates me?
Oh, blessed mother, I who suffer as you
must have! I have closed my ears to the
tongue of evil gossip, but their portals
have been forced open, and were I stone
deaf I must have listened to this cal
umny 1"
The sudden opening of the door arous
ed her to a realisation of the fact that
she was no longer alone in her misery,
A STEP NEARER.
She did not rise, but she turned her head
and saw her husband standing there In
the noonday sunlight with folded arms,
mute and severe as a supreme judge. She
dragged herself a little way towards
him and sank at his feet.
"Lucian," she breathed, "Lucian!
speak to me! Have you seen your moth
err "I hsve just left her."
"Then you know all?"
"Yes, I know all."
She shrank away from him and hid her
face, fearing to look upon him. At last,
when the dead silence remained unbrok
en, she raised her head and stole a fear
ful glance at him. He stood just sb he
had paused when he had entered, like one
petrified, looking down upon her In Infi
nite sorrow and perplexity, but without
a shadow of anger in his look.
Taking a little heart, she crept a step
nearer him and raising horself, she laid
her cheek upon his pendent hand. He
started at the soft contact, but did not
shrink; only the touch brought with it
a sense of the reality.
"Sylphide Sylphide!" be exclaimed,
"is this thing true?"
"Yes."
"now long have you known that this
awful doubt hung over your birth?" he
asked.
"Since the night we were married."
"And who informed you then?"
"My cousin, Oscar Gouramont, the
man who has sought to defraud me of
my fortune."
It was too late for prevarication; there
fore she spoke frankly, daring the conse
quences. "Sylphide, you deceived msl"
"I know, and in my misery, I can only
ask your forgivenesc"
"You have It."
His acquiescence was too ready to
satisfy her; it seemed like callous indif
ference; but she had no time to think of
this new phase of her trouble..
"Lucian!" she cried, "what do you
think of your mother's proposition con
cerning our child?"
"I think it Is a wise one. At least he
had better be with her until the truth is
proven."
"Then you mean to investigate the
matter?" she gasped, fearfully.
"Certainly in the interest of my child.
if not in my own."
"Will it affect affect our our
union?"
"It will cancel it."
She uttered no sound, but nerves and
muscles seemed to refuse their office, and
she sank into complete unconsciousness
at his feet!
CHAPTER VII.
The last sad parting was over, and the
poor young mother lay, more dead than
alive, upon her bed at the hotel. Lucian
had gone to take little Leon to his moth
er, and only the faithful Diana was left
As the hours sped on and night drew
near, the comatose state into which Syl
phide had fallen, when they drsgged her
child from her arms by main force, had
deepened rather than lessened, and the
mulatto woman became more end more
anxious in her lonely vigil.
At last, when the twilight actually set
in, ahe became so apprehensive for the
safety of her mistress that she rang the
bell and ordered the nearest physician
summoned. He came at once an elder
ly man, with an air of Important nnd
respect about him. Diana waited with
bated breath while he raised the eyelids
of his patient, and made a thorough ex
amination. Turning to the woman at
last, he said:
"This lady has undergone some violent
mental shock. Can you give me any of
the facts of the ease?" he asked.
"No, sir; I am not at liberty to speak.
Indeed, I do not know the facta tnyeelf.
All that I can say is that she has been
separated from her child."
"Ah! Well, my good woman, if you
are the lady's attendant, I must warn
you that she is in a most critical condi
tion. This syncope may last for hours,
even for days, and it is of the utmost im
portance that ahe be kept extremely
quiet For the Immediate present there
is no danger of disturbing her; therefore,
I should advise that she be removed at
once to some piece where she can be
made comfortable, to some place where,
when she revives, she will not recognise
her surroundings."
And with these words he took his hat
and departed, leaving Diana alone, in a
state of dread and anxiety. What could
she do by herself and unassisted? Where
should she, a complete stranger in a
great city, take her mistress?
There was nothing to be done but to
pstiently await the return of Lucian
Courtlandt, if. Indeed, he came at all that
night He returned, however, about ten
o'clock, and five minutes later he was in
possession of the doctor's commands.
He aald nothing, though the expression
of his hsggsrd face spoke volumes of . the
Inward agony he suffered. Leaving Di
ana in charge of the still unconscious
sufferer, in less than an hour he return-'
ed with the Information that a carriage
was in waiting, and a place prepared for
the reception of his wife.
Diana raised Sylphide as though she
had been a mere child, wrapped her in a
rich fur-lined cloak, and placed her in her
husband's arms. He carried her down
to the waiting carriage, and In half an
hour a new scene surrounded them. Spa
cious and elegant rooms had been se
cured in a quiet neighborhood, and had
she been In her own home, Sylphide
Courtlandt could not have been made
more comfortable. As she watched that
night by the couch of her unconscious
mistress, Diana experienced a certain re
lief at the thought that all had been
(lone that could.
