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About Lincoln County leader. (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987 | View Entire Issue (July 5, 1907)
DOOMED. I m By WILLARD MacKENZIE H in fa CHAPTER XVIII. fContinued.1 Mr. Parsons had been listening to the conversation, with a supercilious sneer upon his face. "Oh, Mr. Jerome is quite right," he said, In his usual drawling manner, ssne looked awfully frightened." Stafford felt greatly inclined to dash bis fist in the speaker's face. But the cold perspiration was starting from every pore, and he felt sick at heart as he ask ed the question, "Did you speak to her?" "As I told you," continued Jerome, "I pressed forward as soon as I saw her, but the moment she set her ?yes upon me, he hurried Into the carriage, and the old man after her. The servant banged the door. I ran up to the window, but it was pulled down In my face, and the car riage started. Had I been a little more prepared for so suddenly meeting her, she would not have escaped me quite so easily." "But what could you have done?" ask ed Stafford. "Shown her up before all her ser vants." "But if she be really the person you be lieve, I should suppose her friends would be quite willing to well remunerate you to bush the matter up." "It is not money I want, but revenge," answered Jerome, savagely. "Well, well ; let us drop the subject," said Stafford, abruptly. "After all, it is nothing to me. But I wish to speak to yon on a little matter of ousiness alone for a few minutes. Can we not go into your bedroom?" As soon as they were closeted alone, Stafford gave way to the agitation that over-mastered him. "Jerome," he said, with trembling voice and lips, "I did not wish those fellows to know that I had any interest In the affair, but I have the deepest. Jerome, we have been friends bow of some years standing, and I be lieve we have a sincere liking for each other at least, I can speak for myself. Let me, then conjure you, if you have the smallest particle of respect for me, do not molest this lady; leave the affair In my hands. You do not know how much my happiness or misery depends upon the Issue." "Why, my dear fellow, what ails you?" cried Jerome. "You don't mean to say that this woman has wound her toils round you? If so, the greatest favor I could do you would be to unmask her, and cure you of such an Infatuation." "Do not speak of her in that way; I cannot endure to hear it," exclaimed Staf ford, passionately. "If you knew her as I do, a being so utterly opposed to the He coquette by whom you were deceived, you would perceive, like myself, how Im possible it is that she should be the same person. Now, listen to me. During the last two days I have been using every means to trace the woman whom you knew as Katie Doran." "You !" ejaculated Jerome. "My motive in doing so I had intended to keep secret until, at least, I had ob tained some clue; but what I have heard In your studio renders such secrecy impos sible." Then Stafford went on to tell how he had discovered the picture of Circe to be in the possession of Sir Launce Penrhyddyn ; how he had made a sketch of It, and traced the picture dealer who had sold It. Jerome listened to every word with the most profound astonishment, never once Interrupting the speaker. "This mystery I Iras determined to solve," Stafford continued. "Even now there is a strange, half-defined idea float ing in my brain, at present too inexplica ble to be spoken of ; but it ' a clue that I shall follow up. Trust to me, Jerome ; you know I am not easily turned aside from any undertaking I once engage In; and I pledge you my honor that if she be the delinquent, which I will stake my soul she is not, you need not fear that I will shield her." "There's my hand upon the bargain," cried Jerome. "I am heartily sorry that you should take any Interest in this wom an, who Is Katie Doran as sure as you stand there. But since you wish It, the matter shall be put aside for a time ; and now let us go back to the boys.'" "No, not now," replied Stafford. "Who Is that fellow, Parsons, you Introduced me to? Where did you pick him up?" "Oh, I have met him in different places, and, of late, he has taken to coming bere." Stafford left the house in a miserably depressed state of mind. There was some thing terrible in these ever-accumulating proofs. Bravely he fought against and cast out every doubt; but the struggle was a sore one. CHAPTER XIX. At eight o'clock that same evening Wy lie was sitting with Mrs. Wylle. Dinner bad just been Temoved, and they were lone. The gentleman wore an air of su preme content; but the