1 THE CHARITY GIRL f
I By EFFIE A. ROWLANDS I
CHAPTER XXIII.
As Audrey gave that cry and turned,
Sheila Fraser and the man with her
looked keenly after her.
'Quiek," Sheila muttered, hoarsely.
"She has seen, she believes it all 1 Make
haste, go after her. You must Btop her
in case he has come and she should meet
Mm ! Quick 1 Give me that domino 1 I
can hide it under mine!"
Beverley Rochfort for It was he
hurriedly threw off the gray cloak, and
without -a word strode after Audrey.
It was against Beverley Rochfort's
form that she stumbled in her blindness
and weakness, and in his arms she rested
as she lay insensible. Beverley paused
only for a moment, then glancing to right
and left he picked up his burden and
went quickly through the trees to the rus
tic house near where Audrey had seen
what she supposed to be her husband
clasping Sheila Fraser in his arms.
Beaching this, Beverley removed the
mask from the lovely face that was white
and cold, as though death itself was print
ed on it, placed the girl's senseless form
in one of the long, cushioned garden
chairs, and then stood with folded arms
surveying her.
"After to-night your pride will be
humbled," he said to himself, "and that
husband of yours will find out what it
is to have made an enemy of me."
Then, stooping, he kissed Audrey's un
conscious lips passionately, fiercely, many
times; but so deep and swift had been
the blow struck to her young heart that
not even at this degradation did nature
wake to protect and repel.
"It must be time now," he muttered,
and he laughed softly to himself as he
closed the door of the garden house and
turned the key in the lock.
"I have you safe now, my lady !" he
aid, as he put the key in a pocket of
his domino and hurried away.
He had not gone far into the crowd
of dancers and promenaders before he be
came aware of a form close beyond him
which, if he had not known so well to
the contrary, he could have sworn was
Audrey herself. There wag the black
and silver domino, the white satin skirts
peeping below, and the dainty black lace
mask ; the hood arranged exactly as Au
drey's had been.
"It is excellent, upon my word. Sheila
is clever when she likes to be," he said
to himself with much deliberation.
He was standing close beside Lady
Daleswater; he knew her by her hard
mouth and chin, even if Sheila had not
carefully taught him all the colors of the
dominoes who were necessary to the little
drama they were enacting to-night. With
Gladys, there were Mrs. Fairfax and sev
eral women whom he knew were all jeal
ous and envious of Audrey enemies, ev
ery one. He moved up to Mrs. Fairfax.
"Can you tell me who that black and
silver domino is?" he asked, sinking his
voice.
"Oh, that is Lady John Giendurwood.
She seems to be enjoying herself, does
ahe not?" ' .
"She does Indeed," Beverley answered.
Behind his mask he frowned. This
'supposititious Audrey was acting a little
too much, in his opinion, flirting and
laughing in the most outrageous manner.
"Sheila must give her a hint, she
mustn't stay too long. Giendurwood
might arrive at any moment."
Fortunately for him, Sheila came up
to him then, and she readily saw the
wisdom of his words.
Going up to the woman disguised as
Audrey, who was none other than Mur
ray, the discharged lady's maid, she made
some sort of excuse and walked away
with her and her parner Just as Jack
Giendurwood, in his gray domino and
mask, came up to where his sister was
standing.
"Halloo, Gladys 1" he said, laughingly.
"Guessed you easily enough, you see.
SVhere's Audrey?"
"Your wife is just leaving the ball room
with Miss Fraser."
Jack glanced down to the other end,
and just caught a glimpse of a black and
liver domino leaning rather heavily on
the arm of some man.
"Who Is the man, I wonder?" he
thought to himself, and he was just rush
ing off after them when Lady Dales
water stopped him.
"Jack, give me your arm ; this room Is
ao hot, and I want to speak to you.'
Lady Daleswater was unconsciously
aiding Sheila's drama, though, apart
from her own desire to speak out strong
ly on Audrey's extraordinary behavior,
Miss Fraser had asked her to keep her
brother engaged as long as she could
when he arrived. With a grimace Jack
agreed.
