Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1888-02-24
AUNT and Niece,
OR. -
The Mistress Of
HazelwoOd.
ny GERALD CARLTON.
cnArTER xxv.-coxrlsurp.

TOOK, oyerholess, the color from her
checks. the brilliancy from her cyes, the
gnycty from her spirits. aud the stiength
from her limbs. In fact a deep lauguor
possessed her.
My dirling. | was right after all. you
Sec, he said. Heaven knows how serious Y
iil You might have been IL you had not
taken that dose. My poor Marioni How
very unluckyi it's too late now TO 30 stpone
tho dinner-p party. but on no account must
you leave your room day you mustn't,
reallyiH
He knew what her answer would be; his
cicverly contriyed scheme was highly sue
cossful
Despite his apparently sincere ontreaties,
she insisted on being present
She owned 10 being III, but II would Il :
trcss her. she said. TO think that the first
entertainment they had given since their
marriage was ono over which she had l. ot
presided
After much argument, she gained her
point that is TO say. he gained his.
Dinner was accordingly served nj ha,f
past five oc'ock that evening.
Ada, with every appearance OF being cx
cessiyc'y III. sat at the head OF tho table.
She looked sweetly beau ifui: but. sho
whose personal appearance always told Of
the slightest malady, looked. too. as IL uhe
were dying
In all there we're four Quests-qentlemen
OF tho strictest integrity. and nll unsuspi-
cious OF their hosts disgncefuI oonspir-
acy.
Two OF the four wero officers of Gra-
hams own insurance company. -the actu.
airy and the secretary.
The other gentlemen were connected with
tho Alliance" the company with which an
Insurance on Adas life was ihon pending
liut that Jack knew tht the -Allianco"
had already Oon ion for fo .xtf1.l - -
specially. he would not have allowed two
OF It's officers 10 sec his wife In n state OF
such aprar ntly fious indisposltion. As
II was, Their 30 se5inR her was an advantage
30 him
The Results proved him right with re-
spcct to the Alliancc;" for by the last post
thf1 evening. lony. blue envelope. benIinQ
hat companys crest arrived at Bercslord
Grove.
Buckley, who waited at table, Kept il back
I'LL Griham left his fiio ids. when Jack
o. cncd tho envelope IA, gmothersd a laugh
of ioy.
We'll. goycrnorf" BuaSIcy whispered.
II Is al right with the Alliance was
the reply.
Good Is that the policy. governor
"Yes.
This answer neeint That seyeutv-fve
thousand dollars depended now on Ada's
life. end that her position WAS moro poril-
ons han II had been VIII, N on.y fifty de-
pended on l..
SO far as merIincnt went. the dinner was
failnrc; exactly what Graham intended il
TO be.
Ada. as hostess. exerted herself in vain.
Everybody admired her, Il everybody saw
that she was extremely unweI.
1Lo guests -Gnd, loudost of all. her hus-
band scd her TO leave them to take
care Of themselves.
~ last she was prevailed upon 10 DO so
She wished them Rood-n ght aud retired TO
her own room, accompanied 10y her sorrow-
strsck husband.
Wills Jack Graham was away from tho
dim. 81 room. the four guests pniised hi,
deep affection for his wife, aud the wifes
great beauty.
They nlBo expressed their sorrow at the
yonng lady's illness.
Tho doings OF life insnrance company
arc Kept as secret az the doings OF banking
hOnso or the doings at a llwycfs.
The actnary OF jacks company whispered
few Professional words in,o the ear Of the
secretary.
Poor girl SO sudden. 4 month since
she was IN robnst healih Is Il forty or
6hy2
Fifty, fancy.
We were discusiuga slight reduction Of
premium f1 her monfh since. II she
came to rs now ] shonl say seventy
five per cent
The one ofcer of The "AIlianceT whis-
pered few pio,eiso onal words IN the ear
Of tic other oNcsf.
-Iiave We accepted herr"
7 think 70.
Poor Jack, roor wei II We have ac-
ccptod her, We shall only receive one
prem un--niark my Wor is!'
Tho rest Of the evening vas devoted TO
whist. with the accompaniment of vine
and cilars. but still everybody wns dull.
On the next day Mrs Crlham's illness
vas seriou is discnsscd, both az Jack in
sn,ncc Office and tho "Aiiiance. though
not of course officially Neither Of Ia
eoih, aH Is would have been surprised 10
hear 81 Ada's deatl. AID neither of them
ropld have d spaied payment
De- eeeoud DIS after the dinner party
Mrs Graham had IN 70 recovered. Her
husband Ioyousy repor- "a o. d = ffien la at
tie Hcc ihit fher WIS u great ch nq8 foi
ihe better ia hor health md that the doctor
hta assured him hos there was 10 dangey
Whatever 90 bc appr.h udoi
Ncferheioss The fct was established nj
both oiiices Chat Mrs. Gfsham life was
not thc afe inVcsfmcnt they had aniio.-
pat7di 90. for that matter. the aeyeniy.hva
ihon,ani do lars wefo ready for Gnsham
and buckley wheurstr they wished 10 take
ccifai sep and dem md them.
Discover by Miss Bent ~ nov seemed
out of the questions especially aa Bncklfy
sWorc that there wa4 nothing known ni Wof.
gffhainpio tmiasf him VII IBfoil 20
iar o. they con 4 naccrain vas afil on ihs
Continent pr0seeuting his futile quest The
Advertisements cmin4iug from private in-
quiry Offices bad bfel Withdrawn from tho
newspapers ueaFiy q week prior 10 Jack
Gminm dinn5r-rafty. and they had not
reapPeared.
Two weeks to ihit party. the snm de-.
pending on tda iite vas Increased aQsfn.
Shall % end here B1ctleg' asked 5aek.
no governor. sfc'f io tho nrsf bargain
tWc.vc thousand fos me and the balance
Tor yon. We can b. singed. bat if We
are. better ~ iar FOR a sl MOI Than a epfal.
3 night iip, goyeInof--Qo sbeadi"
MARS went on smoothly for the next
three weeks af Bere foid Grove with one
exception. jack 0faham vas forced to ran
into debt With che 81 John Wood ifadss-
men. for ihc Insurance premiums hid been
heavy.
Al The expiration of those three weeks
efaham bad been narfied ~ Ada somo-
what under ihrte months. and ihs sum da.
pending ou her life had been increased
sRain and FOR lho isst time
- IIflW uGI IItonrnr.rf E..4.'t - ~. &c..