lady looked gloomy and ill at ease. "Hannah, my "dear," said Mr. Wylle, after a pause, "I have made a great dis covery to-day." "Indeed!" she said, drearily, without lifting her gase from the fire, whereon It had been fixed during the last ten min- cites. "Supposing I were to tell you that Constance Is twenty next birthday, In tead of nineteen, as everybody seems to eroppose?" "Impossible I" cried hli wife, raising area. "I bare seen the date of her birth over and over again In the family Bible." "And I have seen the parish register," answered her husband, . triumphantly. "She was born on the first day of Decem ber, 1875; consequently, on the first day of December, 1895, she will be twenty years of age." "The Bible says she was born in 1876," persisted the lady. "But if you remember, dear," argued Mr. Wylie, In his softest tone, "the Bible now extant Is not the original. When the fire broke out in Harley street the old Bible was among the things burned ; and Tom Grierson did not replace it until some two or three years afterward. Con stance was then between eleven and twelve years old. He himself Inserted that and other dates In the new book from memory; and you know Tom had not much of a head for domestic matters. Some fancied coincidence probably mis led him." "And how came you to discover tnis?" "Weil, the other day I was running back in my memory to trace certain events, when an association of ideas sud denlv obtruded the picture of Constance a baby in arms at a time that, according to received data, she could not have been born. Upon which, I traced back the date of Arabella's marriage, and the time that elapsed before the child's birth. Finding all my memories at fault with the afore said data, I immediately adopted the sim plest means of putting the question at rest by an examination of the registers, in which I found I was right." "Do you think her uncle knows of this?" "I do not think so, or he would have been certain to let it out in some indirect way he never can keep anything. No, I hope to come down upon them with the news like an avalanche. Constance Grier son will certainly not be married to a man of family by the first of December, and as certainly will she forfeit her for tune if she is not On the thirtieth of November, Penrhyddyn will virtually be ours. On the first of December, the day afterwards, our share of old Tom Grier son's fortune will drop Into our mouths. But you do not seem elated at this glo rious news," he said, observing his wife's somber looks. "Because I cannot reconcile myself to the villainous means by -which it will be gained," she answered, moodily. "The whole affair is a pure business transaction," he said, Impatiently. "I am left by will ten thousand pounds, to be paid out of the mortgage money of certain estates ; If the mortgage money is not paid, I have a fancy to tmy up' those estates. Where is the crrme In that? An other sum of money is left to me on con dition that a certain young lady does not marry by a certain age. Is it incum bent upon me to see that she does fulfill these conditions for the sake of not hav ing the money? I did not make the pro visions for the foreclose of the mortgage I did not tie the young lady down to marry such and such kind of person, with in such and such period. Then, why in I not entitled to seize upon the benefit which others have devised for me?" "All this Is mere sophistry," answered his wife. "It may satisfy you who have no time for thought, but it does not sat isfy me, who sit brooding here the live long day, with only my own dark thoughts for companions. During the last few days I have been depressed with a gloom I cannot shake off. I feel aB though something terrible were about to happen. What has become of that wom an Mrs. Castleton?" she asked, sudden ly. "She was at the office ' yesterday, to draw the 'last shilling of her money." "Beware of that woman," she said, earnestly. "Break with her, if you can, before she works you mischief. I have never seen her, and never. wish to see her; but from what I have heard from your lips, I can well understand the dangerous woman she Is. Let her go her ways while you are safe; above all, do not provoke her vindictiveness, for you can never tell the lengths to which a woman's revenge will carry her." "Well, the idiotic folly of some people is past all understanding," he broke out, suddenly; "they are no more fit to be trusted with money than infants; Indeed, I think it is meritorious to take it away from them before they do themselves a mischief with It Would you believe it? That girl Constance, after refusing Ar thur Penrhyddyn, actually