i: 1
4 I r r r r H W KM' 'I' r
CHAPTER XXIV.
It was Sir Geoffrey's first dinner par
ty, and Ethel felt just a little nervous
as she received the guests. Captaiu
I'elling was watching her in the pauses
of his chat with Bertha Collins. He
caught her eye presently and smiled at
her reassuringly, for she had confided to
him her dread of the awful occasion.
"You are an old friend of theirs, are
you not?" Bertha was saying to the
captain. "We all think Miss Mailing
quite charming. I took to her from the
first; but, do you know, she is not easy
to get on with. Of course she is all one
could wish as a hostess; but it is impos
sible to gush with her. She has a way
of sifting all one says and showing up
anything that Is absurd without certainly
In the least intending to give offense.
You would hardly believe it, I dare say,
but I have adopted the habit of trying
to talk seriously when she is listening."
"I think that is the greatest compli
ment you could pay her. Will you adopt
the same practice with me?"
"I should not dare," she replied, with
mock gravity. "If I were to get a repu
tation for seriousness I should probably
die an old maid. Men always prefer
frivolous talkers fur their wives. There
is the dinner bell. Are you to take me
down?"
Later in the evening Miss Collins drop
ped into a quiet comer and discussed
the things with the utmost freedom with
an intimate friend whom she had not
seen since the end of the season. She
was describing the breaking up of the
party when Pauline's intended marriage
had been discovered.
"Now tell me could there be anything
more ridiculous than her running away
from her own house and marrying, or
trying to marry, a man secretly, when
there was no one to prevent her doing
it openly? My dear, you should have
seen our faces when Mrs. Sefton read
us the note she had left behind, as we
dropped in, one after another, to lunch
eon! At first everybody looked very sur
prised, and then the absurdity of the
whole proceeding struck us. Why could
she not have been married properly? No
one could have oujected to her marry
ing that good-looking artist if she chose
to do so."
"Was she very much 'gone' on him?"
"Awfully! It must have been a terri
ble blow to her when her husband turn
ed up."
"Rather! Isn't It odd, his being
here?"
"I don't think so. He was very good
to Sir Geoffrey when he was in less
affluent circumstances, I believe."
"Things seem a bit mixed. From what
I could make out, he had believed him
self a widower, just as she had thought
herself a widow, until they met In the
church. Don't you think It probable
that, while he was under the Impression
that his wife was dead, he may have
had a liking for Miss Mailing?"
"I believe you are right," Bertha re
plied, energetically, "for I saw him look
ing at her before dinner with his heart
In his eyes."
"It Is certainly very strange that he
should have fallen in love with the girl
who was being kept out of her right
position by his own wife! It looks like
the finger of Fate, doesn't it thoug
which way the finger is pointing I can't
ee."
As the guests, one after another, took
their departure, Ethel felt her burden
lightening. Her first party had been an
unqualified success, but she was none the
less glad to have It over. Lord Sum
mers stayed behind, talking earnestly
with Sir Geoffrey.
"I admit I was disappointed when I
heard that she had taken the family
Jewels with her," he said, in allusion
to Pauline. "I'm afraid she has inher
ited some of her father's want of prin
ciple. The Luftons were never particu
larly distinguished for honesty. What
do you mean to do about it, Geoffrey?"
, "Nothing openly. I am lu communica
tion with her waiting maid, who had
promised to let me know If there is any
Idea on Pauline's part of selling them,
and I shall, unknown to her, become the
purchaser."
( "An excellent idea and a very gener
ous one. By the bye, as things have
turned out, how fortunate it Is that the
engagement between our charming Ethel
and young Dornton was "
He stopped suddeuly as Ethel and
Pelling came back from blddimr fr.wll
to Miss Collins. They both caught the
drift of his words, and Ethel glanoed at
Felling's face; but It was calmly un
conscious. Thinking this a good opening
to talk of Jack, he said:
"If you are not too tired, I want to
how you a delightful style of title page
that I came across this nmmintr r
thought you might elaborate the IHph tnr
for your 'Central Africa.' It is on this
table somewhere.
"I am afraid my share of 'Central
Africa' will not be anything to be proud
or," lie replied with a smile.
"That Is nonsense, and von knnv it
Captain Pelling! I have made up my
mind that your sketches are to ha tha
principal attraction of the book. It la
realty unsiuo. 01 you 10 make light of
your worn a tier au our interest In it!'
"That is iust It." he returned, lnmrh
Ingly. "I have become so accustomed
to working in compuuy mat i una
etn't move a steo by myself."
