J
The
CHAPTER XIII.
Pauline made au effort to look unlike
herself; but hers was an Individuality
not easily hidden under a large plaid
traveling wrap and a plain black bonnet
and veil. At any rate, Mr. Daws wa
not deceived by them, and guessed who
his visitor was the moment she was
shown Into his dusty little private office.
He remained standing silent and mo
tionless, with his bright, beadlike eyes
watching her from under his heavy brows
until she felt almost hysterical.
"I have come with reference to an ad
vertisement in this morning's Times," she
began. "I believe you Inserted it?"
"No." She looked incredulous for a
moment, then said: "Then, if you did not,
you know who did, and you will favor
me with their address."
"What for?"
"I wish to see them."
"Why?"
"Why!" Pauline drew herself up
proudly, for she was getting irritted, as
she answered. "I think that is my busi
ness." "Not at all! It is ours."
"You will surely not refuse to let me
have the address of the person who put
that notice in this morning's Times, when
I teli you that I came on Sir Geoffrey's
behalf. I am, in fact, a relative of his.
It says it is for Sir Geoffrey's 'decided
advantage." But how?" '
"That's my client's business. Lawyers
never reveal their clients' affairs."
"But, If you will neither tell me your
self nor give me your client's address,
how can I find out for Sir Geoffrey what
the advantage is?"
"Send him here himself."
"He can't come. He is very 111," she
told the lawyer.
"Then we must wait until he's well."
"You willi absoultely tell nobody but
himself what this wonderful advantage
is?"
"No one."
Pauline rose from her chair, and they
looked steadily at each other for a few
seconds. She gathered her energies for
her last effort. She placed her hand on
the table between them, and leaned for
ward slightly.
"What is your price for the address
I want?"
Daws' eyes glittered. Two thoughts
passed through his mitid before he an
swered: "You have shown your fear by
the offer of a bribe; and heaven save
the Frenchwoman if I betray her, for
you will certainly murder her!" Then
he spoke:
"The information you ask for Is price
Jess.1: "I can give more than you think, per
haps. One hundred pounds!" A pause.
"Two hundred three hundred four
hundred five!"
"I have answered; it Is priceless."
She looked for one Instant as if she
would spring on him and tear the secret
from him; then there came the sullen
look of one beaten and baffled, and she
turned without another word, went
down the rickety stairs, and re-entered
the cab which had been waiting for her.
Pauline had counted Confidently on
making a bargain with Messrs. Daws &
Raven. She believed that some unknown
person had accidentally found out cer
tain facts of her past life which she had
pressing reasons for keeping secret, and
she thought she had only to offer them
a good price for their silence and the
matter would end there. Now that she
was once more in her own room, wrap
ped in a warm dressing gown, and with
leisure to think, she began to see that
there was something more than the mere
greed of gain prompting her unknown ad
versary. This fighting in the dark was alarming.
If she only knew from what quarter
to expect the attack she might be able to
make some sort of resistance; as it was,
there was nothing to be done but sit
down and calmly await the onslaught.
On one point only could she make up
her mind she must hurry on her mar
riage. Let her once be Jack's wife, and,
no matter what phantoms should rise
from the past to threaten her, she would
at least be sure of his love; for she
would love him so dearly, she would be
o gentle, so winning, that he would not
be able to withhold his love from her,
even though he should grieve to find her
other than he had thought.
And so that evening she got Jack's
consent that they should be married a
fortnight hence, on the 18th of Septem
ber, the day after she reached her twen-ty-flfth
year.
CnAPTEIt XIV.
Ethel was certainly very courageous.
She was also strong, young and healthy,
and had an unusual amount of self-pride,
all of which kept her from giving way
under the load of grief that came upon
her after Jack's faithless behavior. But
she felt her sorrow none the less deeply,
and hid It from her father's sight.
Captain Polling had been away nearly
a week on a visit to an old friend, and
Ethel was feeling the dally monotony of
her life very Irksome as she once more
set about making her father's coffee.
