Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-02-25
gu Original Sturg.
Written for the Yorkvile Enquirer.
AN UNQUIET LIFE.
BY STANLEY STCLAIR.
CHAPTER TX

from her drive, to ma CnaC MIS-. burton
was still absent from home, for she had Sc
cret idea that her afternoon expedition
would not meet with the appreciation OF
that lady, of whose displeasure she had
learned to be afraid.
Magdalen did not, indeed, come in until
unusually late, and when she did she went
directly to her room, and remained there 50
long that her husband at last went in quest
of her.
"Why don't you come down." he asked,
entering her room. 1--WE are waiting dim
ner for you."
II don't wish you to wait. I am not
coming down." was her reply.
Why not Pr, 2" -. *. s-. -... H.,
pettishly. 81 have headache. Please 20
to your dinner and leave me alone"
He inspected her gravely.
sYou DO not look as we'll as usual" he
remarked. "Can do anything to relieve
;'Nothing at all. I am going to bed, and
then hope nobody will disturb me again."
She moved her hands restlessly as she spoke,
and there was burning spot on either
cheek. There was evidently something the
matter with her, Burton thought, but she
was not in the mood to bear urgent ques-
tioning.
II shall not disturb you again." he said,
quietly. II am going out on business and
probably shall not be in until very late, so
will bid you good night at once"
He kissed her on the forehead. She did
not move or look up, but briefly returned
his goodnight, and saw him depart with
feeling of relief.
When he was gone, she locked her door,
and changed her walking-dress for loose,
light cambria wrapper, though the evening
Nov I can breathe. Ifeltstifled BEFORE"
she said. She took from her hand -satchel
folded paper, lit the gas, and sat down un-
der the chandelier to read the contents OF
the document, which covered four closely
written pages. She followed them with ab-
sorbed attention, to the last word, then
drawing long breath she laid the paper
down, folded her hands in her. lap, and re-
manned pondering for some time with
fixed and gloomy gaze:
"It must be true" she said, at last. ut
must be true. l see no loOp-hole OF DOUBT,
of escape. What must dow
Reflection did not seem to aid her. She
rose, walked about the room, sat down
again and re-opened the paper, rose once
more, and approached the CRATE, in which
little fire was burning, with the paper IN
her hand.
"I have mind to burn it, she murmur-
ed through her clenched teeth.
But she did not burn it. After brief
hesitation she turned away from the tempt
alton, opened her desk and locked the paper
in it.
s'It shall stay there for the present, atany
rate" she said. eff the time ever comes
when I shall see fit to give it up-well.
But, in the meantime, let things 60 on as
they are doing now. Something may hap
She had told her husband that she was
going to bed, butit was some hours before
She put out her light and composed herself
to rest Nor did she sleep soundly that
Once she ancied that she was trying to
draw the burning paper out of the fire, and
the flames were scOrching her, and she
could neither get her hands out of them nor
let the paper 20. She cried out in her dream,
and Burton, hearing her from the next
room, where he had made his sleeping place
for the night, came to find out what was the
matter. And for several nights after, she
was so restless and uneasy that he began at
last to dread brain-fever or some other
calamity.
Everything was, in some sort, out of the
usual quiet routine. An air of constraint
hung over each member of the household.
Mrs. Fairfax, departing from her custom,
began to come down regularly to meals,
and to assume certain resolute air that had
long been foreign to her. Her old feelings
and old habits seemed striving to reassert
themselves. Burton was reserved, silent,
mysterious. Magdalen was far less self
possessed than usual, and appeared some
times fighty and distracted, sometimes alb
sent and gloomy. AS for Dolly, she was
kept almost entirely in the background, but
Burton supplied her plentifully with toys
and sweets, and in Sally's companionship
she enjoyed herself tolerably we'll.
Sometimes Magdalen would slip out pri-
vately and absent herself for hours, return
ing as unostentatiously as she had depart
ed; sometimes Mrs. Fairfax would do the
same; it appeared as if nobody wanted
anybody else to know what they were
about.
In truth, the same subject was agitating
the minds of them all. Burton was working
with might and main to follow up the clue
he had obtained; certain links of evidence
he had succeeded in putting together, but
certain other links were wanting, without
which those already in his possession were
useless.
One thing was positive-that Mrs. Fair
fax's lost child had been living up to a pc
riod far beyond the time when she had ut
Confession had been made by vagrant
wretch, dying in a pauper institution, of
having picked up the little creature in one
of the streets of Maysville, and carried it
off, for the purpose of using it to obtain
charity; the idiot boy, to whom Sarah
Martin had entrusted it, having doubtless
taken it some distance from the house, then
wearied of his burden and abandoned it.
At three years of age the tender, helpless
mite had fallen into other hands-and here
the evidence was broken off. Who then
became her protectors, where they had lived
and whittier they had vanished, it now
seemed impossible to find out.
"Magdalen," said Burton one day, 81
wish you would have my valise packed at
once; l am obliged to leave home for a
week or two, and shall start this afternoon.
Put up some things for Dolly too, for
intend taking her with me-"
"You are going to take Dolly!-Why,
what in the world"
"Never mind. She wants to 60, and she
SHALL"
"How can you take care of her alone?"
''I'll manage that; she's very helpful,
and she won't give me any trouble, KNOW"
"Where are you going, may ask :"
''To New York"
''On business"
"Yes."
It was evident that he did not desire to
be communicative, and Magdalen disdain-
ed to urge his confidence. There had been
so little confidential talk betW cen them late
ly that his reticence was nothing new but
she felt that she would have given almost
ANYTHING she owned to learn the object of
this expedition. She guessed intuitive-
ly that it must be connected with Dolly's
;ntorasts and this idea did not tend to SOOthe