Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-10-06

Iors say, mace MS will yesterday. He be-
ileves, Amber, chat you will marry me. I
l will take You to him this moment.D
He drew nearer.
land if l do not-whst them"
"1nen you will not see him. He has made
MS Will in that belief; and has left all to go
TO me with the title, feeling sure that 1
sn n ~ do what is right by you. # he dies,
less am playing both for. love and for.
tune, Amber. IL you will not marry me,
at least you will take no fortune to your
He said much to the same effect, but only
exclted more and more my indignation and
anger. l refused to bind myself, refused
how futile was all hope that should be
released unless l would promise to do as he
wished. He avowed that he had planned
TO Keep me at Ludford in ignorance of Sir
Martih,s illness, satisfying the old man
Win lying excuses of my absence. But the
news oozed out, as we know, and then my
telegram announced that he was defeated.
that l was coming. In his perplexity he
hit upon the desperate scheme of shutting
me up IN my own rooms; and with this
success.
All this he told me. So wild did it render
that tried to take the key from him by
pulled me back, and sobbing bitterly with
rage and grief I flung myself upon my bed.
Slowly the weary hours of the night wore
away. Now 1 would leap restlessly up and
try the door; now I would strive to move
the woman, persuade, bride, brighten her:
but all IN vain. Now l would moan as l
conJured up the picture of my dying grand
1atner only a few rooms away calling upon
deed.
Early in the morning James came again:
tins time he stayed merely to ask if my res.
oiatson held out; and finding that l loathed
MN he went sullenly away again. He was
aaggard and perplexed; could my grand
father have taken a turn for the better? NY
heart leapt high with hope and then sank;
would Sir Martin be safe in nv u%nscrupu.
lous Cousins hands? And this added
another terror to my position. Through the
pare door came no sound of life.
Az dusk he paid us a third visit. It was
Ruthless, though he told me that Sir Martin
was worse; and, o dark-eyed and bag
gard than eves', went away again. This
line l made up(my mind that I would es-
cape. My passion had worn itself out by
tins time, and fear had taken its place. In
the dark l sat and watched my passive
Keeper, and turn from her to glance round
the room for the means of escape. l could,
perhaps, let myself down from the window,
IT could get rid of her. If! All, that if!
The riddle was to be solved in a different
way.
About nine o'clock heard the swing-door
fall to with a bang quite unlike the stealthy
way in which my cousin came and went:
then hurried footsteps along the passage;
and then the noise of some one searching
for the door-handle in the dark. I sprang
up, wild with excitement-perhaps it was
with fear. My immovable companion even
looked alarmed. We stared into one an
AMBER! Miss McMichael, are you
THEREOF
Ojoy,, it was Ainslie's voice! My heart
leaped high with the sudden revulsion.
How the fear and dread that were over
Whelming ME passed away at the sound!
He knew our sit alton; for without losing
time he warned me to stand back from the
door, and, throwing himself against it, at
the second attempt burst it in. In a mo-
ment he was inside and his arm around
me.
Stake me to him, Ainslie; take me to
him." I cried.
He knew to whom l meant, yet he paused
as we were leaving the room and looked in
my face.
r you prepared for a great shock,
dear? Will you be very brave? 1t is good
news, my darling; better than you can i'm
agine. There is some one with Sir Martin
who has at present a better right to you
even than l have"
AOA0O oAAlOuo4y, uOU compromising
what he was saying, but only eager to be
by my grandfather's side. We fastened
through several passages, all deserted, and
indicating the confusion into which the
house was thrown. In the corridor outside
Sir Martins room all the servants were
seemed in no degree surprised at our sud-
den appearance together. Ainslie opened
the door and led me softly in.
Thu old mans sight was failing, and to
suit it the spacious .dark-paneled room
was lit with numerous candles, which yet
failed to dispel the gloom. Ny. grand
father was greatly changed. His face was
and drawn; but the shadow of death
eemed to be held at bay by the painful
look of anxiety and doubt that possessed
his features. There was some one stand
ing by his bedside, away from us, whom
I took to be the nurse. At the foot of the
bed was my treacherous cousin, in an at.
He did not see us or the servants who,
over our shoulders, peeped in with looks
of scared wonder. As we entered,he took
a step nearer to the bed, as if to separate
the other two.
81 have told you, sir, my cousin has
she will be here and tell you so, sir. Let
the will wait until then. Can you not trust
grandfather
eyes, yes," said the old man, with diff
Guilty; .but let me see her. Why isn't
Amber here"
sShe is at Ludford, Sir Martin. She has
been sent for, and in a few hours will be
here,' answered James, pretending to look
at his watch.
"You lie, James McMichael! She is not
at Ludford. She is here, in your power"
The speaker advanced out of the shadow
Of the curtain; at the same time that James
sprang back with establishment, as much
at the voice, so wonderfully resembling Sir
Martins as at the sudden attack.
"Who are you" he cried.
"Your uncle, your uncle, come back from
the grave to confound your villainy. Where
is my daughterW
1t was the stranger whom 1 had met in
the railway carriage. Only as n in a
dream had l gathered the meaning of what
was said. I felt Ainslie push me forward;
I heard q rising murmur OF surprise among
the servants; I saw James, blanched and
beaten face and my grandfather's eyes
turned painfully toward me. The room
seemed to turn round, and as my father
clasped me in his arms l tainted.
Left for dead by the mutineers, my father
had been found still breathing by an old
servant, who concealed him in a little low
caste village Of the Rajpoot country. There,
it is as wonderful as true, he regained his
health of body; but his memory was gone.
For seventeen years he lived, harmless, in
deed, and venerated by the Hindoos of the
village as a sacred person, and jealously
guarded and supported by them as the
source Of their prosperity. At the end of
those long. dark wears, an arMV doctor fell