There were letters on the table, but
she did not feel particularly curious
about them. As she placed the coffee pot
on the table the writing on the envelope
next to her own plate caught her eyes.
The blood rushed to her face, and, with
nervous basta she picked up the envelop
and opened tt Sh rd U invitation
Wife's -Secret J
OR A BITTER RECKONING i
By CHARLOTTE M. BRABMB
card, and the flush fade slowly, leaving
an expression of sorrowful contempt on
her face.
"Poor Jack!" she sighed. "I wonder
if he thinks a few civilities of this kind
will nuke amends for his conduct in the
past? Does he imagine he can repay ma
for the loss of his love by holding out
the hind of friendly patronage? Can
he believe It would give me pleasure to
spend an evening in watching his atten
tions to his handsome hostess?" She
threw the card from her with an impa
tient sigh. "How contemptibly foolish it
is of me to care so much after all this
time! Perhaps dad would like to see his
old home again; and, as it does not really
matter much whether I go or not, I will
do as he wishes about it."
As she heard her father's step on the
stairs she turned as brightly as usual
toward him to say, "Good morning."
Then she held his envelope behind her
playfully, saying: "A thousand guesses,
and you will not guess where this letter
is from, papa!"
"I shall not make ou so tell me."
"It is an invitation to Malilngford
for the seventeenth of this month from
Miss Mailing herself, for a ball." .
"A ball!" he repeated. "Why fn the
world should Miss Mailing Invite me to
a ball?" He looked at the envelope
curiously, and then said: "It is addressed
to 'G. Mallett, Esq.,' and in Jack Dorn
ton's writing! Oh, I begin to under
stand!" he went on, in a voice of genu
ine relief, as he took the card from the
envelope. "I feared for the moment that
Summers had been doing a kindness, as
he calls it, and persuaded Pauline Mail
ing to Invite her poor relatives to her
ball. But this civility is evidently due
to Dornton's good nature, and is sent in
all good faith, to 'the Malletts, old
friends of mine,' as he would say in de
scribing us."
"Who is Summers, papa?"
"Lord Summers is your cousin's guar
dian." "Of course I remember the kind
looking old man we met at the Exhibi
tion last May."
"Yes. I've been in constant dread ever
since that unfortunate meeting that he
would seek me out and try to do some
thing for me. That was why P was so
annoyed when you told him you copied
m the galleries; I .thought he might
pounce on you and worm our address out
of you."
"Do you think he would tell . Miss
Mailing about my copying at the "gal
leries, papa?"
"No doubt of it; he is an Inveterate
talker."
Ethel had a sudden conviction that
Miss Mailing had used this information
to obtain their address, if Lord Sum
mers had not, and' believed she had at
last found out to whom she was indebt
ed for her anonymous letter. This be
lief did not Increase her desire to go to
Malilngford; but she held to her resolu
tion to leave the decision In her father's,
hands.
"Do you want to go to the ball?" he
asked.
"I don't care one bit about It, if you
don't want to go, dad.".
"I don't care about the ball, either;
but I should like you to see the old place,
Ethel. If we were to go to the ball I
should most, likely run up against some
one who would remember me as Geoffrey
Mailing, and there would be quite a little
sensation over my reappearance; but this
invitation entitles us to call on Miss Mal
lng, in any case, sena an acceptance,
my dear; we can follow it up by an ex
cuse on the morning of the 17th. In the
meantime we will run down one day and
leave our cards and take a look round
ust as ordinary strangers, and no one
will think we are anything, else."
Ethel was glad the question was set
tled in this way, for she, too, wished to
see the old house that should in justice
have been her father's. Mr. Malett open
ed the other letter and threw it across to
her.
Read it out, Ethel. It's from Pelllng.
I've talked so much that I've no time to
eat."
Ethel read the letter, which ran as
follows:
"My Dear Mallett I send some birds
by to-night's train; hope they will arrive
all right. I am tired of this place, But
can't get away under the promised fort
night. My old friend has taken a wife
since I last saw him. Said wife has
three sisters at present staying with her;
and, as they are all of the genus 'blue
stocking,' my life has been a burden to
me since my arrival here. Sport is ex
cellent, but Just the least bit monotonous.
