The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-02-18
She oheyed SLOWLY. .The move

ment of her perfect head was graC
ual, yet certain. Slowly, slowl
her pale, pure countenanee wa
dawnIng fully upon him. He ben
his head little. He bent to pres
e his lips to hers, when she fell ava
r as if struck.
e "Ohr' she cried out and began t
! tremble violently. mo, no, no!
D must have time to think. Yol
J must give me time to think. 1t i
: too sudden!"
5 He bowed in silence, looking as
# tonished and displeased.
"Shall we return now?" he thel
= asked.
. Eyes," she answered family, anc
4 they retraced their steps. She saic
t nothing more. She was only think
ing of the singular sensation sh'
had but now experienced. Wha
was it? How could she describe it
Just ere his lips had brushed hel
kown a sharp, crashing sound rang
in her ears as if it were the sound
of something far away. The SOUND
of catastrophe, great or small she
could rot tell; sound that might
have been audible only to her
self, though why she could not tell
The sound of death perhaps. But
whatever it was it bore down upon
her and her affairs.
AS at length they emerged from
the grove and climbed the slope to
ward the hotel they quickened their
steps-for two reasons. One, that
the sun had gone down and the air
was chilly; tue other that some
thing seemed TO have happened at
the hotel. There was a commotion
IN the piazza; guests and servants
had all gathered there and some
thing-or some oBe-was being
carried in.
"Faster, faster!" said Grace Du-
val, abruptly. Something has
happenedr' She left her cousin
and ran on, but the commolion had
subsidized partly as she reached the
steps. The hotel team, they told
her, had run away and dashed into
another team and Felix Gray was
brought back dying.
Grace Duval put her hand to her
head in a dazed way! The crash
The calamity Was it this? Then
some one spoke her name. Felix
was asking for her-for Miss Du-
val. Would she so to him? He
could not live an hour. She turn
ed, babe her cousin go to her moth
err, then followed some one to the
room where the-boy Felix lay dy-
ing. Was it not barren place
that bare hoored, bare-walled place?
Was it not a sweet, still face before
her2 They left her alone with the
diving boy. He had something to
confde, some secret. He could
barely whisper.
Grace Duval knelt and took a
bloodless hand with purpling nails
in her own.
"What can 1 do?' she said ten
derby, with tears falling from her
gentle eyes.
Nothing" said Felix Gray.
''You can do nothlng-but listen"
He had to stop and speak more
slowly. Il have something to-tell
you. About-about a girl 9.
There was a girl once; she was
young and was not wise. A man
a man came to be her lover. They
were to be married"
Grace Duval bent her ear very
close and held the cold hand closer
in her own.
"Yes," she said tepderly. i IN
derstand."
Felix continued with increasing
difficulty: "They went to place
Ito be married But he
had lied. He had not meant mar
riage. He had wronged her-forc-
ed her to evil He ruined
her to all her acknowledgement
her. She had to leave her home.
She had to do the lowest, meanest
work. He cast her off. She beg
ged of him, implored of him to be
honorable-to save her. He-de-
serted her. She tried to die but
she could not. Then she took an
oath that he should not be happy
while she lived. She swore that
she would follow him and stand be-
tween him and any other woman.
1t was necessary that she should
disguise herself She-changed the
color of her hair-from dark to
white. She wore-men's clothes.
Her real name was-Felicle. She
made it-Felix Gray. The man
that she loved-is here. You know
him"
Grace Duvsl did not move,
though a loud voice rang in her
ears. Something crept up in her
throat and seemed to choke her for
an instant. And then again she
controlled herself "Poor child
Poor girlr' she said with yearning
compassion.
Felix Gray tired to speak again,
but only indistinct whispers issued
from her lips. "Around my neck
"a locket-his PICTURE loved
him"
Grace Duval saw life flicker out;
saw the gray look and stilled fea-
lures; the quiet Of death.
She folded the hands of Felix
Gray. She gently unloosened the
collar and lifted the locket of which
she had been told. There was q
picture within. It was the picture
of mantle face of Kirke Duval. |
She took the locket from the chain |
for the sake of the dead, lest some
one else discover. Then she rose
from her kneeling posture and, half
turning, saw the door open and her
cousin enter,
She went near to him and held !
the locket out.
He glanced at it and turned as
pale as the dead.
Grace Duval SPOKE slo Wy then,
without a culver of lash or lip.
"From this moment" she said in
her clear, composed voice, ''from
this moment we are strangers 70 and |
she swept from the room.