"You would not be offended at any
thing I should ay lor your good J"
The ife's Secret,
OR A BITTER RECKONING
By CHARLOTTE At. BRAE MB
HrHr
"Go- on," he said, and waited with
knitted brows for what she had to say.
Ethel, in her short life, had often had
unpleasant tasks to perform, but never
one so unpleasant as this.
"Out Of your own mouth shall you be
judged," she began, smiling at him to
hide the trembling of her Hps. "You
say you have become so used to working
In company that you cannot move a step
by yourself; but I say you must take the
one needful step by yourself that will se
cure you good company to work In for
the rest ot your life. Go to Paris at
once, seek out your, wife, and give her the
protection of your presence. She will
yield. You must not judge her by her
words when you last met. You had her
at a cruel disadvantage. Think what an
awful shock your sudden appearance
must have been to her! It is very, very
hard for me to say this to you, after all
your kindness to us in the past; but you
will not misjudge my motive. I am
speaking for your good. By and by, when
you are quite happy with each other, you
will be thankful to me for sending you
away in this abrupt manner."
"You wish me to go at once?" he
asked.
"That is a very cruel way to put It,"
she answered, gently. "You know I do
not wish you to go at all. True friends
are not so plentiful that one can af
ford to play battledore and shuttlecock
with them for one's own pleasure. For
your own good, Captain Pelling, I advise
your going 'at once."
"You are one of the best women that
ever lived," he exclaimed, "and I am
proud to have had you for a friend! I
ought to have known my presence would
give you pain, and refused Sir Geoffrey's
invitation. Don't speak until I've fin
ished," he. went on, hurriedly, holding
up his hand to check any Interrption. "I
shall follow your advice to the letter. I
will thrust aside my own inclinations, and
run over to Paris and see what Mrs.
Pelling is doing, spend Christmas among
the Frenchmen, and perhaps in the New
Year Captain and Mrs. Pelling may have
the honor of receiving Sir Geoffrey and
Miss Mailing at the Wigwam."
For once Ethel looked at him with
her eyes brimming with tears; but she
did not dare make an attempt to speak.
He took her hand in his, and held it close
as he finished.
"You must make some plausible ex
cuse to Sir Geoffrey for my abrupt de
parture in the morning; or, better still,
I will wire from town. I shall write to
you from Paris, if I may. And' now,
before I say good-night, I must give you
this letter. I received it two days ago
from Dornton. I know it will please you.
He and I correspond regularly; so I
shall keep you posted up in his move
ments. Good-by, my true, honest little
friend."
She sat, as he left her, holding Jack's
letter In her hand, hearing his voice very
faintly in the distance as he excused
himself with the plea of fatigue to her
father, and wondering how it had hap
pened that this interview, which she had
brought about for the sole purpose of
hearing news of Jack, had ended in so
sudden a determination on the captain's
part to seek his wife. She knew his re
solve was the result of her advice, and
she hoped devoutly that good might come
of it.
And Pelling mounted the wide stairs
very slowly, deep In thought as he went.
She Is quite right, as she is always.
It is the only thing to do; and I never
saw it myself. My place Is undoubtedly
by my wife's side."
CHAPTER XXV.
'I tell you your presence here is an
unwarrantable intrusion! If you do not
leave my apartment ofr your own free
will, I shall be compelled to have you
ejected!"
It was the third day since Pelling left
Ethel, and this was his wife's greeting!
He had had a long battle with himself;
but duty had been triumphant, and his
mind once made up he was not to be dis
couraged by a few bitter words.
"That is not necessary. Of course I
will leave you; but you will not refuse
to answer me one or two questions
first?"
"Ask your questions then, and, If I
choose to answer them, I will. If I don't
choose, I will not. But, for heaven's
sake, get over them quickly!
"Will you tell me something of our
child, Pauline?" he asked.
She sprung up with a look of desper
ate fright on her face.
"How dare you come here to brow-
beat me like this?" she exclaimed, ve
hemently; and then she sank back on the
couch again. But, after a pause, she
said quietly enough: "You. have touched
my one weak point. Of course you have
to hear what there Is to tell. My baby
was born a weakly little thlifg. I had
hard work to keep body and soul together
In those first days after my father's
death.' I knew from the first she could
not live long. She died when she was
three months old.
"I wish she had lived."
"Why do you wish such a mad thing
as that?"
"Because, if It had not been for see
ing her grave, I should have gone ou
searching for you until I found you."
