Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1884-04-17
am Of home. Just think il he should

iuser Vas,st slght Drought her to q stand
sun before the mirror, and she scrutin-
lzed herself carefully and critically.
would he think her looking older or
pialner, she wondered. She turned
away at last in doubt, for it was diffi-
cult TO Judge of herself. She need NOT
nave feared, for she never looked pret.
tler or sweeter than now, when happy
expectation was breathing a brinbi
Hush over her cheeks, and her ewes were
shnl1nlng witha Light kindled by the pur-
est love and faith.
PRESENTLY, as she could not sit idle
she called for q Jug of water and some
vases, and began arranging the bnncb
OF terms and wild flowers she had gath
erea IN the woods. First the loveliest
ana most fragrant were chosen OUT aud
tenderly made into little bouquet for
Headley, and she had not done much
more than this when the sound of the
visitors benfell upon her listening ears.
A moment later the servant announced :
"Uaptaln" (Beatrice's breath came
and went quickly, and she caught hold
OF chair to prevent herself from dart
ing forwar6) .'Erskine."
You, klchard!' stammered Beatrice
all the tension of her frame slackeninp
thought i thought am yery Glad
TO o'ses you L { hope you ares quite
well" N-'o
Capt. Erskine had never been a talk.
atISe or ready wltted man, and now he
found himself In a predicament worse
than any he had encountered in the AZ.
CHAN campaign. Beatrice's ill-concealed
disappointment and feeble attempt at a
cordial reception might have struck him
as comical had he not come with o pre-
yious knowledge of something which
rendered 1t intensely pathetic.
II am quite we'll, thank you, he said
awkwardly. is Mrs. Latham at home?
L should like to see her"
"She is in the wood-so is everybody
except me. Please sit down and tell me
all the news. Is Capt. Headley well?"
Yes, said Erskine; and then there
was pause, during which Beatrice be.
came aware that something was wrong.
You are telling me the truth?" she
said uneasily, and Erskine again said,
Yes, yes.''
Then what is it?" asked Beatrice.
81 would rather tell Mrs. Latham. ("
said Erskine.
lis it anything about Robert?" de-
manded Beatrice, quickly.
Yes, but ] cannot speak to you about
1t. 1t is bad news-painful news.''
In what way?' Why are you silent,
Richard? Do you mean that it is discredit-
able to Robert?"
Z. Erskine bowed his head, and the poor
girl, in mingled indignation and dis.
tress, entreated him to keep nothing
from her.
eff there is harm to be told of Rob.
would rather you should tell me-" she
said touchingly unsuspicious OF what
the harm might be; 81 can forgive him
anything, but I could not bear the
others to know"
"You do not understood; Beatrice. !"
said the poor Captain.
GLOW can I while you won't speak
out?' exclaimed the girl restlessly.
When did you hear last from Head
ley?" asked Erskine, to gain time.
'sFrom Gibraltar"
And there was nothing in the letter
to make you suspect anything wrong?"
seNo"
"The scoundrel!" calculated Erskine.
under his breath; but Beatrice heard it.
and quick as thought started to her feet
and turned upon him.
:, How dare you! Ah, for pity sake don't
look at me like that! You are torturinp
me-put me out Of my misery-tell me
the worst at once"
The wild alarm in her face was too
much for Erskine, and he blurted out
the truth:
& 4
almost Immediately we landed"
The room swan round Beatrice, and
with long, choking sob of anguish, she
swayed and staggered back against the
! mantelpiece. A crash followed, for the
hand she had stretched out vaguely for
support struck the specimen-glass into
which she had put her little bouquet for
Robert, and it fell shivering to atoms on
the floor. Beatrice perceiving in the
accident q significant sequel to Erskine's
words, felt Us though her heart must
break with the glass, yet the shock OF
cold water dashed over her probably
saved her from fainting. for she instinc-
lively laid her cool wet hand across her
dizzy brow and eyes. Erskine, too, in
despair, seized the ing of water on the
table and made her drink some out of
a hower-vase.
sI am all right now, /" she said family.
tGo on. / must know more"
At this moment the sound of voices
at the bottom Of the garden indicated
the return of the nutting party, and
Beatrice quivered from head to foot
stOh, [ cannot face them ALL" she ex-
claimed wildly. s'Just one word Rich
orl hor, Il Won b,,0Yr, fbIcpp
81 was told of it: then met him and
he confessed it.
The girl looked into his face for one
glimmer of doubt, but there was moth
ling to be read in it, save the deepest
compassion, and bowiDg bar head hope
lessly, she fled to her room.
Erskine's meeting with Connie was
robbed OF all sweetness by the misera-
BILE news he had to communicate, and he
suffered the more acutely because, in a
measure, he felt himself answerable for
his friend. Not only had he introduced
him to the Lathams, but his promise to
Beatrice had quickened his sense of re-
sponsibility, SO that now, when Headley
had taken the final step of treachery he
hardly dared look Mrs Latham or Con-
ME in the face.
Headley's was pitiable case of weak
responsibility. While the war lasted he
had not been tempted to forget Beatrice,
but when on the voyage home he was
thrown into constant companionship
with q girl who had simply made up her
mind from the first to bring him to her
| feet, his fidelity wavered and at last
broke down altogether. Erskine was
powerless, for no sooner did he show
himself antagonistic to her schemes
than Miss Laing so contriyed that b
could not suspect the extent to which
she carried on her designs behind his
back. Throughout, Headley was con-
scious and ashamed Of his baseness, and
whenever opportunities occurred OF
sending letters overland he wrote to
Beatrice IN terms of unchanged devo-
tion. 1t was SO difficult to confess his
perfidy in black and white.
ssWhat o villain / am" he thought,
with his pen between his teeth, on the
occasion Of his writing from Gibraltar,
ito sit down and humbug Beatrice