wrote, or,caus ed to be written, an anonymous letter to him, saying that If all else failed, he could obtain the money to pay off the mortgage by applying to Groom and Fry, in Bed ford Row.'' , "If that is the case, you are powerless," said his wife. "Am I?" he exclaimed, snarling like a dog. "The letter is In my hands. Un fortunately, young Penrhyddyn has read It But whatever extremities I resort to, that money shall not be forthcoming." CHAPTER-XX. There was Illness at Penrhyddyn Cas tle. Sir Launce, worn out, prostrated by anxieties, lay upon a sick bed and has son had been summoned to his side. The doctors said that there was no Immedi ate danger, but be must be kept quiet, and his mind at ease. The night was gathering In fast over the gray October sky, and the wind whis tled drearily through the large rooms and corridors of the old castle, as Arthur I Penrhydtfyn sat alone, watching beside his lather s bed. That strange, sudden disappearance of Mrs. Castleton had been a terrible blow; it had driven him almost into a delirium ; for never had he felt how omnipotent was her influence until now that she seemed lost to him forever. In vain he sought to trace her ; in vain he sought to account for her disappearance. At times, a thought crossed his brain, too terrible to dwell upon. Was she one of that race, and did she fear that ber love might work upon him only the fulfillment of a curse? He remembered the extraordinary emotion she manifested during the recital. And once or twice a yet wilder and more im probable idea rose up amidst the phantas magoria of his mind, excited by a fancied resemblance that he traced in the pale, se,t features framed by the black hair. Such thoughts must be a symptom of madness ; he thought the grave could not give back Its dead, and she lay buried in Penrhyd dyn churchyard. These thoughts, fpr the hundredth time, were passing through his brain. And brooding thus, there came into his mind the thought to go and look at that strange picture, which he had not seen since the day on which old Daniel had told him the legend. Casting a glance at the sleeper, he crept out of the room. He was not aware of the removal of the painting, but his way to the western tur ret lay through the picture gallery. And upon entering it, one of the first objects his eyes fell upon was the portrait of Elonore de Soissons. It was a sudden shock to see that pale, dark face looking out from among the portraits of his ancestors. To his excited fancy, there was a look of triumph in his eyes that seemed to say, "At last." Mwt nmlnnm to his fatalistic creed was this circumstance. "For two hundred years," he thought, "it has lain amongst dust and rubbish, and now it Is brought down and fixed bere in the position that during all that time was its right. What can it portend, but the speedy destruction of the race upon whom she put her male diction?" He had no difficulty in guessing whose hands had placed the picture there; no one but his father would have dared to thus brave Fate. And now he fell to scrutinizing those features. Although they had been graven upon his boyish memory in unfading lines, he tried to clear his mind of fancies, and then to endeavor to discover how true or how' false was Its supposed resemblance to Mrs. Castleton. In expression, save the last time he saw her, there was no resemblance; there was a stern melan choly upon the countenance of the por trait which found no counterpart upon that of the living woman. But its con tour, its dark eyes and ,hair, were like so like, that it called up the dear Image of his love with painful force. "Oh, where art thou, my beloved?" he exclaimed, passionately. "Why hast thou fled from me? . Come back come back! Thou art my fate, my destiny, whether for good or evil, and I am thine; and were it the spirit of Eleonore de Soissons her self, returned to this world of woe to avenge her wrongs, my love would be the same 1" . A long, low wail swept through the gal lery as he spoke those words. It was only the wind, but to his over-excited imagina tion It sounded like the cry of a depart ing spirit. He shuddered at the thought and walked softly back to his father's room. Sir Launce was still sleeping, tnd the nurse, whose place he had supplied for a short time, having returned, he was relieved of his watch. He felt oppressed and feverish, and putting on bis hat, went out into the open air. The cool, fresh breeze was in vigorating, -and the damp, leafy smell of the woods was grateful to him after the close atmosphere of .the sick chamber, Scarcely heeding what direction he took, he walked on, deep in