"It is rather hot ; and I am not in the
best of tempers," he said, frankly. "I
have driven all the way to Belgnton and
hack to see Benson, and then found that
there was a mistake he had gone to Lon
don. His secretary swore that no tele
gram had been sent to me j but, of course,
lie had to change his tune when I pulled
It out of .my pocket and showed the mes
sage to him. Then he wanted to say it
was some hoax ; but who on earth would
want to hoax me?"
"Strange things happen sometimes,"
Lady Daleswater said, curtly.
"Yes, and from all accounts they bap
pen sometimes at masked balls," laughed
Jack. "Even the short time I have been
here I hare heard nothing but gossip
about the way tome woman has been be
having, quite scandalising the old ladles
by her outrageous flirting. Have you
eea her, Gladys T Do you know her?"
Lady Daleswater removed her mask
with a jerk, and then stared straight into
her brother's eyes.
, "Yes, I have seen her, and I do know
her," she said, very slowly. "To my un
utterable shame I say it, Jack, for that
woman was none other than your wife."
"What?" Jack recoiled as though he
had been struck, then rearing his head
proudly, "How dare you say any such
thing, Gladys? How dare you throw
shame and discredit on a pure, sweet girl
who has never done you a moment's harm,
who has nothing but good, gentle thoughts
for you and yours? How dare you?"'
"Because it is the truth! Yes, the
truth," repeated the countess, curtly.
"Had you been here but a few moments
ago you would have seen her with your
own eyes ! You would not have given me
the lie in this way! I say again, Jack,
that It is your wife who has disgraced
herself and us this night, who has made
herself the gossip and the scandal of the
place for months to come."
"Gladys, I will not listen to you."
Jack had torn off his mask ; his face had
grown vas white as ashes. "From to
night, though you are my sister, I will
never speak to you again for traducing
my wife's name. I thought you hard and
cruel, but I thought also that, with all
your faults, you had an honorable na
ture. I shall find Audrey, and take her
home. This is no place for her."
Jack was turning abruptly, when a
soft exclamation beside him and a hand
on his arm stopped him.
"Lord John, and without your mask?
Oh ! I cannot allow this, it is against all
rules."
It was Sheila who spoke.
"Have you seen my wife, Sheila?"
Jack asked, hurriedly. He replaced his
mask as he spoke.
"I left her a few moments ago. She
was with Mr. Rochfort. Shall we go and
find her?"
Sheila put her hand on his arm, and
Jack moved away with her without an
other word to his sister.
"Where did you say you had seen Au
drey?" Jack asked, harshly.
Sheila's eyes, shining hard and clear
through her mask, were going quickly
round. Where was Alice Fairfax? She
should be at hand now to give the cue
for the last act in the comedy that for
two hearts this night would be bitter
tragedy.
Before she had time to grow angry a
pale-pink domino fluttered up to them;
the owner .gave a girlish giggle.
"Sheila, is it you? Yes, I see it is.
Such fun ! I have just seen the loveliest
bit of spooning you ever saw. That verj
proper Lady John Giendurwood and
who do you think? why, Beverley Roch
fort ! Oh, I assure you they were going
on like anything. They have gone to the
old summer house, and "
Sheila checked her accomplice with so
well-acted an air of anger as to astonish
Miss Fairfax.
"Alice, how dare you ! What are you
saying, my dear child? You must not;
it Is very wrong!"
Miss Fairfax pretended to lose her tem
per. Really she had been an invaluable
ally, and took as much delight in shar
ing In this wicked plot as though she
were Joining In the purest and best work
on earth.
"I am only telling you the truth! If
you don't believe me, go and see for your
self ! I, for one, am not surprised, after
the way she has gone on . to-night," and
with that Miss Fairfax flounced her pink
domino out of sight.
.Jack Giendurwood had made no sign ;
not even the smallest exclamation crossed
his lips. He stood erect and still, like
a statue of stone, as they were alone
again. Then suddenly he turned to
Sheila.
"Where is this summer house she
speaks of? Is it the old one I know?"
Sheila bit her Up. She had never heard
anything so terrible as the sound of his
voice, the passionate constraint, the hol
lowness of acute misery.
