The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-08-20
GRACE LILBURNE'S SECRET
y STORY OF
IWO CHRISTMAS D.HYS.

II my estates were not MOI { a eed
Tor almost their value or If YOU mad
fortune rom Your mother. aS Your sis q
Ier mad, We might afford to do as w
please, but now 1t Is impossible
Grace threw herself upon couch,
ana wept, and declared that he didn't
love her, and she SGbbed and cried and
altogether made herself exceedingly
fdlcuIOuS; but Victor was not Suffi-
clenuy mtatuatcd to be imprudent, and
as Htf rather happened to come in lust
as JhiS scene was at its height, Miss
Grace was ordered off to her own roem,
ana desired to remain there until she
had regained her senses.
Ihen Mr.. LlbuTne talked quietly but
hIluIy with the young man, and 1t was
agreed between them that. if nothing
Unforeseen occurred in the interval. the
marriage should take place immediate
ly after Christmas DAY
When Miss Lilburne heard of the ar
Fangement. and found that she could
not nave Her own way, she res igned her
self 10 the tyranny of circumstances
with the best grace she could assume.
The rest of TINS terrible year must be
lived out at SIlyertOu Castle, for Mr..
Lllburne, with the morbid expectation
OF his eldest daughters return, would
not go to London or Scotland. or to any
OF the places on the Continent that it
''t-z- tNAAAl'lN HIS Etctllg Cttcl'lll 70 ' lSll
Here at the castle he remained, and
here, sorely against her viii, Grace was
Obliged TO stay with him.
As the days shortened. and the nights
grew dark and chilly, and Christmas
was again approaching, horrible fasci-
nation seemed to draw her to the room
under which she had consigned her SIS
ter to SO terrible a fate.
J At last she could resist the feeling no
( longer, yet when she at length Welded
I to the desire, she dared not move the
( sliding floor and look down upon the
/ body of her victim.
She had no earthly doubt that Kate
/ lay there as she had fallen, or, if not
exactly IN the same position, if she had
not been actually killed by the fall. the
guilty girl was equally sure that her
] sister was lying dead at the bottom of
/ that horrible pit.
/ But though she would have given half
of all she might ever possess to look
| upon the face of her victim. she dared
. not remove the floor that hid the muT-
| dered girl from view, because she fear
! ed that as surely as she did 50, she
. should be lrreSIStIbly ImpeIled TO cast
. herself down beside her.
As Christmas came nearer, however,
and the wedding was fixed for the sue
ceedlnT day, Grace became rather wild
and excited.
Since they must spend Christmas Day
at SIlveTtOn Castle, they would be mer-
/ ~ over it, she said, and as her marriage
was to take place Immediately after
wards. she invited a great number of
guests to come TO the castle for the
-Chrisunas festivities, and stay over the
WeGdIug-,lay.
We viii forget last year if it is to be
forgotten. ' she exclaimed to her lover
almost Historically; ''and whatever WE
do We must keep papa cheerful. I dread
Christmas Day; Oh, how l do dread it,
She broke down. and began to sol
and tremble as she said this. and it was
some time before Victor could SOOthe
heT.
But when Christmas Day really dawn
ed. Grace was calm and cheerful anC
only those who knew her well coulC
detect the under-current Of excitemen
which she suppressed with 50 supreme
an effort.
''TO-mOrrOW is my wedding-day, sht
kept whispering TO herself. and then
shall be fTee-free- from the nameles
terror that in this house always haunt
men
Tomorrow. But what Will even to
day bring forth?"