The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-03-20

have done for me; you rescued me T0n
| degradation worse than death, and have
given me an education which but few in
this country receive. And now out OF
the goodness of your heart, not knowing
l'how else to dispose OF me, you are will
ing to marry me rather than allow me to
be cast out upon the world friendless.
| Such an act can not permit. You shall
| not be bound to Christine Dupray,
daughter of 'the wickedest woman in the
Colonies The blight would be fatal 10
us both. / leave my thanks, and Chris.
tine will pray for you rs long as the
breath of life is in her body. Farewell
forever"
He re-read the note, and then turned to
the preceptress, who was standing ncrV-
ously awaiting him to speak,
"My protege has gone to England" he
said, quietly. "She could not wait to
consult me. ! hope she had money
enough to defray her expenses"
The woman breathed more freely. She
had expected q scene-expected to be
upbraided for not keeping stricter
watch over her pupil.
II think she nad,7 she answered.
"You were very liberal in your allow
ance of spending money, and Miss Chris
tine was very careful; she never fritz
tered it away as other girls do"
"Haye YOU any bill against mew he
queried.
"None whatever"
"Then good dayp and he was gone.
Six years later.
Guy Hardclitfe had succeeded in the
mines beyond his widest expectation.
Almost at The last moment when his
courage was beginning to fail, he had
struck upon such q streak of gold, in
Golden Gulch, that his fortune was
made in r few days. Then word came
to him that his uncle was dead, and he
came into the Hardcliffe property and
| title.
He sailed Tor England. and went to
| his new home. Everything was strange
| to him. The customs OF the country,
the stiffness of his new life-every thing
was dull--and he gave up and went to
| Paris, to see if he could there be amused
| lor a little while.
Mademoiselle Santelli was advertised,
and many were tiocking to see her. She
was the new cantatrice about whom all
men We're going crazy. Her beauty and
her voice were rayed about, until Guy
Hardclitfe determined to 20 and see her
ior himself.
Once in the building, be was spell
bound. In the beautiful creature, whose
glowing Ioyeliness infatuated all who
w
the girl he had won by game OF cards
Christine Dupray!
lie watched, he listened, and in that
hour he felt his doom sealed. No wo-
man had ever thrilled him as this wo-
man did; no woman had ever seemed the
l,same.
| lie made no remarks, but asked his
friend her history.
"She came from Australia" his friend
| said-"an orphan, alone. Her voice, on
shipboard, attracted the attention of old
McZzo, and he engaged her TO go to Italy
and nave her talents educated. She did
SO; and when he introduced her to the
public she was Immediately successful.
Men were mad about her." he continued,
"wherever she went; and Mezzo's wild
owed sister travelled with her, and took
care of her, and no one could say word
derOgatory to her."
Hardcllfle listened like one in dream.
"lntroduce me-" he said.
His friend obeyed.
When brought in close contact with
her, he admired her even more deeply
than when she was on the stage; but to
him as to the rest, she maintained the
same cold politeness. He knew that she
did not recognize him, for he had
changed in appearance, and his true
name she mad never known.
Day by day he haunted her, and she
was about to leave Paris, he suddenly
became ireMZied, and told her he could
not live without her longer.
She listened to his torrent of words
with trembling lips.
"Do not say more" she pleaded. "You
know not what you ask. l Shall never
marry"
"Why not?"
"My past" she said quietly-"I can
not reveal it, and it iorbids such a
thing"
lie approached nearer.
"ChrisLine," he said, soitiy-"Chris-
tine, l know it all, and there is nothing
in it that should separate u.s."
'"You-you"-she ialtered-"were the"--
"The man who won you. Christine,
let me win you again."
And lie did. He never regretted hav-
ing won> for his wife the Christine he
won from the "Wickedest woman in the
Colonies" who confessed al the last mo-
ment of her life that she was not her own
daughter, but only an adopted child.