thought until he approached the coast Right in front of him stood John Trevethick's cottage: The sight of this spot recalled to his mind that he had not seen the old fisher man for some years. He would !ook in upon the old man;. he would be sure to find him at home, as age prevented him now from leaving his cottage. It was now nearly dark ; the last dim twilight was fading fast out of the cold gray sky. The door of the cottage stood wide open, but there was no light within. nor any sign or sound of human life. He stood upon the threshold, and called "John Trevethick !" There was no answer. ' But he heard a slight rustle, as of a woman's dress, and the sound of breathing. Again he called "John Trevethick, are you there?" A low, terrified female voice answered, "Who is that?" "It h I, Arthur Penrhyddyn," he an swered, quickly. "Who are you?" A faint cry was his answer. He sprang into the hut, saw a moving body before him, stretched out his arms, and the next moment a woman's head was leaning up on his breast, and a soft voice whisper ing "Arthur." . Even now he could not credit the evi dence of his senses, It was so marvelous, so beyond all belief. . Yet she lay upon his bosom, clinging around him, her breath upon his cheek. Ah ! he saw it all ! She had repented of her flight she had followed him down to Cornwall. He bore her out Into the open air, that by the dim light he might feast his eyes upon her face. There was still sufficient light "Even now," be cried, fondly pressing her to his heart, "I can scarcely believe that it is you. I fear to loose you, lest you should fly away from me like aoma vision of the night. How came you here was It to see me?" "Yes," she murmured, after a pause "to seek you. What else should bring me to this remote country? Do not ques tion me ; do not ask for explanations lest I should again fly from you." A mist was rising from the sea. There was damp in the atmosphere, and the wind blew sharply, and moaned dismally, (To be continued.) FIFTY YT.AR3 A PUBLIC SOTGER CHARLES SANTLTY. Fifty years a public singer Is the record of Charles Santley, the most celebrated of English barytones whose Jubilee recently was marked by con gratulations and presents from musi cians and music lovers all over the world. Santley Is In his 74th year, and still retains a remarkably vigorous voice. In an Interview with a London corre spondent he said that be had no thought of retiring. Whatever time Is not spent in rehearsal and performance In concerts Is devoted to the teaching of his art to students In London. He Is a complete master of his art, and he has succeeded perhaps more than any other Briton in spreading a love for It In his country. Though his ac tual debut took place lu his birthplace, Liverpool, In 1853, he does not count his consecutive career to begin before his London debut, In 1857, when he sang off the same score with the great Julius Stockhanser. Ills Inspiring barytone at once fascinated the public, and In both hemispheres he has been acclaimed as the equal, If not the su perior, In some respects to Edouard de Reszke. At Pavla, Italy, In the beginning of 1857, he stepped the boards for the first time as the doctor in "La Travlata." He was an Impecunious youth then, and In Milan later he felt the pinch of poverty keenly till he met the famous Impresario, Henry F. Chorley, who sent him back to London, when he en tered the concert tours under the late Manuel Garcia, who recognised bis wonderful talent Since then he gain ed world-wide fame In oratorio and opera. A financial genius Is a map who can have a family and money at the same time. New York Press. Either a man Is fool enough to specu late In the stock market or to try to have a vegetable garden. New York Press. Most people's Idea of a good cook l one that can fix up a thing that you eat without guessing what It Is. New York Press. A woman can never understand how a man who Is careless about parting his hair can be successful la business. New York Press. It's a funny thing how so many widows think they ought to wear yel low hair for mourning the second year. New York Press. When a girl pretends she doesn't like candy It's a sign she Is trying to grow thin. New York Press. Cloth to Stop Ballets. "A new protective principle for sol diers has been discovered by an Italian, Slg. Benedetti," says the Technical World Magazine. "Experimentation shows that great resistance Is offered by substances that have air within their cells. The principle may be Illus trated in this manner : Fire under pre cisely the same conditions in both cases, a bullet at each of two calendars, one of