The Dillon tribune., 1885-08-29
CHAPTER xxx.


Beatrice's letter, after having been Do
rused and commented upon by the Talberts,
was sent on to Frank Carruthera A note
from Herbert was inclosed with it. "You
will see"-he wrote-''that this letter is as
unsatisfactory as its predecessors. It gives
US absolutely NO information as to where she
is or why she left US. Now that we are
assured of her being well, and. we suppose,
safe, our feeling about her prolonged and
unexplained absence IS more than regret-it
is, in fact, serious annoyance. We find it
quite strain to answer inquiries about her
without contradtcting one another"
Naturally the envelope which bore Her.
bert's handwriting was the first opened by
Carruthers, and OF course he read Beatrice's
letter before he read Herbert's He searched
the former in vain for his own name. little
thinking how the writer had sat for a long
time before she could bring herself to seal
her letter without sending him crumb Of
comfort. He then read Herbert's commen-
tary and smiled family as he drew a ludicrous
picture Of Horace and Herbert making
counter statements to their friends. He
unused while, holding Beatrice's letter in
his hand. Her fingers had touched that
sheet Of paper; 30 he actually pressed it to
hts lips, and in doing SO caught a faint lin
gering odor of what he remembered was her
favorite perfume. II was clear that Mr..
Carruthers' disease was as rampant as ever.
BY and by be turned to se, what else Fate
had brought him. Nowadays Fate shoots
many Ut her arrows from the general post
Office. Carruthers found among other let.
tors one addressed In q woman's handwrit.
Ing. 1t had been sent to Oxford and at
Oxford redirected to London. Ho opened il
carelessly and found it contained a half
sheet Of note paper. ON which was written:
''Remember your promise Wait, oh, be
patient and waltz
Carruthers threw it aside with q bitter
smile. He we'll knew who was the writer.
Wait! What was there to wait Sor2 How
ever, the sight of those words brought back
the memory of that strange nocturnal visit:
OF the womans earnest, even impassioned
appeal to him, to ''wait five, ten. twenty
years tor the one he loved" Why should
she write now and repeat the appeal9 She
who knew everything; she who had accom-
panied Beatrice and who was probably with
her now.
He could not get the memory of that
strange creature with her dreary belief. ye.
unswerving faith as to his own future. from
his mind. At the time the woman's earnest
ness had impressed him more than he cared
to confess Superstition is q quality to the
possession Of which no man of our time il
willing to own, not even to himself. Yet
essesO AA>SeA
Carruthers told himself that such houe "a
hc had gathered from Mrs. Miller's words
was simply gathered because he believed her
to be in Beatrice's confidence Here he was
wrong. 1t was the woman's broad but at.
eolute assertion, uttered with tho passionate
inspiration of prophecies Of old, that happi-
ness in this world awaited him and Beatrice.
which had bsen of aid to him in his trouble.
II faith can move stubborn mountains. why
not heart which is willing enough to move
in . particular directiona
And now this woman repeated her mas
sage, and, As Carruthers read the letter. told
him his case was no more hopeless than il
was months ago.
He took the note which he had crumplex1
up and tossed away; he spread it out an,l
read 1t again. He found. moreover. that il
was written ON paper similar to that used nv
Beatrice, and upon turning it over he saw
on the back a few words in pencil. They
were written SO family that he had to carry
the note to strong light in order to de-
cipher them.
The words were madonna di TENN; ~
and to the best OF his belief, as experts saw
when giving evidence. the handwriting was
Beatrices.
What did the words mean and how far
would they aid him in finding Beatricel
He soon settled in his mind that ..Madonna
di Tempt" must he the name of a picture
But what pictures Where was it to bs
founda
Or course. 1t did not follow that supposinp
he could ascertain all about this picture.
which might or might not he a world.
famed one. that he wOuld find Ron tr;ro ,,on,