"Ah! And If you had, found me then,
If you had come to Malllugford quietly
and said, Pauline, you are my wife
come with me;' do you know what I
would have done? I would have killed
yout I would kill you even now, If your
death would undo any of the harm you
nave woricea me! But it is all over, and
the next thing you will hear Is that I
have killed myself!"
Why do you hate me so bitterly,
Pauline?" he asked: and he studied her
attentively while she answered:
Because you have been by evil
genius ever since I became your wife.
U 1 had not murrled vou. my life might
have been as happy and pleasant as
other women's lives are. No sooner did I
know that I was my uucle's heiress than
my happiness was destroyed by hearing
that I was to inherit only on the condi
tion that I did not marry without my
guardian's consent. Thanks to you, this
condition was already broken; and my
six years of possession have bean em
bittered by the certainty in my own
mind that you were alive somewhere
and would surely find me some day,
and deprive me of all that I had risked
so much to obtain."
Pelling sighed heavily and took up his
hat.
"You will let me come and see you
again?"
"Why? You do not care for me In
the least. Why should you take so much
trouble to, be civil to me?"
"You are my wife. No amount of dis
like or shortcomings on your part alters
that fact. We have been very unfortu
nate in the past. I can see you are un
happy; and, In an Indirect way, I am
the cause of your unhapplnesa. I would
give a great deal to make things brighter
for you, if you would let me."
She was touched by the earnestness
of his manner and tone.
"You are very good," she said; "and
I am sorry I behaved so badly to you."
She stood silent for a few moments,
Pelling watching her quietly; while they
so stood the clock on the mantelpiece
struck 12.
"You must go now," she told him
hurriedly. "I have au appointment to
ride with some friends. Come again at
this time to-morrow."
He did not attempt any outward dis
play of affection, but passed down the
stairs. He met Babette half way down.
"With whom does your mistress ride
to-day?", he asked.
With the Baroness de Belette a
woman well known for the pertinacity
with which she had clung to the extreme
edge of respectable society for the last
five years. "They have a wager as to
who will ride the greatest distance on a
horse belonging to Monsieur Crevln
which has always refused to carry a
lady."
Pelling went on with a little unac
knowledged anxiety in his heart. He
would go back and try to dissuade Pau
line from this mad freak, but that he
knew It would be useless; and any show
of authority on his part just now might
perhaps undo the little good he believed
he had accomplished.
He drove straight back to the hotel,
and sat with- his chin resting on his
hands at the little table in the window
of his room. He was In a strange state
of mingled hope and dread. He did not
know what he wished; he only knew that
he meant to do what he conceived to be
his duty; the rest he must leave in higher
hands. '
While thus musing over the past, he
was brought back to the present by the
sight of his wife cantering by in com
pany with several others; and, following
them, he noticed a fidgety chestnut horse,
with a side-saddle on, which was being
led by a groom. Pauline looked up and
bowed gravely; he returned the greeting.
How handsome she looked! How well
she sat her horse! How proud he might
have been of her if she had never allow
ed the love of riches to crowd the worn
anUness out of her heart! He leaned
forward and watched her as tar as ne
could see from the window.
An hour later Telling was stooping
over his wife's poor crushed body in one
of the little chatlets in the Bois de Bou
logne. She had been thrown and tram
pled on. and was dying of internal hem
orrhage. Her voice was very low, and
her words came slowly, with many
pauses.
:it is heaven's justice! After you
had gont this morning I made up my
mind to do as you wished. I thought
I would try to love you you were so
good and we should be happy togeth
er. I had no right to be happy after
my wickedness, and heaven has settled
it!"
"My poor mistaken girl!"
"Yes, that is true. I've been mis
taken all my life. No one ever tried
to make me good. I was always left to
servants when J was a child. Heaven
Is just, and the great Judge win re
member my great temptations. Will
you kiss me just once, Alec? Say you
forgive me it will make my mind
easier."
In spite of his efforts not to disturb
her last moments by any show of feel
ing, a large tear dropped upon her face.
She looked at him wonderingly, and put
up her finger to his cheek.
"For me," she said very softly you
cry for me. I do not deserve to have
one mourner at my death bed. I have
done evil to everv one but Jack. Give
him ray No I will not leave mes
sages; they might bring a curse."
Another spasm seized her; and, when
It had passed, the hue of death was
creeping over her face. It was all fin
ished now, and the strong young life that
had been so misused had come to an
end.
