The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-01-25

when IL is said that he married a young
and very pretty woman, 1t may be infer
red that she married for position. II is
10 be feared she never truly loved him;
and when, about five years being past,
he died, leaving her with one child,
Austin, and mistress Of large fortune,
probably, after the first shock, Of his
death was passed, she experienced q
sense of relief. Certain II was that she
abandoned her mourning at as early a
period as possible, and once more ap-
peared In society.
When Austin was twenty-four, she
died, very suddenly, of apoplexy, leav-
ing him at the head Of house magnln-
Gently furnished, well stocked with
wines and servants-and with not five
thousand pounds beyond this property.
That he might have been useful
member of society, is very evident from
the mode in which he met his new
position. AT once he put down the
establishment, sent the serva nts about
their business, sold off the furniture and
wines, disposed of the carriages and
horses In the best market and, within
month of Mrs. Sivory's death, the
house in which she died was empty,
and to be let.
There were number of creditors to
pay; and when all was settled, Austin
found himself the possessor of about
four thousand pounds, and, 80 far, q
respectable character.
What was he to dop He had been 30
indurated to luxury and society, that he
was utterly untitled to go through the
hard work, which the requirement of
any profession would have demanded.
But the native energy Of the man
inherited, probably, from the father
told him that he must take to some
means of replenishing his means; so he
adopted as a profession the three ways
of making money in "Society''-betting
upon races, billiards and cards. These
practices had been his amusements, to
which he had served a very long and
handsome apprenticeship and they
became his handicraft-one to which he
added little stock jobbing when he had
large funds in hand, and he had no
immediate call for them.
Thus commenced, and was continued
through four or five years,a strange,a and
exciting life. Beginning with those
few thousand pounds, and with all the
appearance of being rich man--few
knew to the contrary-he lived like
wealthy person; and was, indeed, some
times comparatively wealthy. Sometimes
he was worth thousands, at others worth
nothing. 1t has been seen how, at the
commencement of this story, Austin
had reached one of his bad seasons, and
had been unable to meet Graham Forbes
upon a certain settling-day; how he had
accepted bills for the amount; and how,
his good fortune waiting for him at the
German gaming tables, he had won
sufficient money to pay the acceptances
held against him by the dead man and
how, finally, he had cleared his charac-
ter before the magistrate, though he had
not cleared it before Margaret herself,
and Webber.
At this point he was brought into
Margaret's pure presence. He had ad-
mired-he had never loved; and what
woman was more likely to inspire him
with the master passion than this lovely,
retired, and unassuming womanp
n
A month passed, and, in his heart,
Austin Sivory lived but for Margaret.
In his heart be was at her feet.
But he had no power to tell her this.
Never did he see her but the detective
was present-never were his cold, dead
eyes taken off the couple while they
were together; and Austin, battling
with the great passion, which is all the
more terrible an enemy when 1t faces US
for the first time when we are no longer
very young-Austin almost prayed that
Varli might die; for instinct told him
the man was his great enemy.
AS the child plays with the viper
until it turns and bites him, so Austin
had dallied with passion which could
be only fatal. 1t had gripped his throat,
and he was gasping at its mercy.
CHAPTER X.
Webber never once relaxed i'm his