"My dear Jack," she said, laughing
nervously, "you surely do not mean to say
you take any notice of that foolish
girl's "
"Will you answer me?" Jack replied,
fiercely.
For one moment Sheila's heart failed
her. She began to see her work in Its
full vileness and sin. What if she had
gone too far? What if he should mur
der Audrey when he saw her? There
was a sound In his voice that spoke of
rage ungovernable and mad pride.
"Do not take any notice of such gos
sip, Jack," Bhe said hurriedly.
All the answer he gave was to begin
to walk out into the grounds, and Sheila,
nerving herself for the last, threw herself
before him. '
"No, Jack," she said la low, choked
tones, "you shall not go!"
"What do you mean?" His face, from
which he had torn away the mask, was
almost savage In its anger and horrible
fear. "Do you know what you are say
ing? Why must I not go and seek my
wife? Am I not the proper person to do
so? Answer me this, Sheila Fraser, why
do you stop me? Do you fear what I
shall see and hear?"
"Yes," she said, swiftly, "I fear for
you, Jack."
"Then be assured, Sheila, I hall not
be harmed. Lead me to this summer
house, that I may know the worst"
Sheila tried to look imploringly at him,
but he simply repeated the command,
and. turning at length she obeyed him.
When they were closo to the small rustic
building she stopped.
"Go on alone," she said, and without
another word Jack strode down the path.
With a gasp or fear, Sheila followed
im. What would he do, what would
ho do? Cold as ice, yet burning with
rover so terrible that it almost choked
him, Jack passed down the path. His
brain was on fire.
Audrey was there Audrey, his pure
love, his darling, his wife! On all sides
he had been discussed, none had spoken
kindly. What was this awful thing that
had come upon them?
As he reached the door of the summer
house he was trembling in every limb.
His lips opened to call her name, then
closed with a fierce curse. Another man
was speaking It passionately, wildly.
"Audrey, my love, my love, my darl
ing!" With his strong right hand Jack struck
back the door and stood there, in the
dim light a tall, avenging angel.
Audrey, wjth one hand pressed against
the wall, was standing before him. At
her feet knelt Beverley Rochfort, clasp
ing the other hand, and kissing it as he
poured out his vows of love. As Jack
appeared before them, Audrey gave one
great cry.
"Jack ! Jack I Thank heaven you have
come !'
Beverley Rochfort rose to his feet
with a low laugh. He was no coward,
like Sheila. He rather hoped there would
be some excitement now.
Jack was silent scarcely a moment ;
he never even glanced at the man ; he
looked straight at his wife.
"The carriage Is waiting for you, Lady
John," he said In a voice which Audrey
had never heard from his lips before ; "it
is time for you to return to your home."
Audrey looked at her husband out of
her great, blue eyes, all distraught as
they were. For the moment she had for
gotten his treachery at joy In his coming.
Now, as with one heavy blow, it all re
turned to her. The end had surely come
when he could speak to her like this,
and how terrible was the way in which
he stared at her. She had not strength
to move a limb or utter a sound.
"I request that you accompany me to
the carriage at once," Jack said, this
time quite fiercely.
Audrey drew her domino about her.
Vaguely Bhe felt that, bad as the horizon
of her life had looked a short hour ago,
it was doubly worse now. She did not
comprehend Jack's manner, but It hurt
her to the quick. That he should speak
to her like this, and before that odious,
horrible man ! She put out both her
hands. Fear of Beverley drove away her
jealous pangs.
"Yes, yes ; take me home. I am ready
to go. I entreat you to take me !"
Jack stood on one side for her to pass,
and as he faced Beverley Rochfort' alone
for an instant, he said, very quietly :
"Either your life or mine answers for
this night's work. You understand?"
"Perfectly," smiled Beverley, but he
frowned the next moment
A duel ! This was not what he had
anticipated. Audrew did not catch the
hurried words, and, as she walked away
beside her husband, she was too deeply
miserable to think of anything but that
a cloud had fallen on her life; that
Jack's love had gone from her, and she
was the most wretched girl on earth.
(To be continued.)
"The Strangling- Fig."