Pelling took out a card and left it
with the people of the house, and then
went straightway to , see that all the
necessary arrangements were made for
the Interment of her who had once been
very dear to him. He wrote a short let
ter to Sir Geoffrey that night. It ran:
"Dear Sir Geoffrey Your niece, my
wife, was killed by a fall from her horse
to-day. We were reconciled at the1 last,
Tell your daughter I can never express
my gratitude to her for sending me here;
It will always hfr a source of thankful-
uess in my heart The family jewels
are Intact, iBabette tell me, and they
will be aeut by special courier. When
the funeral li ovor, I think I shall join
Dornton lu Italy, and toward the spring
we may work our way homeward lu
company. Ask Miss Ethel to keep ui
ever green in her memory. I've set my
heart on seeing our young friend Jack
a Royal Acadeuilclau before many years.
With his talent, he wants only a little
judicious pushing, and I mean to devote
my time to pushing him.
"Always your sincere friend,
"ALEXANDER PELLING."
Ethel was greutly affected by this let
ter, and she went about with a very
sober face for some weeks, until the
preparations for Christmas absorbed her,
and left her no time for thinking of
handsome young artists or anything else.
But, eveu lu the midst of the excitement
of ChrlHtmastlde, there was always a
craving lu her heart, a dreary sense of
emptiness, which grew and grew until
she was compelled, with many blushes,
to admit Its preseuee, aud to acknowl
edge to herself that only one persou lu
all the world could fill the void.
t'l'o be continued.)
LONELIEST SPOT IN BRITAIN.
How Time Is Bpent in the Bkerryvore
Lighthouse la Spell ef His Weeks.
The Skerryvore lighthouse Is one of
the loneliest places in the British Isl
ands. It Is the chief rock of a reef
which Ilea ten miles southwest of Tlree
and tweuty-four miles west of lonu.
Previous to 1844 a ship was lost there
annually for forty years. The light
house was begun lu 1 838 and took six
years to complete, the cost being
80,077. It will alwuys be Interesting.
If only for the fact that It was erected
by Robert Louis Stevenson s uncle,
Alan, who followed the method adopt
ed by bis father, Robert, lu the Bel)
lighthouse. The Skerryvore lighthouse
U 138V4 feet high; it is 42 feet In diam
eter at the base aud lfJ feet at the top.
The light, which Is a revolving one,
can be seen at a distance of 18'.j nauti
cal miles. The tower is built ou a
rock which is about" 15 feet above
high-water mark. This is the largest
rock above water of the whole chain
and is about 00 yards long by 40
yards broad, but Is so intersected by
channels cut through it by the action
of the sea and Is so uneven that walk
ing is difficult.
To kill the time on the rock when
not officially engaged the keepers try
various kinds of handicraft work.
"Just now," writes the principal keep
er, "I am finishing .in inlaid table that
has taken up my spare time these last
three winders. It consists of over
8,000 pieces of wood and of fifteen diff
erent kinds, and la all band done. I
also do a little photography lu the
summer time."
As It would be almost impossible for
human beings to reside continuously
on a place like this, the keepers are
supposed to be on duty for six weeks,
when they get a fortnight ashore. The
shore station, where their families re
side, Is In Earrald, on the southwest
of Mull, twenty-five miles away. Life
Is niontonons, even at the shore sta
tion, as the lighthouse families are the
only Inhabitants.
Explains Confusion at Babel.
"Among ignorant persons," said
Frank E. Wallls, secretary of the
Architectural League of New York,
"there is a belief that architects are
useless that a builder Is enough of
an architect for all practical purposes.
I attended a session of court not long
ago when an architectural caHe was
being heard. A young architect was
put on the stand, and, after be had
given his testimony, the lawyer for
the opposition began to cross-examine
him. The questions ran like this:
" 'You are a builder, I believe?'
" 'No, an architect'
"Builder or architect, architect or
builder, it is much the same thing,
isn't it?'
" 'No, not at all.'
"'What is the difference?'
"The young map explained what the
difference was, and the lawyer, with
a sneer, said:
'"Oh, very well. That will do. And
now, after your very Ingenious dis
tinction without a difference, perhaps
you can inform the court who was the
architect of the Tower of Babel?
" 'There was none,' he answered,
'and hence the confusion.' "
Proverb Cornea Out.
Miles You remember Saplelgh, who
went west a couple of years ago and
married an heiress, don t you 7
Giles Yes. What of him?
Miles I understand his wife got a
divorce from him recently.
Giles I'm not surprised to hear It.
Miles Why?
Glle8Because a fool and his money
are soon parted, you know.
Unlucky Thirteenth.
Mrs. Biggs Mrs. Divorcee tells me
she lias Just declined an offer of mar
riage. Mrs. Dlggs Indeed! She has al
ready had twelve husbands. I wonder
why she declined another.
