Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-01-31

q he looked searchingiy at her after
his last words his face was pale as
death; his eyes sought hers with an
earnestness not free from usefulness.
As she looked at him she felt that she
loved him, intensely. that whether he
were the worst or the best OF these
three suitors, he was the one who alone
had won her. She loved him, but-she
thought of Mrs. Percival and her lord
and master-not with the love that will
be trampled under foot, or rebuked I'M
heard, or accused unjustly. Perhaps
Louis had fOrgotten-perhaps with all
his cleverness he had never yet found
out that with a few tender words, a
whispered inquiry: .Had 1 anything to
do with your remaining here? he
might have led her whittier he would.
might have heard from her lips whatso-
ever confessions he desired; but that in
answer to such words as he had already
uttered, she would make her face as of
stone, would harden her heart like
brass, and out of sheer grief and pain
would let contempt and defiance run
riot. Be that as it may, he had taken
his part and committed himself; and
with the extraordinary fatuousness
characteristic of man in such a crisis,
he now proceeded to make bad worse
by saying:
81 will not deny that have for some
time been convinced that you were not
the person you represented yourself to
be, but have respected your disguise
under the impression that some great
need, or some great sorrow-"
''Or something discreditable, perhaps.
Go on, pray!"
'Some great need or some great sor-
row might have driven you to assume
it. But when got my friends letter
this morning, the names, the circum-
stances, many things which 1 had for
gotten, came rushing to my memory.
/ felt almost overwhelmed, but I could
not doubt that my conclusion was right.
Far from your being in want or sorrow,
you are. by your own confession. rich.
independent-you have plenty of friends
THAT is not true. No one ever heard
me say that l had plenty of friends. If
1 had had friends whom l could have
trusted"
Nothing can do away with the fact
that YOU have used this deceit origin
ally. not from any high or holy motives,
W dhAuSS } ouAoSiA W pass
the time
''For lark, as school-boys say. Yes,
it was exactly for that reason that l did
it, and because all my friends said /
must not. Well?'
'.Such things are not done with i'm
punity. You may not have counted the
cost, but it has yet to be paid-to the
uttermost farthing."
sSyVhot ooct I Ipopdor2,,
"While you have been amusing your
thing but amusement. You have al
lowed two men whom you have seen al
most daily to fall in love with you,
under your very eyes, and you have not
attempted to undeceive them"
Margaret trembled suddenly. She
had no time to rejoice-no time to
wonder; for he went on, in hard, bust
ness-like tone.
"You have given me lesson which
shall never forget. Its effects will go
with me to my grave. A woman who
goes about with lie in her right hand
is q matter of great indifference to you;
when you are tired of Foulhaven, you
will go away and amuse yourself else
where. AS to poor Jack Mallabarr-
we'll, an obscure surgeon like myself |
and his feelings can not trouble you
but let me call your attention to the |
fact that, from a worldly point of view,
there might be worse matches than one |
with John Mallabarr. Some day you
will have to answer him when he puts |
y question to you. He is a careless fell |
low in many ways, but he is far, far too
good for selfish woman to make sport |
IT. and he has been hard hit by YOU"
Margaret laughed in her bitterness, |
and said in her haste:
"He may be hard hit, for aught I
care, and you, too. Since came to |
BLACKBOARD Grange, my mission has been |
to make poor Rupert Lascelles' life less
Of burden to him, and 1 hope 1 have
AS for you and Mr.. MALTA
barr, neither of you can say that ever
uttered word, or looked a look, or |
raised a finger, with the object of at
tracting the affections of either of you.
My conscience is clear. And as we are
here at the Grange gates, will wish
you good evening. No, not a step
'urther, unless yon wish to insult me. / |
prefer to go alone"
With the slightest possible bend of |
he head, she entered the garden, and |
eft him standing outside in the dripping
ain, his elbow propped against his
,orse's shoulder, to recover from the /
he had received as best he
night.
CHAPTER XIV.
"a mourning or q funeral,
A wedding festival