The house is full of pleasant peopl
and yet I miss your society more than I
could have thought possible; and I am
really anxious to get back to our work.
Tell Miss Mallett not to forget her prom
ise
"What promise was that?" Mr. Mai
lett asked.
"I'm not quite sure what he means,
unless Ethel blushed slightly.
"Never mind; finish the letter to your
self, my dear, for I must be off directly."
After seeing her father off and finish'
lng the letter, Ethel did not feel alto
gether happy. She was airaid Captain
Pelllng had set too high a value on her
words, and she tried to recall exactly
what she had said when he had called
to say good-by. What had really occurred
was this. When Ethel put her hand Into
PsClngs ha held It while he saldi
"I wish I could flatter myself by be
lieving you would miss me a little while
I am away, Miss Mallett; but perhaps It
would be a welcome miss, for I know
I'm a terrible bore sometimes."
He looked so wistful that Ethel felt
quite a thrill of sympathy for him, and,
on the impulse of tne moment, respond
ed: "I'm sure I shall miss you, atid I shall
be glad to see you back again."
And Pelllng had left her with a face
so glorified with delight that she had
feared and wondered continually what
such glorification might mean, and had
alternately blamed herself for her im
pulsive words, and him for his misinter
pretation of them.
Pauline was rather staggered a couple
of days later when she received affirma
tive replies from Mr. and Miss Mallett;
but she was In such a whirl of excite
ment by this time that so smtll a peril
as a visit from her uncle and cousin pass
ed by unheeded.
It was now the 8th of September, and
she was to be married on the 18th. Ba
bette was the only member of the house
hold who had been taken Into her mis
tress' confidence with regard to her ap
proaching marriage, and the vivacious
French woman was delighted at the
prospect of going up to town every day
between then and the 18th, to see after
the piles of new finery indispensable at
such a . time.
CHAPTER XV.
The 13th of September had come, and
to Babette's great discomfiture Messrs.
Daws & Haven had not yet discovered
Sir Geoffrey's address. Only five days
remained to the date of the wedding she
had sworn to frustrate.
She had been to town to get some
lace for her mistress, and Incidentally to
Interview the lawyers, and was now re
turning dispiritedly to Mallingford. At
the station, as she was about entering
conveyance, she heard some one De-
hind her asking for a fly to go to Mali
lngford Park. She turned to look at the
Inquirer, and for a moment stood gtaring
at a tall, well-bred looking man, evb
dently on the wrong side of fifty, with
a sweet-faced girl of eighteen on his arm.
She recognized the girl ns the young lady
she had followed from the Museum to
her home, and whose name she had dis
covered from the neighboring trades peo
ple by her mistress' orders about two
months before. Then she remembered
posting a letter to this young lady for
her mistress, and next she recalled hav
ing seen Dornton's letter to the same
person a few days later, and In a blind
fashion without knowing why, she con
nected their appearance at Mallingford
with those letters, and a wild hope
sprang up in her heart that this elderly
aristocrat and his pretty daughter had
come to Mallingford to help on her pur
pose of preventing Miss Mailing's mar
riage. Babette was soon deposited at Malling
ford House. She made herself presenta
ble, and went down to Miss Mailing's
boudoir on the ground floor on the pre
tense of discussing her -morning's pur
chases with her mistress, but really with
the determination to hang about the
neighborhood of the reception rooms, and
witness if possible, overhear the inter
view between Miss Mailing and these
Malletts.
The windows of the boudoir overlooked
long stretch of the principal drive.
When Babette reached the room it was
empty. She placed herself to watch for
the arrival of the fly from the village.
She saw it come up the long avenue
and stop at the main entrance. Then she
went to the hall and busied herself look
ing for an imaginary missing shawl
among the numberless wraps lying about.
The hall porter, for some unknown rea
son, was not at his post, and an Inexpe
rienced footman informed Mr. Mallett
that Miss Mailing was not at home. Ba
bette, thinking she saw the chance of
help from these people gradually slipping
away, came rorwara ooiuiy.
