Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-01-08
Au Original Storg.
Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.
THE THREAD OF FATE.
BY VICTOR VERNON.
CHAPTER III.

the h0uSeh0lQ lay IN al apdrtlueuI ""JoiniuS
Mrs. Thorndale's This had been appropria
ted to his use during his illness, and here his
remains were waiting to be cofined and borne
away. The window sashes were partly rails,
ed, and deatbly chill pervaded the room,
as the night air, stealing in, tapped the long
white blinds and stirred the ghostly looking
drapery of the bed. sra.- r.a
Like spirit of gloom, whose sombre as,
pect and stealthy movements be6tted we'll the
nature of the scene, Charity entered, closing
and locking the door behind her. She held
a candle, which she shaded with her hand to
prevent its being extinguished by the draught;
but finding the current of air still too strong,
she took down large old fashioned glass
shade which stood upon a shelf, and placed
the light beneath it on table near the bed.
Then deliberately turning down the sheet
that had been drawn over the face OF the
corpse, she folded her arms and scanned its
features long and immovably.
"There you lie, John Thorndale," she said
aloud, at last, in slow, cold tone. "There
you lie, white and stark, and can know never
thing of what is going on. And it's been
my hand which has dressed you in your
sbroud, and done everything else for you,
which your poor, feeble wife hadn't the
strength to see after. That's as it should be.
Who but me should have waited on you and
tended you to the last? Many time I've
wanted to push her out of the way, when she
was giving you medicine, or reading the
Bible to you-bah l could have prayed
and preached as well-and l felt that she
was in my place, the place l thought ONCE |.
was going to fill. You were very wicked to
me, John; you deceived me, when believed
in you and trusted you. But never hated
you it is her hatcher and the boy. For
you love them both and despise me. This
ought to be my home, John; this house,
and the farm, and everything belonging to
it, should all be mine by rights. What's
your wife's niece's son, that he should come
in for the property, as know he will after
a while Didn't l overhear you two talk
ing one night last week, and didn't you tell
her about your will and what was in it?
The boy isn't honestly born,' you said, but
he's poor Helen Dudley's child, and she was
like our daughter once, and he's good boy
and deserves it all after you're gone. While
you live its yours, and when your time comes
you'll feel that it's we'll left. But not word
did you say about me- And to think you
should leave it to him, believing him to be
what you did You little guessed the truth .!
And little does your wife guess it, and never
SHALL But Ill be even with you yet, per.
haps; anyhow I'll leave no stone unturned.
If you could speak, John, Id coax you on
my bended knees to tell me where you've hid
that will. 1t must be in here, think. I've
got the secretary keys, and l mean to search.
She's sleeping most as sound as you are, now.
thanks to the drugged wine. Nubodyll dis
turb me in my search. Everybody's in bed,
but me but how can sleep? No, no, I've
too much to do to 60 to sleep yet. To-mor-
rowll, be the reading of the will-if they can
find it. They WON'T find it, if | can get
ahead of them. The boys claims once set
aside-and he has none except through the
will reckon I can work out my plans.
Well, it's time to 60 to work. mustn't waste
my opportunities in talking, especially as you
can't understand. Oh! John, why wouldn't
you listen to me, when you could? Indeed,
indeed, would have made you good, de-
voted wife p
A strange spasm crossed her hard face.
With a sudden moyent she bent forward, and
pressed her lips to the cold forehead of the
unconscious form. eff you had only listened
to me, John if you had only listened to mel"
she muttered brokenly, with gasping breath.
But the weakness was but momentary. Hur
riedly Strengthening herself she dashed her
hand across her eyes, and replaced the GOV.
ering in its former position ; then drawing a
bunch of keys from her pocket advanced to-
wards the old fashioned secretary that stood
in corner of the room, and proceeded to her
nefarious undertaking.
While thus engaged, it may cast some en-
lightenment upon her conduct to 60 back
over period of many years, and see in what
relation she and John Thorndale had stood
to each other in their early youth.
When quite girl she had been left an or
phan, and had been taken in charge by the
old Mrs. Thorndaie, whose son was just grow
ing up. There was tie of blood between
them, hsf mother having been half.aunt of
Mrs. -Thorndaies but there had been some
-disreputable behavior in her branch Of the
family, and the relationship was not willing
ly acknowledged. Kind feeling, however,
prompted generous treatment of the orphan,
who found comfortable home with her new
friends. Unfortunately for her peace, deep
attachment for her cousin John sprang up in
her heart, and want of reciprocity on his
part had no effect in lessening its force. He
was then careless, kindly young fellow, full
of warm impulses, always ready to do a gen.
erous deed, but seldom attaching much i'm.
portance to any words or acts of his own
which passed out of his mind almost as quick.
ly as said or DONE He little dreamed that to
every trivial circumstance Of his intercourse
with his mothers charge was attached, in her
estimation, weight far greater than that
which it actually possessed, and which he
himself would have been the last to assign tc
it. To his complete astonishment, and nc
less to his discontinue, she one day en-
braced the opportunity, when they were alone
30 Liz, hot ba woo tho nhioot n