In the gray of the following morning
Lucian Courtlandt entered the silent
Chamber and paused beside the bed
whereon lsy that beautiful form with
its blank white face. He was haggard
and pallid, almost beyond recognition,
and Diana sst there, watching him, won
dering in silence what awful secret could
be pending between them. At last the
painful silence was broken. It was Lu
cian Courtlandt who spoke.
"Diana," be said, in a low, harsh
tone, "I am obliged to start for the South
this morning. I am going to Louisiana,
but I shall return at the earliest possi
ble moment If, in the meantime," he
heaitated, and for the first time averted
his fixed gate from that marble-like face,
"if, in the meantime, any change for the
worse should occur In Mrs. Courtlandt,
you will at once telegraph me; here is
an address which will always reach me."
lie handed the watcher a slip of paper,
and with a long, last, lingering glance at
Sylphide, which Diana dared not Inter
rupt, he quitted the room as silently as
he had entered it.
After this, long days and nights of
anxious watching elapsed; and so the first
week passed. The genial May weather
had come, and at last, one balmy even
ing, ten days to the hour since she had
entered that unknown land, Sylphide re
turned to herself, revived, sat up " and
looked about her. .
"Lucian has not returned!"
Her first words were breathed as gent
ly as the scphyr that stirred the -muslin
curtains at the half-open window
"No, missy, not yet," replied Diana.
Sylphide smiled wanly, and lying back
among her pillows, she murmured:
"Wake me as soon as he comes; he
will have news for me."
And she lapsed into gentle, healthful
slumber, the first that she had known for
many a long day; and Diana slept also
In her-chair, a thankful prayer upon her
lips and gratitude in her heart, little
guessing that had her beautiful mistress
passed away in the merciful unconscious
ness to join her parents, she would have
more reason for thanks.
(To be contlnned-t
raper car wheels, made by pressure
from rye straw paper, are usually In
condition for a second set of steel
tires after the first set is worn out by
a run of three hundred thousand miles.
Radium constantly generates heat,
and Wieii has now shown that t may
constantly generate electricity. It
gives off both positive and negative
electrons, and the former several hun
dred times as large as the latter may
be held back by a sieve of glass or any
other of a variety of substances.
Suggestive at least are the conclu
sions of Hon. R. J. Strutt, of Bath,
England. Helium which Sir William
Ramsay has found to be slowly given
off by radium exists in the gases of
the city's largest hot mineral spring,
and at a test of the deposits in the
spring has revealed a small propor
tion of radium. It is believed that
these substances are brought up from
a large deposit of radium deep in the
earth.
All admirers as well as cultivators
of carnations are much concerned
about a new diseaso that the Depart
ment of Agriculture has recently de
tected affecting these plants in the
Disuict of Columbia aud Feuulva
nla. The disease is manifested by the'
appearance of ringed spots on the
leaves and stems. The spots are
shown by the microscope filled with
bacteria, which are different from the
micro-organisms causing previously
known diseases in carnations. A care
ful study of the new disease is under
way.
The German government is devel
oping a plan to have its customs offi
cials instructed in chemistry, physics
and mechanical technology. At the
most Important custom houses in every
province of the empire there is to
be established a laboratory and a
library of technical books for the use
of the customs officials. The officers
of high rank are to instruct the minor
officials, and will themselves be train
ed In a great laboratory which it is
proposed to erect in Berlin in connec
tion with the chief customs office.
Teachers for this institution will be
drawn from the staffs of professors in
technical colleges.
The Bureau of Forestry finds that
sugar culture, the greatest industry of
the Hawaiian Islands, depends upon
the preservation of the native forests.
These are mainly confined to the
rainy east and northeast sides of the
mountains, and they conserve the wa
ter that is needed to irrigate the dry
plains where the sugar plantations ex
ist The value of these forests con
sists not in the trees, which are fre
quently low, crooked and sparsely scat
tered, but in the impenetrable under
growth, composed of vines, ferns and
mosses, and so thick that it holds
water like a sponge. This undergrowth
Is, however, very delicate, and cattle
and goats quickly destroy it. It is
proposed to save the forests by fenc
ing. Condensed into a few words, these
are the "Modern Views of Matter," as
expounded by Sir Oliver Lodge: "Elec
tricity Is a substance, the only kind of
substance, and . all matter is merely
an accumulation of electric charges,
it appears probable that these electric
charges are all of exactly the same
amount, although some are positive
tnd some negative, and that the atoms
of the chemical elements are formed
by varying numbers and arrangements
of these charges, or electrons. There
are about seven hundred electrons,
350 positive and 350 negative, in the
hydrogen atom, which has been so
long regarded as the final and indi
visible unit of matter; there must be
about sixteen times as many in an
oxygen atom; and about 255 times as
many, say 100,000, in a radium atom,
the heaviest known.
HERE'S A HOMILY ON HUNTING,
Called Forth by a Dead Toon Btsaf
at the Market.
