Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-07-20


story Of her adoption" he said. at
was Miss Alicia Power, of course, since
IL IS evident that the worst side of the
matter has been given You. and you
have taken her insinuatiOns rs gospel
truth"
''It was the girl herself She knew,
IL appears, that you held il as Sc
crct too sacred 10 impart to me. VIVA.
Miss Alicia had 90 say only goes 10 show
how perfectly preposterous is the story
she tells
''NIiss Alicia be hanged"' cried Launt,
wrathfully. "As il / have not borne
enough without having her to mix in
the muddlc-a painted, made-up Great
urc, rs dcccitful within as she is false
externally
"IOu are hard on Miss Power" said
Madame Harrington, dryly. GLOW. then,
do YOU Justify Mrs. Oliphant in dycing
her hair?"
Lamt opened his eyes. This seemed
To him a leap To the ludicrous. IL struck
upon his humorous sensibilitics and he
burst out laughing.
"Has il really come TO that? And is
that the mole-hill out of which YOU have
made mOuntain9 i beg your pardon,
but # Mrs. Oliphant dyes she does it so
admirably that l have never suspected
the fact"
''lt is no laughing matter" said Mad
anne Harrington, gravcly. 1.-The wOm-
ans hair j. -whitc-much whittier
than mine"
"You have Miss Powers word for t?''
asked Launt, incrcdulously.
IL have, but she mentioned il before
Dana, who tried To make some excuse.
Manages one weakness is her lovely
hair, she said, and she is so young To
wear such silvery crown. / don't
know how you ever found il out.
Cousin Alicia. Nobody ever suspected
il before"
"And what Of ftp" asked Launt. with
growing Impotence. What possible
bearing can that fact have upon the
subject of my marriage? You don't
expect me To give up Dana because her
mother uses little art in Keeping her
! youthful lOOksg' And Launt laughed
again mt the tremendous absurdity of
such n supposition.
Madame FarringtOn's gravity re-
manned unaltcred.
Rather. because Of the secret which
has produced such an effect"
q" think, LauncclOt ''-Launt bracc,l
himself; il was sign Of something
portentious coming when his grand
mother addressed him rs Launcclot-
Il think, infatuated rs YOU are, Won
can hardly have failed to see that some
deep and dark mystery attaches to Mrs.
Oliphant. No woman ever bore the
signs Of an unquiet conscience more
/ plainly than she does. IL is evident to
me that she has some mental strain
upon her which is fast breaking her
/ down.
"Shc Is in ill-hcalth."
should say she was in agonies of
/ fear or rcmOrsc. or both. You can see
I u when her eyes arr fixed upon her huS-
band or Dana, when she believes her
self unObservcd. You would think she
was taking the last look she could have
Of them upon earth"
Mrs. Oliphant is the tenderest of
mothers. the most devoted Of wives. &"
The tendercst Of mothers. ;" Madame
Harrington repeated, meaningly. well.
she may be that. Launt. does nothing
/ tell you what this secret of hers must
be? The resemblance th,y bear each
other, the utter improbability that so
young n bride would adopt an unknown
chi.d-can YOU not see that they are
/ really mother and daughter? No. do
not grow angry; hear me out. am
coming To Miss Alicia's part of the
story. She attended her cousins we'd
ding. and she tells me that she was
aware then that Miss Sangerford had
some inexplicable interest in an infant
which was lodged in n cottage near her
fathers home. She discovered that she
made daily visits there. she learned
facts which no one else suspected, and
she has indubitablc proof that IL was the
same child which Mrs. Oliphant after
ward palmed off upon her husband as a
deserted waif. and which he was led by
her cntreatics TO adopt. She is certain
of that fact. The child had peculiar
mark which attracted her attention, and
that mark she has discovered Dana
Oliphant bears. l could consent,
Launcelot, TO your wedding an obscure
and portionless girl. but never one
whose only birthright is n shameful
secret, who is branded as it were with
her own disgrace"
Launt started. Something like those
words had rung in his ears before
SHANE and disgracer' and with them
the lawyers sneering question: You
couldn't imagine anything of that
sort in connection with Mrs. Oil
plant, now. could youP" He threw
back his head. There was n flame in
his cheeks, blaze in his eyes, and he
brought his clenched hand down upon
the mantel by which he stood, with n
force which set every ornament there
juggling.
Il don't and I won't believe IL. Fur
thermore. grandmother. warn you not
TO spread the vile Islander that woman
has manufactured. / will take IL upon
myself TO give her n warning which 1
think she will heed. The insult To Mrs.
Oliphant Is not one which her husband
would overlook should il come TO his
ear. As for me, need hardly tell you
that the tittle-tattle Of n mischief-mak-
ing old maid will not turn me from my
purpose. II you choose to let il weigh
with you -"
With n wordless cry. Madame Far
rington held out her trembling hands.
IL was as IL she recognized force which
she was powerless 10 resist, and begged
for mercy to herself in her helpless age.
IF YOU choose to let il part Us. il will
be your doing. not mine" finished
Launt. less hardly than be had begun.
II don't believe L. but IL It were true.
would marry her all the same. can
not live without her"
"And he means it, cried Madame
Harrington, bitterly, He Is his fathers
son. he threw his life away for a most
unworthy woman; and you-you are
ready TO do the same If your whim Is de-
MED you. You have no pity for mel "
She rose from her chair. Roth were