"Are you sure you are right in de
nying Miss Mailing to this gentleman,
Philip?" she asked, in a low voice. "I
think you have made a mistake. If you
will follow me, monsieur, I will see if
Miss Malline has returned from her
drive."
She took them to the boudoir, stood
for a moment lu thought, and then flew
off to the picture gallery. As she ex
pected, she found Jack and Miss Mailing
in the deep recess of a window at the
far end. She announced:
"Mr. and Miss Mallett in your bou
doir, mademoiselle!"
Pauline sprang from her chair ana
stood glaring at Babette as if she were
a messeneer from another world, lhe
words "Sir Geoffrey" rose to her lips,
but she remembered In time that his in
dividuality was not known to any one
but herself, and she checked the name
with an effort.
"I am not nt home." she told her
riaid. "I left word to that effect."
"Yes, so they said, mademoiselle; but
I happened to be In the nan, ana
thought I heard the gentleman ask for
Monsieur Dornton: so I offered to see
If he was In."
(To be continued.)
Similarity.
"They call these 'dog days,' re-
marked the man with the wilted collar
and palm-leaf fan.
"Any particular breed of dog?" spoke
up the warm-weather wit.
"Yes, I should say 'greyhound.' "
"Why so?"
"They are so long."
All Trouble.
"May I ask what you are looking
for?" said the clerk in the ticket office,
"I am looking for trouble," replied
the man who was running his finger
over the big wall map of the world.
"Looking for trouble?"
"Yea, air, I am hunting np Russia."
What the world needs is mora work-
in and fewer dreamers.
RHEUMATISM
CAN NOT BE RUBBED AVAY
When the joints are sore aud swollen, and the muscles throbbing with tin
pnin of Rheumatism, relief must be
affected parts with liniments, oils, etc. This treatment does good in a way
by temporarily relieving the pain ami reducing the inflammation, but has n
effect ou the disease itself, because Rheumatism is more than pkin deep; il
is in the blood and cannot be rubbed away. Rheumatism is brought on bj
indigestion, weak kidneys, poor bowel action, stomach troubles and a gen
eral sluggish condition of the Bystem , The refuse and waste matters, whicl
should be carried off through the nat
ural avenues of bodily waste, are
left to sour and form uric acid and
other irritating poisons which are ab
sorbed by the blood, making it thin,
weak and acrid. Then instead of
nourishing the different nerves, mus
cles, joints and tissues it fills them
With poison to produce the aches,
pains and other disagreeable symp
toms of the disease. Rheumatism
is usually worse in Winter for the
reason that cold and dampness are
exciting causes. The nerves become
excited and sting with pain, the mus
cles are sore and drawn, the joints
swollen and stiff and the sufferer
lives in intense agony; and if the
disease is not checked it often leaves
its victims helpless cripples for life.
Rheumatism cannot be rubbed away
but it can be driven from the blood
by S. S. S. Being a perfect blood
purifier this great remedy soon pro
duces a complete change in the en
tire circulation ; the thin, acrid blood
through the body nourishes and soothes
o
URELY VEGETABLE.
for another attack. Do not waste time trying to rub Rheumatism away, bul
get it out of the blood with S. S. S. so that the cold and dampness of Wintei
will not keep you in continual pain and agony. Special book on Rheuma
tism and any medical advice will be given free.
The Wantcfnl Caplnln.
She was a fair passenger in search
of infonnntlon and the captain was,
naturally, only too willing to gratify
her. He had explained that the action
of the propeller forced the ship
through the water and added, as a
further item of Information:
'We made twenty knots an hour
last night, miss."
"Did you really?" said the sweet
girl. "And whatever did you do with
them all?"
The captain went red and bis eyes
dilated.
"Threw them overboard," he
said,
shortly.
"Fancy!" she said. Tit-Bits.
Somewhat Different.
