Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-05-15

"Ah, you thought I did not know you
I should penetrate any disguise you wore
Besides you have forgotten to remove q
badge Of recognition"
She followed with her eyes his down.
ward glance, and saw that it rested on hel
hand, ungloved, as in better accord with
the exigencies of her costume.
Involuntarily she drew it away, with the
ring which had betrayed her.
Denial was useless.
'Since you know me, then," she said,
tive will not further play part. To the
others we are masks; to ourselves we are
ourselves"
"Ah, madame" he whispered, "let US
rather say to the world we are ourselves, to
each other we are mask. Can men, think
you, look coldly on such beauty as you pos
sess? Can"
Indignant and alarmed, she checked his
further speech by starting forward to es-
cape him. His hand closed on hers as in q
wise. She wrenched it from him, sprang
among crowd of maskers, and so made
her way to the door.
"Call carriage for me-" she directed.
Ten minutes later she was within her
own home. Her first impulse was to tear
off the hated costume which had caused her
such trouble her next to throw herself on the
bed and sob out her excitement and contri-
ton. The morning sun, streaming into her
room, awoke her.
With shudder, she remembered the
events of the past night. She looked down
at her hand-the hand which had been pol
luted by another's touch-as though in some
way she expected to find the contamination
branded on its soft white surface. ItWas all
unmarried; but-she looked again-she rub
bed her eyes and looked-the color mean
while huttering out of her cheeks, and her
pale lips quivering, as if her heart seemed
to stand still in sudden agony of fear; for
from the third finger was missing talismanic
ring.
When and where had she lostit, and how
could she now find the courage to confess all
to Gerald She rose and dressed, revolving
this problem in her minds.
At any hour her husband might return.
For the first time she dreaded to meet him
dreaded to look into his kindly, handsome
eyes and read there all his incredulous re-
proach, mingled perhaps with scorn and
.anger.
The day wore on. Her friend, Mrs. Mar
tin ran in to scold her for her desertion; but
her pale face and trembling tones made
good her plea of sudden illness.
At nightfall Gerald arrived. She threw
herself into his arms in burst of nervous
weeping but when he wonderingly asked
its cause, her courage failed her.
Why was it she never imagined that he
might look stern until to-day?
A week passed, when one evening, sitting
in the twilight, a step sounded close beside.
She looked up to discover the count.
"Pardon !" he began, in answer to her in
dignant, questioning look. "Why must
you be so cruel? May not now see you ?"
{>1 T nm
now under the protection of my own roof
He was about to answer, when latch key
was heard inserted in the outside door.
In an instant he had sprung into some
place of concealment, but the fact that he
was near lent to the young wife sudden
courage, born of the moments desperation.
Her husband, entering, approached her, but
she motioned him back.
"Gerald," she said, ~ have bitter con-
fession to make. 1t is fitting you should
hear it now."
He listened with arms folded across his
breast, while she told him all the story OF
that fated night.
"And is this all ?" he questioned bitterly,
when she had paused.
"No, not all" she continued raising her
voice. "My confession has another witness,
who has forced his hated presence again
upon me. The Connt Belzoni is here again,
Gerald"
AS she spoke she drew aside the curtain A;
but the form she expected to disclose was
gone, the open window attesting to it's flight.
Silently the husband drew paper from
his pocket, and showed her paragraph Of
fering reward for the arrest of a thief and
swindler known as the Count Belzoni.
"My darling" he said, "my little wife
has learned lesson she will never forget.
have known this story all the time, but
have waited until you came to tell it to me.
returned the night of the ball, to take you
with me, when found you had gone. I'm
agine what suffered, and my added suffer
ing when, arriving at the scene OF enjoy
ment, where had followed you, I discov-
cred who was your companion. | stood
near you, and heard the words he addressed
to you-heard with joyful heart your an:
swer saw you wrench your hands from his
hold, and also saw what you did not, the
sparkle of the ring he drew from your fin
ger. Poor little girl watched you hasten
through the crowd, and knew that you had
already met your bitterest punishment. 1t
has been through my efforts that the count
has been traced and exposed. Only this
morning I recovered your ring from the
man with whom he had pledged it as secu-
rity. Once more place it on your finger.
But remember, darling, it is only the out
ward charm. A wife's true talisman is her
husbands honor.