Mrs. Biggs I think she's supersti
tious. Trouble Afoot..
The Two-Step They are all after
my scalp.
The Waltz Well, you're the fellow
who crowded me out Cleveland Plain
Dealet
FALL8 CLAIMED BY CANADA.
Greater Part of IInriiehoo Mnwnra
Mar Melon to Dominion.
It has always been supposed by the
people of the United States that they
owned ono-lmlf of the llorsesiioo full
of Nlagura, but grave danger menace
their claim to such a title. The Inter
national dispute, If such It may bo
termed, has crept in since the mem
bers of the International Waterways
Commission were at Niagara. These
n studied the conditions as they
found them and reviewed maps out
lining various features.
Shortly after this Prof. Laflanimo,
of Quebec, an eminent Canndlan ge
ologist, arrived at Niagara to make a
survey and Inspection of the falls. Sus
picion was aroused that the Canadian,
members believed they had discovered
something that was overlooked In the
ublle mind, aud it was intimated that
the Dominion government would ulti
mately lay claim to noarly the entire
Horseshoe fall. Such claims, if well
founded, would leave the Canadian
commissioners representing more for
the preservation of Niagara than the
United States commissioners.
The Importance of even a sugges
tion that the Canadians own more than
half of the greut Horseshoe fall Is of
great moment. This can be under
stood when the magnitude of ttio
power development at Niagara Is con
sidered. By far the greater volume of
water passes over the Horseshoe fall,
and this quantity of water means ad
ditional horse power. In fact, It would
not be a difficult matter to divert the
water of the upper river so that all of
it would plunge over the Horseshoe.
Nature has several times developed
conditions whereby the American fall
was nearly dry.
With the Domlulon of Canada own
ing nearly all of the Horseshoe, It Is
clear that she would own and control
the same percentage of the electric
tower that might be developed by a
utilization of the full flow of Niagara.
To-day over 400,000 electrical horse
power Is being developed on the Cana
dian side of the falls, while the New
York side has only about 150,000 de
veloped horse power.
Should a great demand for electric
power arise through new possibilities
of application or permission the United
States might be dependent upon Can
ada for much of its power supply
from the falls of Niagara, and It would
be an easy matter for the Canadians
to place an export duty on power.
"GHOST" IN MANOR HOUSE.
Occupier Telia a St ran are Story ot
"the Open Door."
A curious ghost story Is told by the
occupier of the Manor House, Knares-
borough, a charming old mansion,
parts of which date back to the early
days of the thirteenth century. The
occupier, A. W. Howes, recently re
stored the building, and during the al
terations the skeleton of a woman
was found under one of the stair
cases, and it is this discovery that
has led Mr. Howes to tell bis story.
He says there is something about
the building that cannot be explained.
Formerly he and his wife occupied the
blue room, in which stands an old oak
bedstead, on which Oliver Cromwell
once Blept. This room, like the others,
Is splendidly paneled and has a cup
board, which was formerly a priest's
hole, or hiding place, concealed by a
spring door.
During the night sounds of foot
steps are heard on the landing, and
Mr. Howes says it is impossible to
keep the door of this room closed.
"We have locked it and put a chair
against It, and in the morning we
have found ' it open. There are no
draughts to, account for the opening
of the door. Since we have moved
out of this room footsteps have still
been heard, and on one occasion they
were accompanied by a loud bump
ou the door of our present room."
Mr. Howes Is Jocular on the subject
of the ghost and says that neither he
nor his family are alarmed, or indeed
believe In the supernatural, but after
fifteen years' experience of the house
they are still at a loss to account for
the souuds. "We used to say it was
Oliver's ghost," he remarks, "but now
we say it is the woman whose skele
ton we found."
Chaucer is supposed to have visited
the house, and here learned some of
the Yorkshire dialect which appears in
his story, "Reeve's Tale." It is be
lieved to be the only house in England
In which stands an original roof tree.
In this, case an old oak of the forest
with Its roots still Intact, rises through
the kitchen up to a bedroom, where it
Is cut short -being no longer necessary
for the support of the roof and Is
used as a small table for the occu
pant's candlestick. London Ohronlcle.-
Bird Broka Pan of Glaaa.
The momentum of a swiftly-flying -bird
is considerable. A partridge flew
against a window of the gymnasium
at Williams College the other day,
crashing through the glass and fall
ing to the floor dead. The force
the blow may be Judged from the
fact that the glass was "triplethlck"
and not more than 20x12 In aUtw