The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-05-12

door, or. by Jove as sure as my name
is Dick Faulkner I'll"
A scream-such another scream as
Frank had heard once before that even
ing-issued from the interior of the
room. Tine door was flung open wide,
/ and Madame Rose, as she called herself,
| stood on the threshold.
Had love conquered, when she heard
Faulkner's voice, the old love for the
man who had usurped the first place in
her heart?
Strange if it were so, after her confess
sion to Frank still stranger, since she
stood looking at him with half-query-
ing. half frightened look on her beauti-
| full face.
Dick Faulkner held out his hand to
her, movement which the lady's true
/ knight sought to lnterpose but she re-
ceived the advance graclously, laying
her tapered jeweled fingers in the prof
fered palm.
Horton moved away with gesture of
| irritation 1t was evident, he thought,
that he was being played with, and made
| the victim of some idiotic connubial
| quarrel.
The next words, however, that were
| uttered arrested his attention, and made
him turn round once more.
g You have so far forgiven the dead
as not to shun the living who wishes You
no Ill"
1t was Faulkner who spoke. She ans
wered. in very low tones.
81 was laboring under a great mis-
| take. but the resemblance is so very
| strong"
"He was my twin brother. Though,
/ from my absence at the time of your
/ marriage, have never met you till now,
! believe me | have searched for you I'M
ceasingly, hoping by my devotion and
solicitude to mitigate at least some por-
ton of my brothers fault"
''I heard you had come back, but l
was afraid to meet you.
- Exactly so Mrs. Dent arranged n
meeting for us this evening. I thought
you might be in the hotel, and was
searching for You when"
"Your terrible likeness to the dead
produced the hasty impression that he
must have returned to life
Poor. Jack May he rest IN peace,
was the brothers pathetic word-trlb1te,
but the widows eyes flashed.
And all this while Frank Horton
stood against the wall as though thor
oughly pe1rified. He did not even at
tempt to move when Rose took heI
newly-found brother-iu-law In to look al
the sleeping child; in fact, he did not
give any evidence of rousing up til
Dick Faulkner. coming once more into
the passage, shook him roughly by the
arm, as he said with a laugh:
Having supped full of horrors, my
boy, let Us to better cheer"
A few seconds more and the five
stranded guests were sitting round Dicl
Faulkner's festive board.
He smiled on the beautiful Rose, anC
bade her remember that he had or
dered the fifth place to be laid In ex-
pectation Of her coming, and that, aftel
all the misery she had experienced from
! alcohol, the temperance drinks Were
also IN her honor, n remark at which thu
other men made grim faces, and, with
the exception Of Horton perhaps, wished
that Mrs. Rose Faulkner had not beer
there.
As for Frank, he was in such stat,
Of spooniness that if he had been tolC
that the price of gazing into Rose
lovely eyes was to drink water for tht
rest of his natural life. he would hay
accepted it without a demurrer. But h'
had the pleasure of toasting her IN some
thing stronger than temperance beyer
ages after all, for was 1t not an excep
tional night, as she Justly observed, and
as such, an exception to every rule
Besides" she added, with little
modest smile, 1T is the first time l hav
over been to bachelors supper party.
Six months later, when a June SUI
dispersed the icicles, and all natuI
looked glad and bright, there was M
gladder, brighter face to be seen 70
miles around than that of Rose ono
Faulkner now, but Rose Horton) rs sh
and Frank took possession OF prett.
cottage, where we viii leave them in tn
enjoyment of post-nuptial existence