The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-01-30
FOULPLAY.
ny cuAs. nEADE AND DION BouCroAuLr.
CHAPTER XLIv.
a N Ov l..

| to brag to Helen of his VictOry,-a vic
tory by which she was to profit; not he.
They met in the wood; for she had
tracked him by his footsteps. She
seemed pale and distressed, and speed
lily Interrupted his EXPLANATIONS of tri-
umph by one OF delight, which was
soon, however. followed by one of dis
tress.
40, look at you'll" she said. "You
have been in the water; 1t Is wicked;
wicked"
but l have solved the problem. !
caught three ducks one after the other,
and tied the intelligence to their legs:
they are at this moment careering over
the ocean, with our story and our lon
gitude, and Il guess at our latitude.
Crown me with bays"
"With foolscap, more likely" said
Helen: "Only just getting well of rheu-
matte fever, and to go and stand in
water up to the middle"
why, you don't listen TO me !" cried
Hazel, in amaZement. II tell you l
have solved the problem"
at is you that don't listen to common
sense" retorted Helen. "If you go
and make yourself i'll, all the problems
in tho world will not compensate me.
And must say l think it was not very
kind of you to run Oft so without warn
ing me: why give me hours of anxiety
for want of a word? But there, 1t is
useless to argue with boy: yes, sir, a
| boy, The fact is, have been too easy
with YOU of late. One INDUCES sick
children. But then they must not slip
away and stand in the water, or there
is an end of Indulgence: and one Is
driven TO severity. You must be ruled
with rod of Iron. Go home this mo-
| ment, sir, and change your clothes; and
don't you presume to come into the
presence of the nurse you have Offend
ed, till there's not u wet thread about
You"
And so she ordered him oil. The in
ventOr i'll his moment of victory skunk
away crestlallen to change his chOthes.
| SO far Helen ROllestOn was type of
| her sex in its treatment of inventors.
At break fast she became brilliant ex-
ceDriOn. The moment she saw Hazel
seated by her fire in dry clothes she
| changed her key, and made him relate
the whole business, and expressed the
wArmest admiration and sympathy.
| "But," said she, ~ do ask you not
to repeat this exploit too often: now,
don't do it again for fortnight. The
island will not run away. Ducks come
and go every day, and your health is
very, very precious.
He colOred with pleasure. and made
| the promise at once. But, during this
fortnight, events occurred. In the first
place, he improved his invention. He
| remembered how IL duck, Over-"eiEht-
| ed bV Il crab, which was fast To her leg,
had como on board the boat. Memory
dwelling on this, and invention digest.
| ing it, he resolved TO weight his next
batch OF ducks; for he argued thus:
| "ProbaOLy our ducks go straight from
| this to the great American Continent.
| Then ii may he long ere one OF them
falls into the hands of a man; aud per
haps that man will not know English.
But, if could impede tie flight oi my
ducks, they might alIght on ships: and
three ships out of four know English"
Accordingly, he now inserted stones
of various sizes into the little bags. 1t
| was matter of nice calculations: tho
problem was to weight the birds just so
much that they might be able TO fly
three or four hundred miles, or about
halfns far as their unencumbered com
paniOns.
But i'll the midst of all this, IL clrcum'
stance occurred that would have made
"A vain man, or indeed most men, fling
the whole thing away. Helen ana lie
came to rupture. 1t began by hel
fault, ana continued by his. She did
not choose to know her own mind
and, in spite of secret warnings from
her better Judgment, she was driven by
curiosity or by the unhappy relentness
to which her sex are peculiarly subjec
at odd times, to sound Hazel as to the
meaning Ofa certain epigraIn that rank
led in her. And she did it i'll the mos
feminine way, that Is 10 say, in the leas
direct: whereas the safest way would
have been to grasp the nettle, il she
could not let 1t alone.
Said she one day, quietly, though will
deep blush: "Do you know Mr.. Ar
thur Warilaw2"
Hazel gave a SILVER, and said ST do.'
do you know anything about him7'
"Ido."
"Nothing to his dIscredit, lam sure.
All you are sure, why ask me7 Do
ever mention his name?"
"Perhaps you do, sometimes, withou
intending it."
"You arc mistaken: he Is in you
= thoughts, no doubt; but not in mine.
"Ought Ito forget people entirely ,an'
} what owe them ?"
"That is a question I decline to g
into
3 "How harshly you speak TO me I
l that fair? You know my engagement
/ and that honor and duty draw me t.
/ are so good and strong, might pity M
3 at least; for am torn this way ant
that :" and here the voice ceased, ant
I the tears began to flow.
, III do pity you," said Hazel: " mus
pity any one who is obliged to mention
honor and duty in the same breath a
Arthur Wardlaw."
At this time Helen drew back, offend
ed bitterly. "1hat pity l reject ant
: scorn," said she. mo, plighted m.
faith with my eyes open, and to a wor
thy object. 1 never knew him blackeI
any person who was notthere to speal
for himself, and that is very worth.
trait, in my opinion. The absent ar
like children: they are helpless to de
fend themselves"
Hazel racked with jealousy, and irri
tated at this CALLING comparison, los
his temper for once, and said those VIII
Hay traps must not complain II other
2 fall into them.
= "Traps! Who lay them?"
; "You did, Miss ROlleston. Did eve
condescend to mention that man
n name since we have been on the island
= 1t is you make me talk OF him."
"Condescend ?"
"That is the word. Nor will deig
= to mention him again. If my love ha
}. touched your heart, should have bee
obliged to have mentioned him, 70
then l should have been bound to tel
YOU story in which he is mixed, m
own miserable story,-my blood boil
against the human race when 1 think G
il. But no, l see am nothing to you
:. and will be silent"
sit is very cruel OF you to say that,
replied Helen, with tears in her eyes
"tell me your story, and you will Sc
whether you are nothing to me"
sNot one word of it," said Haze
II slowly. "until you have forgotten this
= man exists"
t "Oh! thank you, sir, this is plat
! speaking. l am to forget honor an
n plighted faith; and then you will trus
lshown myself unworthy to be tr1ste