Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-05-13

and then tumbled into abysses amid the
sheltered timbers.
Naught but walls and ruin filed the hap
less suburban village.
"My boy where is my Walla 2" cried a
| gentleman, an hour later, str1dlng tnrougn
the scene of catastrophe.
"With his mother" muttered the man,
| "his proud, unnatural mother 4
The stranger faltered and stepped pack,
seeing his son in the arms OF Lillian Dreux.
And then with great manly isob, ne
clasped the bright, growing boy In MS
arms.
"Where is his mother" he asked, in
husky tones, 'Miss Lillian Dreux y
"Here !" said Gerald Sayre, pointing to
the girl he had loved, who was crouchlng
by his side.
The stranger shook his head.
''That is not Walla's mother" he said.
With great effort, Lillian arose.
"She is lying here, dying, she murmur-
ed, pointing to prostrate figure. "For-
give her faults and deception, for in another
hour she will be in the land of souls. She
assumed my name in the old time, Mr..
Cuthbert. She is my cousin, and am Lii
liam Dreux, who adopted your child and
here"
at is too late for Eve Auber to make
atonement," said feeble voice, smothered
in the debris that half hid her yellow hair
and penitent eyes. " My cousin Lillian,
whose name l assumed in our clandestine
love, adopted our child, and has suffered
for my school-g girl Irritation. She adopted
our child, Elmer. Set her right, if you
can, for | am dying"
Those were the last words that Eve Au-
ber ever uttered.
But Gerald Sayre heard them amid the
ruin and wreck of that day.
He made his way towards Lillian.
"There is no need for me to confess how
circumstances have misled me, he falter-
ed, bowing low before her, "but if l had
not have loved you, would not have cared,
you know"
"Oh, Gerald !" she cried, putting out
both her soft, helpless hands, " do for
give your unjust suspicious, for believe
all love has in it a certain element of ex-
clusiveness and jealousy. And you know
L couldn't betray poor Eve. Aud we will
not speak of the faults of one who is dead.
1 adopted her poor babe, and l promised,
in my love and pity for her, never
to reveal the fact that she had
been wooed and won clandestinely, using
my name, first in girlsh mischief, and then
because she dared not make confession.
Poor Eve There she lies, just as she was
stricken down by flying timber. And lit
tie Walla don't feel his loss, pretty baby
growing and laughing in his fathers arms. y
"But, Lily, the whirlwind is over, and
you are mine, are you not?"
eyes, Gerald, and always have been.
But, do you know that I was standing on
the balcony that night at Madame La
Oranges ball and heard all your converse
tion with the detective 2"
"My Lily, how can you forgive me for
being so easily persuaded to believe thai
you were deceiying me Z"
circumstances were against me-" an
swered Lillian, with mournful glance
toward her dead cousin.
"But didn't really believe the detective
that night" said Gerald; "though hall
mad with jealous pain, I assailed Cuthbert,
and he tossed me over the terrace like 9
a toy, and gave me broken limb"
Poor Outhbert he was misled as We
were" observed Lillian. When he sailed
for his Indian Utopia, he Thought he wai
going to amass fortune for his unacknowl
edged boy, and the wife who claimed m,
name. Ewes heart had changed, and she
refused to communicate with him; ant
when he returned unknown to any of US
he set detectives to work to find her where
abouts. But Eve is dead; let her faults
and inconsistency rest. Cuthbert has hi
boy, and no doubt is satisfied.
AS Lillian spoke, an inanimate burden,
with hair like shocks of gold streaming
from the impromptu bier, passed them
Outhbert, with the boy in his arms, follow
ing.
nPoor Eve !" murmured Lillian.
"Poor Eve |" reiterated Gerald; ''verily tn
girl sowed the wind to reap the whirlwind.
"We, at hast, should be lenient," OF
served Lillian.
my dear little wife-to-be, we will let th
dead past bury its Dead" " answere
Gerald Sayre, as they followed the sad cor
tege, " for the whirlwind has brought bu
the fruits of love that from this time
above SUSPICION"