which consists of thick sheets of pa per, the other of thinner sheets. The ball will penetrate farther Into the cal endar of heavier material. This dif ference Is due to the elasticity of the layer of air that is Imprisoned between the successive sheets. The thinner the cushion of air, the more elastic It Is, and the more sharply It reacts. "Benedetti, adopting this principle, has constructed a cuirass of a kind of felt It Is not rough, however, ilka or dinary felt The special features of this new device for stopping bullets the Inventor has not as .yet disclosed In any detail." Win Man. Wise He doesn't feel that he's eligi ble for membership in your Browning society. Woodby You mean because be does not know anything about poetry? Wise Not at all. I mean because he's sensible enough to admit It Phil. adelphla Press. PASTOR QUITS THE PULPIT Because Parlahlonera Turn front Church to Worldly Pleaaurea. Disgusted with society's people's abandonment of church-going for the pleasures of automoblllnsr. eolflne and other kinds of country outings on Sun day, Rev. Thaddeus A. Snlvely has re signed the rectorship of St. Chrysos tom's Episcopal Church In Chicago. Thv church is one of the moBt fashionable In the city, but of late it has been only at rare intervals that its pews have contained at any one service more than a few dozen representatives of the 300 wealthy persons on the communicant list of 375. These left the problem of Oiling the church to visitors and "float ers," while they hied away to spend the day In the country, either on automobile trips,' playing golf or enjoying some of the sports and pastimes In which the "house party" sets are accustomed to drive dull care away on Sunday. Instead of donating to the building fund of the church, they invested their superfluous cash In creations of the au tomobile maker's art and left a half-finished church on the pastor's hands. For BKV. THADDEUS A. 8NIVELT. fifteen years Rev. Mr. Snlvely has la bored In St Chrysostotn's parish. Ha found It an abandoned mission In 1891. Within Ave years he had erected the present church building, which Is only a portion about one-half of the struc ture that had been planned. His relig ious enthusiasm and the charm of his personality attracted to him a devoted band of church workers, with whose aid he accomplished marvels. Then came the automobile craze and other schemes of Sunday diversion and he found him self deserted by his wealthy parish ioners. For ten years, according to the pastor, the church has made no pro gress and he now steps out, to permit some other man to assume the burden. ' Rev. Mr. Snlvely says that there Is a steady decline all along the line In church-going and In enthusiasm for church work. "It seems that the whole world Is pleasure-mad. Where or when It will end nobody knows." TELLS ALL ABOUT SOALPINQ. Exhaustive Treatise on Pastimes oi North American Aborlgrlnes. A very learned German, Dr. Georg Frlederlcl, bas written a monumental treatise on scalping. Not the scalping that is done by the ticket brokers, but the amusing pastime of our North American aborigines. After an exces sively careful study of sources of in formation Dr. Frlederlcl presents to the world all that Is to be known on the subject He shows how the practice was first confined to very limited areas and how In time It spread to all parts of the continent He gives some study to kin dred practices (such, for Instance, as the extraction of human teeth for neck laces). He even retails some unpleasant facts about our revered Pilgrim fathers and other white folk who helped along the good cause of civilization by offering generous bounties for human scalps. All In all, It Is a very hair-raising nar rative. Of course the book Is the fruition of years of labor. It Is complete and, In Its way, a masterpiece. Humanity knows so much already that the savant must Indeed look Into out-of-the-way channels of research for anything at all new. This achievement of Dr. Frlederlcl's deserves to stand with those great works of the learned men In Owen Wlster's little book, such as "Pecan Nuts, the Fuel of the Future," "Nostal gia in the Lobster" and "The Uses of Mustard Plasters Among the Ancient Egyptians." Each adds equally to the benefit of the world and the betterment of humanity. Clevelnad Flaln Dealer. Wheat from Grass. Fabre In 1855 ended a series of ex periments by which be concluded that by careful cultivation for twelve years he bad produced a species of perfect wheat from a common grass growing la southern France. The average man's love for the Old Flag la about as much talk as his other lovt affairs.