Visitors to Mexico and other tropical
countries often have their attention
called to "the strangling fig" a tree
that commences its growth as an epi
phyte (that Is, one form of plant life
that grows perched on another) far up
on the trunk or among the branches
of another tree, usually on a palmetto
or some of the kinds of palms. The
roots of the strangling tree extend
downward around the host tree to the
ground, gradually Joining together, mak
ing a tube-like mass of roots some
times as much as six feet or more In
diameter.
When the attacked tree is a palm,
death to It is caused not so much by
the binding around the trunk as by
shading out Its branches by the attack
ing tree.
When the attacked tree is an exogen
(that is, one with wood and bark) the
attacking roots bind so tightly as to
cause a stoppage of the flow of sap.
As the sap of a tree Is really its food
(changed by the leaves so that It can
be used) and the flow of the food is
thus stopped, the attacked tree Is real
ly "starved" to death. So death to the
attacked tree is caused either by
smothering or by starvation or by both.
The peculiar manner In which the
flattened roots extend down and around
the tree, give them the appearance of
some thick, slow-flowing material run
ning down the tree. St Nicholas.
There Are Other.
"Mrs. Snooper is the most gossipy
woman I know. She can't keep a se
cret" "Is that so?"
"Yes ; she told me a lot of things in
confidence yesterday that she promised
different people she wouldn't tell."
"She didn't, really?"
"Yes, she did. Want to hear them?"
Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Eaar for Him.
"What brushy eyelashes Mr. Swags
has!"
"Urn. Thafa the reason ha gives
sucli sweeping glances." Detroit Free
Press.
Where He Falla Down.
Mlffktas Pennington seems to be
quite a proline writer.
Burkina Yes ; but unfortunately h
but oulte a prolific thinker.
When the
Hair Falls
JDUh Drainer.
Among the recent Inventions for
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In the Illustra
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for holding
plates, saucers
and other dishes
In a position to
allow them to
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The drainer com
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rack In which the
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ported and a pan
DISH DBAINEB. t() catch te dr,p
Diagonally across the frame are span
wires, a considerable number of dishes
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or partially washed before being In
serted In the rack, or, as some prefer,
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at
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Samad Khan, the recently accredited
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Pickled Tront.
Clean the fish and boll In salted wa
ter, then drain, wipe dry and set aside
until very cold. Make a pickle of two
quarts of vinegar, a dozen blades of
mace, the same number of white pep
pers and cloves, two tenspoonfuls of
mustard, three tablespoonfuls of white
sugar and a pint of the water In which
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TJClf
mm
Instsntly kills He on Poultry by Its
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Hard Soap,
Put together four gallons of boiling
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fat Boll for about two hours, or until
It begins to harden, thinning, when nec
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Tapioca and Banana gponare.
Sprinkle half a cup of tapioca and
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tapioca Is transparent add the Juice of
two lemons and the whites of two eggs,
beaten until stiff. Spread over sliced
bananas and serve with cream and su
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viously made. This dish may be made
with canned peaches or quinces, using
the Juice of the fruit Instead of water.
Banana Salad.
Have the bananas very cold. Cut
them Into small pieces and mix with
a dressing made of two teasDoonfuls
of salad oil, one teaspoonful of vine
gar, one teaspoonful of lemon Juice
and a quarter of a teaspoonful each of
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Sprinkle a few halves of English wal
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Simmer one can of corn In three cup
fuls of water for an hour. Then Dress
through a sieve. Thicken three cup-
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spoonful each of butter and flour, add
It to the corn pulp and season to taste,
with salt and pepper. Let It get -.very
hot, stir In half a cupful of cream, re
move from the fire and add a beaten
egg Just before serving. If the cream
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Chocolate Almond Delight.
Dissolve one package of raspberry
gelatin In a full pint of boiling water.
Strain when It begins to harden and
press In one-half pound of chocolate
almonds. When firm serve In college
Ice glasses, with a spoonful of whipped
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THE REMEDY!
' 1
Spanish Cream.
One-half box of gelatin, one quart of
milk, the yolks of three eggs, one small
cup of sugar. Soak the gelatin In the
milk for an hour, then put It on the
fire and stir well as it heats. Add to
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ring all the time. Strain with a mold
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