"Far be it from me," remarked the
Coarse, Brutal Man, "to attempt to
bring the blush of self-reproach to the
bronzed cheek of our mighty NImrods,
high and low, particularly at this sea
son of the year; but, walking down
the street a couple of mornings ago I
saw a dead young stag hanging head
downward In front of a market store,
and it didn't look to me liko as if that
young stag belonged there at all, with
all of the life gone out of him, and
his nice, honest, on-the-level brown
eyes closed for good and all, and him
triced up there in front of a butcher's
shack. I stood off and looked at the
clean young chap for a long while, and
the longer I looked him over the more
it puzzled me to understand how any
civilized man could have it in his heart
to kill a fellow like that I wouldn't
do It, boy, for a five thousand dollar
note, and I need the money at that,
and I'm no more of a slow-music-on-the-E-strlng,
out-ln-the-snow, sentimen
tal Clarissa Harlowe than my neigh
bors, either. I couldn't help but think,
at I stood leaning against an awning
pole, feeling sort o' sorry and gulpy
about that young stag, that no man
with the right kind of gravies of kind
liness in his system would do a thing
like that, either In the name of 'sport'
or commerce. The man who can let
an unsuspecting deer, or elk, or, b'gee,
even a bull moose any wood roving,
inoffensive horned beast come 'down
the wind' on him, with nary a care in
life, and looking with Interested curi
osity around him any man that can
stuff a bullet into a gun and poke that
bullet into the heart of such an ani
mal, that's minding his own business,,
and only asking for a chance to roam
unmolested and free under God's blue
sky, is suffering from a kind of ossifi
cation of the heart and gizzard that I
wouldn't have all me for a hull lot of
minted money.
"There isn't anything much more
square or honest or trustful in this
world than the look that a deer gives
you out of his two eyes, and that's a
fact. He isn't looking for the worst
of it, unless he's been hunted before.
To his view you're Just something alive
that's moving around under the blue
dome of heaven same as he Is, and his
clean nostrils crinkle as he sniffs curi
ously and probably wonders why you
haven't got four legs, Just like he has.
He Isn't trying to butt into nnd inter
fere with civilization. He's sticking to
the environment In which he found
himself when he came into the world.
He Isn't bothering anybody. And to
plug a chap like that, so honest and
four-square to all the winds as he Is,
and cut a gash in his neck when he
falls in his, tracks, seems to me to be
about as low-down and ornery a piece
of work as a white man could do. I've
had a hull lot of preening chumps take
me into their libraries or smoking
rooms and, pointing to antlers stuck
up above the lintels of their doors,
perkily, and with a foolish sort of
vanity, say to me, 'I killed that fellow
myself,' but I've never had a man say
a thing like that to me that I didn't
feel like replying, 'Yes, you abject ass,
and if you got your deserts you'd have
about a thousand years in purgatory
for it' "Washington Post
CLIMATE IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Health on the Islands Depends Upon
the BcsUent.
Secretary Taft has suggested that
the newspapers can "help the Ameri
can government in the Philippines by
denying the lies circulated about the
terrible climate there." In this irood
work we gladly offer our co-operation.
The climate of the PhlllDDlnes is not
at all terrible. Many peoDle live there
all the year round. As a climate the
Philippine article has much to recom
mend it The resident or visitor has
no uneasiness regarding his raiment.
He does not go to business in a linen
"duster" and curse himself on his way
home for not having carried an ulster.
In its reliability the Philippine cli
mate is endlessly the superior of our
American brand. The absence of snow
and frost Is not necessarily a proof of
either uncomfortable or unwholesome
conditions. On the contrary, from tlmo
immemorial the great majority of
world dwellers have been resident in
either tropical or subtropical regions,
and many have lived to a ripe old age.
Health in the Philippines, in Cuba,
in Porto Rico and in all other similar
regions, barring those having vast
areas of low-lying and mlsasmatic
marsh lands, depends primarily upon
the resident, upon his ability and read
iness to adjust himself and his habits
to his environment The same law
holds in New York city with equal
force. In no place on earth may na
ture's laws be violated or Ignored with
Impunity. Due obedience to those
laws In the Philippines or elsewhere,
will Insure a corresponding degree of
health, comfort and longevity. Those
to whom hot weather brings real phy
sical suffering, and there are such, will
do well to avoid the tropics or the edge
of them. But there are many who find
cold weather a cause of suffering and
who find real delight in a mean tem
perature of 85 degrees. The question
of heat and cold Is largely a matter of
individual preference;
So far as salubrity. Is concerned.
Secretary Taft Is entirely right and
Justified in decrying any attempt to
mHlIgn the climate of our Philippine
possessions. Those who have the de
sire to participate In the economic
development of the islands may go
there entirely fearless of any climate
terrors, providing they will carry with
them a modicum of common sense.
New York Sun.
Ho Didn't Know How.
"Charles, dear," said young Mrs.
Torkins, "I have done you a great in
justice." "In what way?"
"I suspected you without renson. I
asked several of your friends thnt
you go out with of evenings whether
you knew how to play poker and every
one of them thought a minute and
said you didn't" Washington Star.
Civilization is making such rapid
strides that some day we will hear of
a missionary getting cooked in a
chafing dish.
If a man wears three collars a week
some people look upon him as stuck
up.