The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1874-11-27

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ing his senses as they lifted Anstice.
He had heard her; and I suppose. the, !
possibilities in the case flashed upon
him before he fairly opened his eyes,
for he sat up at once, rubbing his head
and smiling languidly, and then drink
ing both of water andtthe wine that were
brought him; and almost directly he
was on his feet again, staggering
little, but fastening to Anstie, whom
they were trying to recover with
out waiting to take her into the house.
And Of coarse they made way for him
after what they had heard, and he was
kneeling beside her with her hand in
his--for mamma was in the marquee,
and the two girs and Aunt Maria were
thunderstruck and bewildered-bcnd-
ing over her as he had never dared to
bend, as he had never had the chance
to approach her before, and gently
drawing off unseen the ring she always
wore-a curious ring of three diamonds
set so as to be strung like beads on
their three wires, and make any design
into which she chose to move them-a
ring concerning which Anstice had once
said to Ralph, as she afterward told
me, ut was worn by my grandmother
for wedding ring, and 1 shall give it
to my lover on the day he acknowl-
edges me before the world.''
It was all in less than five minutes;
and Ralph would have been person Of
superhuman self-control and discrimi.
nation il, at all he saw and heard, he
had been in o transport of anger. He
had stood still in his amazement, in
spite of Austice' s falling, for he was too
far off to reach her; and now at the
sight Of Stuart bending beside her he
strobe toward mamma, coming from the
marquee.
"Will you tell me what this means?''
he cried, hoarsely.
But mamma pushed past him with.
out hearing, and Anstice was carried
into the house, and the pretty garden
party broke up in confusion.
And it was just under my window
that Ralph met Stuart. and repeated
his demand, this time with an unified
hand.
"Will you tell me what this ,neans?'
II should think it is very eviden,
what it MEANS" said Stuart, with 9
cold smile.
do you intend to say, Mr.. Maynsr
81 intend to say nothing. You heard
Ansticc say enough" said Stuart, re-
CARELESS Of the suspended thunder on
Ralph's brow. "She is q little coquctte
and dare say has smiled on more low.
ers than one. But this afternoon has
put an end to all that. Now she s
mine by open proclamation, and l warn
all others out Of the way.''
cts lie!'' shouted Ralph. And
in another moment his falling hand
would have felled Stuart in his path
But Stuart slipped aside, and Ralph's
hand fell, in shame, perhaps, that he
would have struck man just recover
ing from blow.
won't dispute you,'' said Stuart
again, with his calm sheer, "because
know your disappointment. But il
you doubt such evidence as your sense.
has just given you, what do you say
to this 2 And he extended his hand
on whose fourth finger the ring with
its three diamonds was glittering
Ralph tossed up the hand extended be
fore him, and turned and plunged out
Of the garden, though l called afte,
him rs loudly as 1 could; but my sick
and trembling voice hardly left my
lips; and was taken back to bed, ane
to a new access Of fever, in which
lived among shadows for a week.
When I gathered strength enough tt
remember that afternoon noticed tina,
Anstice sat in the window, clothed ir
deep black, and looking out to sea
and by-and.by they told me what had
followed.
Ralph had the next morning beer
called to test his torpedo; and he haG
gone to do it, strangely, Anstict
thought, without coming to see her, OF
inquiring for her after her swoon. And
when there was some hindrancc to thu
explosion down below, Ralph had sale
it was his invention, and his place to e
down and see what the matter nigh
be. And he had gone down, and on tn.
instant there had come muffled shock
and the sea was tossing in a huge foun
tain, white with the foam of might,
waves, and the distant gunboats rookie
with the swell, and Ralph never came
up again that they saw.
| waited q little while; but it seemed
best to do, and so told Antice of what
had seen and heard. And Anst;cf
swept down tho stairs, in her black
dress, and met Stuart coming in; 70,
he had been obsequiously kind in com
ing to help and sympathize.
"You are murderer ia murder,
er!'' she cried. ''Give me back the
ring you stole! You meant to make
me kill myself when you called to me
to shoot, and then you drove him ia
his death ! Give me back nv rings
you murderer - And white as ashes,
and trembling before her angry males.
ty and fire, he gave her back the ring
he kept concealed, and went away. He
was very i'll after that, and when the
doctor had sent him too the West In.
dies, and we heard no more of him.
And so our gay home became dark
and sad one. Once in a while we had a
dreary hope that Ralph had been
picked up by an outward-bound craft,
and would be back, and persuaded by
affection that Ansticc was incapable Of
loving any one but himself; but as time
passed the hope died, and we did the
best we could. And part of the time
Anstice locked herself in her room, and
part Of the time she roamcd. of into the
woods, or sat on the bluff gazing across
the sea; and then, as if the sight Of its
splcndor, as all it's shining scales spark
led and crept shoreward, grew too ter
rlble, starting up and wringing her
hands, and coming home and lying on
the sofa with her face hidden. And she