Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-01-15

the opening chapters were written by SO
mas,erlv Land that l at once experien ced
some th ne OF the general interest which the
tase had called forth. But before l had
read it haf Through, my interest and ex-
citement were such as no author has by his
merits ever awakened in any reader.
gave fierce cry of triumph. threw the
look from me as if it we're reptile had
found Eus STAGE Grant,
For one chapter of that book contained
an account of the hero's journeying through
a part f Switzerland, and the account was
the sa as Grant had given his auditors
ON the sight when l first met him. and
hated and mistrus ted him. Several of the
most amusing and out the way incidents
which he then related, and which were
sufficiently drou and strange to impress
themselves on my memory, were in these
pages once more narrated. Eustace Grant
vas this aut hor of the successful book.
thanked my memory, which had IN a second
brought lbs adventures back to my mind !;
and memory brought back more than this.
It brought back Viola, listening with
smiles on her face -t<,@bar guardians Eass she
called hrh1) amusing recital 1t brought
back the days when wooed her; the day
when told her my love; the day when she
was mine, as I thought, forever; the day,
the blacs day, when she fei-when for
hours and hours waited and would not be
leve the truth. 1t brought back the last
Two wretched years of my life. It brought
back all Of which Eustace Grant had
robbed me, AMI I laughed the laugh of a
aeyl when I thought the time was at hand
whesl he should pay me for his act.
/ trod his book under my foot. Hypo-
critic, who could write of honor, virtue and
,ot ot bo boJ of,II oil
time has come at last!
must 60 to stand face to face with him!
Tue next morning l called on the publish
ers of the book. ! told them / had reason
for believing that its author was an old
friend of mine. Would they tell me his
right names
They could not. They believed be wrote
under pseudonym; but they knew hm by
no other. l asked if they could show me a
letter of his Certainly. A letter was
banded me. placed it side by side with
the letter which Grant had written me just
before my marriage, and which l had for
tuna ely preserved. compared the hand
writing; then returned the authors letter
to the publishers.
''Thank you" said. II find am mis-
taken. My friend is not such fortunate
man as hoped to find HIM" Then went
my way. Mistaken! No, 1 was not mis-
taken; but feared lest, in writing to Grant,
his publishers might mention the fact Of
my having made these inquiries. No; every
doubt was now set at rest The t, o letters
were written by the same man-written by
Eustace Grant. As looked at the second
letter, [ had impressed the address upon
my memory. 1t was dated from st. Ssurin,
a place which, upon inquiry, found was
little mere than a fishing village on the west
coast of Brittany.
They had not fled very far theni The
nearer the betterl Every hour which must
pass before Eustace Grant and meet will
be grudged by me. In forty eight hours
we may be face to facet
That evening I left London My prepar-
ations for the journey were soon made.
Among them was included the purchase of
pair of double-barrele1 breech-loading
pistols, which carried heavy bullets and
were warranted 20 shoot straight as line
had already learned that in hand to hand
struggle my foe was my superior. laughed
as my fingers closed lovingly on the han
die of the weapon which placed us ON an
equality.
So l started to end Eustace Grants
dream as suddenly as he had ended mine