San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-01-25

OuSlN, UtI N''l't lltLlbilllS.
He ObcyS her.
Pressing Maud's cold hands, he whispers
hurTiedly, Il shall wait forever
And then goes back tn Minis side.
IF YOU mean 10 defy me in this matter,
says PenmddO"k, who has overheard him,
''yOu can take the consequences on your own
head, and you know very well what those
consequences will be-. HcnCCfOrth you and
| shall be strangers and will do my best 10
forget that ] ever had son. But warn
you that such mad marriages bring only
grief and disgrace in their train.
There Sha' W. neither grief nor disgrace
through me- Maud. family.
She is still So. ..hg. and has her hand on
the back of her r.@tr A. Though 10 support
herself.
ut is the first time. goes on PcnruddOck.
rpmOrSelessly, not hepdmg the heart-brOken
interruption, THAT = blot 0r stain has fallen
OF our house or name!
Silence, sir cries Dick, fUriOusly turn
ing upon him: but no more can be said ON
either side. for ii that instant the attention
of all is turned upon the door just inside
which, upon the threshold. Esther stands,
with one arm extended. as il She would de .
mand silence.
There is something in her whole attitude
and demcanOr that is remarkably striking,
and which engcndcrs fear and expectation
in every breast.
llt lbbhN VI All ult llAN'l WI llNl a. Nllt
comes slowly up the room, the tall, majestic
figure clothed in black, and drawn up 10 its
full height.
Her manner is expressive of mystery and
lOng-suppreSSed excitement. or all present
in the room, Mrs. Neville alone possesses
ciew TO her thoughts.
Silently and slowly she advances until She
has reached PenruddOck.
Here she comes TO a Standstill, and con
fronts him with cleaning eyes and parted
lips.
mo blot, no stain upon your house on
name? You dare say that! Have you lost
all memory of the past? Does your CON
science never speak, She repeats, hooking
". is murder no crime? Have a care,
PcnruddOck! And answer me-, il You dare,
this queStiOn-IVhcIe Is The Chi'd HiiddT'
PenruddOCk starts back, his taCC growing
livid. Yet only for an instant docs he lose
his self-cOntrOl; rallying by q mighty effort,
he says, glaring sayagely az Esther This
woman, this fanatic, lives but Ia torment me
Leave the room, command you! Your idle
rawlings have nothing whatever tn do with
the subject we are nov discussing. BECOME
at once, or | will force you hpnCc!'
Esther pays not the slightest heed TO that,
but pointing toward the picture, and gazing
sterIiy on PemruddOck, says, See where her
mother looks down upon you'll Do not her
eyes haunt you? Where is the little one, the
little heireSS of PenrddOCk, who stood 50
fatally in your way to her house and acres?
Answer where is She?'
she is dead-drOwned. rs all the world
knows" says Penruddork. gloomily, an
swering her against his will, as If in some
wise compelled to il.
ut is falSe!' cries Esther, tTiumphantly.
"She is not dead! She lives! She is here to
claim her own! Behold her, villain, trem-
bler'
At this moment Mrs. Neville turns up to
their fullest height the two lamps that stand
beneath Mrs. PenruddOckS picture; and
Esther, holding out her hand to Maud, says,
in loud tone, "lilda PenruddOck, come for
wardr'
Obeying the gesture, not the words. which
as yet she fails to understand. Maud comes
slowly forward until she appears in the full
glare of the lamps, and right beneath her
mothers portrait
Standing thus, silent and half bCwiIdcrcd,
she is so exactly like the beautiful painting
above her, as 10 call forth an exclamation
from Dick.
Mrs. PenuddOck is dressed in cream-cOlOr-
ed satin; the girl is attired in cashmere of
the same shade, trimmed eXquiSitely with
old gold and some costly lace.
1t would be a difficult indeed. an impOSS-
bic matter to decide which is the lOvelieSt,
the dead mother or the living daughter.
As the extraordinary likeness dawnS upon
PenruddOCk, he is completely OverpOwered,
turns aside his head, and grOanS aloud.
Above even the startling resemblance TO
the mother, he sees in the grown girl the feat
ureS of the little child so cruelty, though pas
sivcly done to death.
Again the whole terrible scene in the cot
tage garden flashes before him; again he
watches, with cold persStency, until the tiny
heireSs meets, as he suppOSeS then, and has
till now believed, with her death.
He throws up his hands, as though TO fling
from him the hatpfUl vision and turns fierce
ly upon Esther.
1T is all lier' he exclaims, l0udly-'a
ceverly concOcted scheme; but it shall not
avail you much. 1t is an old story. Acct
dental likeneSses have been tried before this,
but an impOsture always comes to light"
Always! Yes, there You are right" re-
turns Esther with deep meaning.
Maud. white as an early SnOwdrOp, is cling
ing to Mrs. Neville, who has her arm around
her.
Dick, at little distance, is listening, with
intense excitement, to the strange revelations
now being made.
"Who ever saw the child again?" says Pen
ruddOck. She was washed out to sea. All
inquiries were made. No stone was left I'M
turned to discover her; but it was too late.
There was no one, not living being, in
sight when it occurred; no one saw the fatal
accident"
There YOU are mistaken. Two saw it,"
Il was not present, saw nothing of itr'
says PenruddOck, hOarsely.
The ground seems slipping from beneath
his feet. His parched lips seem barely able
TO form his words, and he with iiliculty sup
ports himself.
lentleSSly. You stood inside the library
window, and | saw you there, crOuched as
was in the bushes at the other side of the
river"
"In the blIshes?" stammerS PenruddOck.
Yes; had come to get glimpse of my
DAZZLING at her play, and watched yOu as,
with greedy eyes, you waited till the child
Crcpt nearer and nearer to her death
Fearful is now the expression on the
cOuntenance of the wretched man.
without one word Of warning. without
one AFTER. to save the innocent life left to
your charge by dying brother, you looked,
with cruel longing, to see her perishv
Its false Penrudd0ck, with very great
difficulty, cOntriVes to say.
''ThOugh you never touched her, though
the crime was passive one, there was muir
der in your heart that day, as surely as you
are shivering here before us all -
1T is all fabricatiOnn' says PcnruddOck,
feebly, wiping his forehead.
Then he glances in stealthy fashion, at
his son-the boy for whom this horrible thing
has been cOmmtted-tO see il there be con-
demnatiOn in his looks.
Dick, do not believe itr' he says, in tone
full of keeneSt agony.
He looks so old, so broken, that Dick Is
touched, and going up to him, places his arm
around his neck
II believe nothing against you father" he
says, tenderly; "be sure of that. But pray
control yourself, and let Esther tell her
stOry.n
when the deed was done and the fatal
plunge taken, you rushed to the waters
edge" goes on Esther who declines to ad-
dress any one but PenruddOck, gloating over
the fact that he plainly covers beneath her
glance. "But even then. at the last moment