The Red Cloud chief., 1879-05-29

choice. All At once, like . thunderbol
cut Of Q clear sky, came the crushing
blow which destroyed her happiness II
one hour.
In his bachelor days, and before b
met Lydia Trenthsm, Leonard Drake'i
name had been associated with . beau
tiful girl, who afterwards married Q Mr..
Dorchester, q banker. People said she
had never loved him, but that her hear
had been given TO Leonard Drake; that
Leonard had really loved her, and that
Miss Bentley had only taken the rich
banker I" because" as she said, "Leon-
ard and herself were too poor TO mar.
ry."
Lydia, at the time, hearing these
things, had not been without jealousy.
but the entire devotion OF Leonard had,
in the end, satisfied her; and for years
she had forgotten even the existence OF
Mrs. Dorchester.
Suddenly Mrs. Dorchester had APP
peared at the summer resort where the
brakes were residing temporarily.
Here she had renewed her acquaintance
with Leonard. Lydia remembered well
how embarrassed both had seemed at
the unexpected meeting. Mrs. Dor
chester was q widow now; notes began
to pass betwee her and Lydia's hus-
bard; and twice the wife had detected
them walking together in the dusk Of
the evening.
For weeks she had struggled against
convection, hoping towards the last
against hope, until this day, when she
had found a torn and crumpled letter
hidden between the pages Of a book, the
first words of which drove her almost
insane. She remembered now that she
had surprised her husband that morn
ing reading a letter which, 10 her aston
ishment, he had shuflled into an open
volume before him, but SIZE had not no
ticed what book it was, and it was by
accident only she now discovered it.
II was but the part of q letter, how
ever, that she found. The paper had
evidently been torn into several pieces,
and only q portion had been thrust into
the book, as if $50 she reasoned now
her husbands agitation had deprived
him for the moment Of his s~elf-control.
Under any other circumstances a paper
belonging TO Leonard would have been
sacred TO her, but when she saw the first
significant words, "We must keep the
secret" she read Mrs. Dorchester's sig
nature at the end.
Much was lost, all was more or less
incoherent, but enough remained to
convince the tortured wife that every
thing "a over for her in the way of
happiness in this world.
She remained there for nearly half an
hour, dazed, crushed, not knowing as
yet what TO do. The door opened at
last and old Dorcas came in. Old Dor
cas- had been Lydia's nurse and had fol-
lowed her after her marriage, the only
one, poor or rich, that had stuck to her
fallen fortunes. She started back on
seeing the ashly face of her mistress.
"What is it?" said Lydia, %rousing
her-elf.
"a note from Mr. Drake" was the
reply. "But, deary me! are you i'll,
ma'am?"
"No, l am quite WE'LL" answered the
poor wife with a great effort. "Ab, l
see that Mr.. Drake writes he is going to
join q party to 60 up to Dover not to
return till night, if / will excuse his
coming back TO dinner"
"Yes," Dorcas said vaguely.
"The man who brought the note
waits for an answer. Tell him to say
to MIR. Drake, go, w all means l
haven't time or l would write"
Dorcas started of, but her mistress's
voice again made her pause.
"When you have sent him away
to my rOom-I want YOU" said
Lydia.
There was q little delay, but when
Dorcas entered the her mistress
was busy with q traveling-bag.
"Dorcas," she said, s.you have been
with me all my life-do you want to re-
main with me stillP"-
The voice was so cold, the face SO
white, Dorcas dared make no scene.
"I'l 60 with you to the worlds end,
ma'am!" she answered, feelingly.
"Then get ready. / AM going to
Boston-on from there as fast as l can.
Tel nobody. Get your things out of
the house as secretly rs possible"
"Going? Where? What is the mat
ter?" groaned Dorcas.
"If you can't be quiet and obey with
out q question you must stay behind"
Lydia answered, in the same hard, un-
natural voice. ''Be quick and choose
l have no time to waste"
She sat down and wrote a letter to
her husband, inclosed the torn pages
she had found, and poured out the mad
jealousy of the past weeks that had this
day eliminated.
IL have done now," she wrote.
"People were right: you loved her, and
o me; and now that she is rich and l
am poor, l am too proud to wait till l
am east of. So l go, and you need not
follow; you could not find me even if
you wished. Remember that hence
forth your life is free from me. Think
of me as dead, if you like. In your
hands is the only proof of our marriage
destroy it; nothing will then stand
between you aEd peace. l have only to
beg you to forgive me for allowing you
to link your fate with q miserable and
impoverished wife instead of with an
heiress, as you hoped"
The letter ended as abruptly as it be-
gan ami was sealed and placed on
brakes writing-table. Dorcas came
softly into the room, crying q little in q
quiet way. Every thing was ready
they could 60.
Late that evening Leonard Drake re.
turned to be Mortified by the news that
his wife wa not there, though the de-
nestle had supposed, from what Dorcas
said, that she and her mistress had gone
to Dover to meet MIR. Drake. Leonard
took q light and hurried 10 his room
where the first object that met his eyes
was the letter Lydia had written.
Five years had elapsed since Lydis's
disappearance. But she looked older