Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-10-19

her she would be one Of the very first per-
sons to call on her, and WANTED her to be
on her guard and encourage no intimacy
with her whatever, for l think her one Of
the most dangerous persons 1 ever knew.
You have 10 idea, Clare, Low perfectly
unprincipled she is. But to return to the
letters. We must send for them and ex-
anime them. / feel pursuaded there has
been foul play. The pOst-boy in the city
goes to the office very early, and the mail
is laid on the counting-roOm desk when
it is brought in, and remain there until
father or Mr.. lie Verrier comes down.
Some one must have distracted your let
tiers and put others in their place. Some
enemy either to you or Arthur, must have
done it, or some girl, who had designs up
on him. | cannot think otherwise
Clare did not feel the least giimmer of
hope at his suggestions, they seemed to be
perfectly improbable.
"We must go back and consult Aunt
Mary" he said, as he turned his horses
head the other way.
They were soon back at Mrs. Honfleur's,
and Frank told his aunt what Arthur had
said to him, and that Clare insisted she
had never written any such letter.
q can soon prove the truth or falsity of
Arthur's assertions, for have the package
Of letters" said Mrs. Honfleur.
Clare was very much surprised at their
being in her mothers possession, but soon
had 1t explained to her how they came
there and the reasons her mother had for
never mentioning them to her.
She went to her escretOire and took out
the bundle, which had never been opened.
She broke the seal which held the wrap
per, and, as she opened it, a valuable seal
ring, which Glare had given Arthur, rolled
out upon the floor. Clare remembered so
well the evening that she had placed it on
his finger, and the kiss she laid there with
it, telling him that that had sealed it down,
and no other hands but hers must ever
remove it, and such flood of memories
came over her that she was completely
OYerpOwered until relieved by tears.
The letters were regularly filed, dated
on the outside and numbered. 1t was no
trouble to refer to them. Frank sought
for the last one, opened it and read aloud
the one which Miss Thompson had writ
ten last to Arthur and sent in the place Of
the one she had distracted.
Glare was perfectly appalled, at its con-
tents and its tone.
"Can l wonder, mother, that he should
have written as he did. He is at least eX-
Onerated from blame, and there is a load
removed from my heart. But who could
have been base enough for such an act as
this. May God forgive them, l fear l
never cam
Tram IUUkGti dG inc QUIET lGbleIE 10 SEE
if there were any others fabricated, and
Glare took hold of them, too, though she
shuddered at the touch OF them. She
readily separated those which were not
genuine from the others, and she only
wondered that he had not discarded her
on receiving the very first Of these.
mother, who could possibly have done
this, and how artfully as well as basely
it has been accomplished. 1t must have
hnnO siprn nv n fhjG T1ninhhOr-
hood, for the letters bear our household
news, and who in New Orleans would
have known anything about it?'
you forget, my daughter, that the par
ties who wrote these letters took yours
away. Having access to yours they could
Of course, appropriate your topics. The
similarity of the handwriting surprises
me most"
Louise entered warmly into the feelings
Of her new relations, and manifested her
unselfishness by proposing that Frank
should go to New Orleans and see Arthur
and make the necessary explanations.
Clare was entirely opposed to that, said
that Louise could not spare him, and she
knew ne did not want to go, and when
these objections were OYerruled she gave
her true reason. She thought it would be
unmaidenIy il her to move in the matter.
that it would be making advances to him,
and, beside, she said, perhaps he might
think | wrote the letters-the writing is
precisely like mine-and suppose that they
expressed my feelings at the time, but
that now l had repented Of what l had
done, and wanted to undo it. How he
would spurn me if he held that opinion"
But he would not, Glare. How could
he think that you would stOop to such a
falsehoCd? He knows you BETTER"
'He thought l wrote those letters,
mother. How could he have supposed me
base enough to have written suchp'
"He received them as yours, Glare. They
look like your writing; what reason had
he to think them forged. ! wish Frank
would go and find cut, if possible, who has
perpetrated this base fraud"
eli he could find the original letters by
going down, / would not object. | would
be willing for him to 20 to Mr.. lie Yerrier
if he could take both sets of letters. That
would be convincing proof that my words
are true. But those are, of course, de-
strOyed, so that is impossible"
"My darling, was your word ever
doubted by anybody"
But this looks so incredible, mamma"
The night drew on, and Frank and
Louise went to their home, promising to
come over again in the morning, hoping
by that time, Glare having had time for
reflection, would consent to their wishes.
Soon after Mrs. Honfeur had retired to
ACob UA4ett hA-ub d messenger Cttltit " uGI
in great haste from Mrs. Thompson, beg
ging her to come to her as quickly as pos
sibie, for she was dying.
Mrs. HOnfeur arose and made hurried
preparations to go, and was soon with the
evidently dying woman, who was alone
with her servants. She spoke with great
difficulty, but said she had some things TO
say before she departed.
''The property which she held, her home
=
said. ''In the settlement of my husbands
estate, they gave me the choice to take
this plantation and servants as mine dur
ing my lifetime, or very small property
too small, knew, ever to maintain US in
fee simple. ] felt compelled to accept the
annuity, or sink down into a state cf all
ject poverty, which / had not the courage
to face. l reasoned with myself that it
was no injustice to my child, for l could
educate her well, and when grown she
would marry and have home of her own,
while if | took the smaller property it
would all be gone before she was grown,
for it would meltaway with our expenses.
l had an express understanding with the
parties who settled the place upon ne
that it should never be revealed until my
death. | always thought that when my
daughter was grown l would tell her the
position of things, but you know jamie
has q violent and ung0vernable temper,
and was afraid to tell her lest she might
desert me when she found she had nothing
to expect from me in the way Of property"
She continued: "There are duplicate
copies Of the way in which the business
was settled. You viii find my copy in
drawer in my cabinet which opens with
secret spring. [ wish you would find the
paper and take charge of it, and give it
into the hands Of my child on her return.
Poor child, she will think document
which substantiates her claim to pauper-
ism is a miserable legacy for her mother
to leave her. But she is obliged to be made
acquainted with the facts"
Mrs. Thompson then described to Mrs.
Honleur how she could get possession
Of the paper. She said: at is in my
cabinet, but jamie has taken possession
Of il, and you will find it in her room, she
knows nothing of the secret compartment
which l have been describing to you. She
probably has the KEYS with her in New
Orleans, and you will have to break the
lock-"
Mrs. HOnfleur went at her request to
search for the document. She took all the
keys which she could find in the house,
and after trying many was at length able
to open the door. She drew out an inner
drawer which was also locked, but she
succeeded in pTying 1t open, as it was be-
hind this where the secret drawer was.
Eho stoo6 thu 0ua cha had dra YIN ont