The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-05-07


rents was not explained.
Black and heavy the clouds rolled up
from the west, till the whole sky was one
black canopy, beneath which the river
rushed foaming aud roaring; and against
the inky black ground the doomed Mill
stood out white and ghostlike.
Just when darkness had fallen on the
scene, two figures came out from the wood
and passed down to the lock bridge, and one
"A mans iigure--vanlshcd in the shadow;
the other ran swiftly towards the Grange
garden, which, at the back Of the house,
stretched 10 within few hundred yards of
the river.
AS Zeph--for it was she--drcw near to
the gate Of the garden, her keen eyes
detected form standing just without;
and her vcngefuI heart gave glad bound,
The next moment lima had sprung forward,
and Zeph WAS painting for breath, pressing
her hand TO her side.
"What IL it, What is the NATTER"
asked the Canadian hurriedly, her thoughts
flying instantly to Roland, who had left
her 80 in dStraught u state Of mind.
"Oh, LADY," taltered the girl, 81 was
coming TO tell you'll daremt tell them al
the Larches; and the young squire was.
fond of you; wasn't he, ladyp
$50 on" said lima, grasping Zeplfs
wrist and speaking quite sternly in her
agony and terror. "What has hoppenedp
"He's down there, lady--in uncIe's cot
tage--drowned. Father found him"
But lima waited for no more; she ran
down the slope fleetly as a deer. She had
reached the bottom, and had turned TO
ask Zeph, who was a little way behind,
where the cottage was, when a stalwalt
forni-whch even In that second she recog-
Missed as that of Job Hcston--sprang out
before her, and, before she could utter
cry or word, thick shawl was thrown
over her head, and she was lifted In
grasp against which her widest struggles
would have been vain. She did not struggle
she did not try to cry QUIT would have
been useless if she had. She perceived
even in that bewildering moment Of nor.
rer never to be forgotten, that she was the
victim Of u terrible epton-that Job
Hcston and his daughter were but the
tools of Roland Sabine.
"Don't hurt her, father,". she heard
Zeph say, as she was being borne rapidly
towards the weir; but its roar grew
louder and louder, SO that Jobs muttercd
reply was lost in the thunder Of the angry
waters. Were they going to throw her
over? She almost wished they were. But
no; she was carried on--still on, over the
lock bridge They were taking her to the
Mill-the Mill that would be washed away
that night Where was Zeph now2 Gone?
All, Heaven, there was some sense of pro-
lection while in her presenCe She was
woman, evil though lima knew her to be-
lima did not faint, not once did her
keen wits desert her, Every faculty was
sharpened She quickly reyolyed the
feasibility Of any appeal to her csptor,
and dismissed 1t as worse than futile, In
the first place, Heston was firmly con-
WINGED that Dark Darrell would perish in
that nights floods, and therefore he would
only laugh ut her If she promised him
reward from her lover if he would save
her; IN the second place, she felt certain
that, though the roar of the weir prevented
her from hearing anything else, Roland
Sabine was close at hand, and possibly
nay, probably-armed; so that treachery
on jobs part would be instantly frus.
trated,
Her Cousins object was, she thought, to
imprison her in the Mill, and 10 try to
force her into promise TO fly with him,
leaving her, if she refused, to perish in the
floods; and, horribly as this fate was, IL
was Elysium compared to that which she
had first conceived, and which even now
was not beyond possibility.
Her hurried reasoning was cut short by
JOB pausing; then hc commenced TO as
cend steps He was going into the Mill! |
Then for the first time she heard steps fol-
lowing. On they went, still on; they had
passed the first floor. Next somewhat
steep ladder was climbed, something was
set down by the man who followed job
the man was Roland, lima kncw-and the
next moment she was put down gently,
the shawl removed, and she found herself
In the disused corn-loft from the narrow
window Of which she had gazed few days
before, and Roland Sabine stood before
her, the dim rays of lantern shining upon
his CHASTITY face.
To DO Continuedl