"Johnny," said the teacher, "pro
nounce 'delighted.' "
"Yessur," replied Johnny. "Do you
want it according to Webster or ac
cording to Roosevelt?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why, if it Is according to Web
ster It is 'de-lighted,' and if It is ac
cording to Roosevelt it is 'dee-light
ed. "
lliiiilllimiiuHiiilUjliLiini1
lUpiillimilTpimmiilillimHiMiti'iiihirwiiiiiiiit i"imii'ni immmnii
AVgelablc Preparationfor As
similating thcFoodandRegula
ting the Stomachs andBcwels of
Promotes DigestiouCheerfur
nessandRestContains neither
Opium.Morplune nor Mineral.
Not narcotic.
Jfeyw afOIilfr-SAMUHPtTCHKR
pumphn Semi"
Jlx.Smn
jtnimSetl
pxCerixmtiiStitt
manynm. norm
A perfect Remedy for Cons tipa
Tlon, Sour Stomach.Diarrhoea
Worms .Convulsions .Feverish
ness and Loss of Sleep.
Facsimile Signature of
NEW YORK.
mm
EXACT COPY OF WRAREEH. f
had at once, and it is natural to rub tin
While at work for the V. 0. & P. H. B
In the swampy rnirlon, I contracted
KheumaUetu and was completely help
ing for about lour month and spent
over $1 60.00 wit It doctors, but trot worst
every any, ana tlnuily quit tliein ana be
Kan o. b.h.
I took a fow bottles and
was cured sound and -well. Mr health
Is now
inlondld, ana l welfrn 170
There is A ludv livintr near mi
pounds
who Is now taking- a. S. B. tor aout
tn kl
Klmuinatlmn. i-'or two months she could
not turn ImrHolf in bed, but since bntrln..
nlnir your medicine about three wwaki
ago lias improved rapidly, and is now
able to dlt up. I can reoouimend 8. 8. 8,
to all suflariuir fromRlinumut.inm.
Vlah, N. 0. . b. 0. LASSITEB.
I was severely troubled with Rheuma.
tiem. I had it in my knees, loirs and
ankles, and any one who has ever had
Rheumatism knows how exoruoiatina
the pain is and how it intarieres with
one at work. I was truly in bad shape
having been bothered with it for ten
year, off and on. A local physician ad
visnd me to use S. S. S. I did so. Af tei
taking two bottles I noticed the sore
ness and pain were greatly reduced.
continued the medicine and was thor
oughly cured; all pain, soreness and in.
flamrnalion gonn. I recommend S. S. S,
to all Rheumatio sufferers.
J. L. AGNEW,
803 E. Greenbrier St. Ml. Vernon, O,
is made pure and rich, and as it roes
the irritated nerves, eases the throb
bing muscles, and dissolves and carries
out of the system the irritating particle!
in the joints which are keeping up th
pain and inflammation. S. S. S. cures
Rheumatism permanently, and in addi
tion tones up the digestion and stimu
lates the different members of the body
to their full duty so there is no cause
THE SWIFT SPECIFIC CO., ATLANTA, CA
The Mean Things.
Miss PiiHsny It seems so funny to
me now when I think how terribly
afrnid of the dark I wus when I was
a child.
Miss Speltz Iiut you're not afraid
of It now?
Miss Tnssay Of course not!
Miss Speltz No, the dark must be
so much more becoming to you than
the light now. Philadelphia Ledger.
Aii Intricate Problem.
Mrs. Kbrown That conductor
In-
suited me.
Mr. Kbrown How?
Mrs. Kbrown Wanted me to pay
fare for Tommy.
Mr. Kbrown Well, Tommy is quite
a chunk of a lad. He looks
Mrs. Kbrown And you, too? Do
you mean to insinuate that I look old
enough to have a child old enough to
have to pay car fare? Cleveland
Leader. f
Gratitude is the fairest blossom which
springs from the soul; aud the heart of
man knoweth none more fragrant. Ho
sea Ballou.
For Infants and Children.
The Kind You Have
Always Bought
Bears the
Signature
of
In
Use
For Over
Thirty Years
TNS OSMTMIH tOHMHVi Htm TONS OfTV.
if