The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-06-14

II might have taken her to LIE Bocage to
meet the same terrible fate, had not here
encountered the priest who attended Ze,ma
in her last illness, and received her c0nIes-
sion.
"Ah, my heart, l cannot write it!
"Go far away-take your daughter. e
81 am not rich in my own right, but
when she is old enough to marry, will
give Der a suitable dover. This is all
can, or will do.
| "ARMAND LANDRY"
IL had nothing to do but obey Armand's
command" continued Mrs. Blake, sand so
[ came hither with you. where We have
lived till now. This is my history"
CHAPTER III.
A PHYSICIAN IN LOVE WITH THE DAUGHTER
"A FIENDIsH PLOT.
There was residing in the same village with
Mrs. Blake and her daughter physician
twenty-eight or thirty years of age-Dr. Ma
con-who for two years had been ardently in
love with the daughter; she had toyed and
trifed with him all that time; but he had
finally insisted upon decided answer to his
suit, and on that very evening he was coming
to learn his fate. As he approached the
house he overheard the voices of mother and
daughter engaged in close conversatio ], and
drawing near to the window and meanly lis
tening, he had obtained full possession of the
terrible secret of Mrs. Bake's life. Madly in
love- and utterly INSCRIPTIONS, he at once de-
| termined to make any use which might be
necessary of his newly acquired advantage to
| secure the hand of Hester.
On that very evening DIR. Macon was en-
gagged to take tea with Mrs. Blake and her
| daughter, but their old housekeeper returned
| from the village with the intelligence that
| shocking railroad accident had occurred in
the vicinity. and the Doctor had fastened off
to the assistance of the wounded.
On the return of DR.. Macon he called upon
Mrs Blake and surprised her with the infor-
nation that among the hurt was Armand
Landry, MORALLY injured! He was accompa-
MED by his daughter, the halfsister of Hes
ter, and she had been stunned by blow on
the head. They were both lying at farm
house near by, and Mr.. Landry, knowing that
he must die, had requested that Hester should
visit him the next morning, that he might in
form her of the pecuniary provision which
he had made for her support.
And now was cOncOcted one OF the most
fiendsh plots ever devised by the human
mind. 1t was suggested by Mrs. Blake, and
| acquiesced in by DIR. Macon and Hester, that
! the halfsister, who was still unconscious,
should be kept in state of imbeciity by
drugs which the Doctor should skillfully adj
minister for that purpose, and Hester, whose
resemblance to her was so close as to defy de-
tection-should usurp her place as heiress of
the immense estates entailed upon the half
sister through her mother.
The inducement to DR.. Macon was Hes
ter's promise, on the accomplishment of the
scheme, to become his wife,
But when Hester came to read over the let
tiers which lay concealed in the bottom of her
half-sister's trunk, she found among them
several from Raymond DeLorme, handsome
| urban 81, ,lx<,,a 1o,
own first lover at the South, when she was
little more than a mere child. These letters
were written in a most imprisoned strain,
and showed that between him and his fair
respondent-Estelle Landry, Testers now
stricken halfsister-a marriage engagement
| existed.
No sooner had Hester discovered this fact
than her old love for De Lorme- was rekindled,
| and she resolved at once to have him also, as
well as Estelle's fortune, let whatever obsta-
Giles might be in the way. He was now alb
sent in Europe, to remain year or two, and
her purpose must be most carefully concealed
/ from DR.. Macon; but, come what would, the
young man should yet be hers!
Mrs. Blake's housekeeper, Mrs. Mullar,
German woman with an American education,
was a great gossip, and a cunning, selfish,
evil-minded woman. Hester, at her mothers
suggestion, had turned the key on the outside
of Mrs. Muller's sleeping room, while their
internal plot had been planned; but the sus-
picious woman happened to be awake, and
she had risen, and emerging through win
dow, crept around where she could listen to
all they said. She too, now, meant to have
her profit out of the scheme, the secret of
which she had obtained unknown to them.
On the following day Mr.. Landry felt his
end rapidly approaching. He had forbidden
peremptorily that Mrs. Blake should be adj
mitted to his presence; but Mrs. Blake had
determined to see him before he died. He
was very anxious for confessor; and was fl
nally told that although there was no priest
accessible, Sister of Charity might be OBJ
tanned. This assurance afforded him great
relief, and he desired that no time might be
lost in sending for her.
Mrs. Blake determined to improve this OPP
portunity to see him, without his recognizing
her, and to visit him in the disguise of Sis
| ter. Eft
1t was arranged that after night when the
room was dimly lighted by a single candle,
| she should go in and listen to such confess
sons as he wished to make. In them, if he
spoke of her tenderly, compassionately, she
would forego the dire vengeance she had
planned to infict on him when he lay help
less before her, breathing his soul away in
doubt and dread of what the future life might
bring to him. If he judged her hardly and
cruelty at the last, she would have no mercy
| IN him
'r IN
Wnen Eunlce, deal ana dump servant
glrl at tne iarm,house, was safely asleep, MRS.
Dlahe hiaue sucn alVeratlon IN ner eress as
was necessary. "A wnlte nanukerchieI was
Drawn low DOWN on ner Iorenead, ana iolded
over ner lace III sucn manner as 70 conceal
she SreaIer pol.lon polIlon oi ~ anu Macon
plach SIX cravaI was sliiooChed OUT anu ueu
Otei tnat' III lhe lorli Vi Tue hoous worn py
Ealllollc nuns wneh walkihg abroad. one
1nen enVe ere. tLe leeply isnteu room, anu SAT-
down In the chair whlch Hester resigned at
her approach; AT the movement, the dying
man uhclosed MS eyes, ana In 1alht voice,
SAD:
HOW goog you were 70 come 10 me In TINS
eAIlGlil'y. Inls YOUNG ei1l mas eAplaineu W
neil e uaaI you M 70 uo 80 as soon as you
nearu .tla. SUI vi MoSnei onulon neeueu
YOU neip, pue Soilie supole power must nave
tpmseyeu W mn .1e hlowieuge tnat some
Ining ininllcal hau appr93acneu nlln' Ior ne
S, seehieu ~ sIfussle MItI some uead-
oppfeSSion' anu sinking o'ck' he hurmur-
/ ..rroo ,o4o,1e H. ,.e
ioo iaI5 l, ! l9ar etat s1laL uie peicre
oan Say ~na' Mlone c = niusc coilieSs
iIso naso aosoiu'ioai, lDl nav sliihe4' oue