Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-07-15
OVER THE BORDER
BY L BEsANT.
TcoNrINUED

Mathews room ana Steol INC PaPcAS'
would 20 round the town and proclaim his
wiekeduess; 1 would inveigle him into sur
rendering the papers by 8 false promise OF
marriage; | would seek the protection OF
Mr.. Carnaby. All thesethingsI considered,
but noRe of them approved themselves on
consideration, because q forger and o cheat
will always be ready, If he escapes punish
ment for the first c~ffenss, to repeat his
UieSedness. LASTLY, 1 resolved upon seek
ing Mathew at the mill, where i could
talk 70 him at greater freedom.
went there in the afternoon about 2 Of
the clock. When ! lifted the latch l saw
Barbara sitting on the settle near the WIN
dow working. Before her, q usual, lay
an omen Bible. Strange! that one who was
40 hard and severe could draw no COM
tortshls things from 8 book which snonld
be full Of comfort.
She shook her long lean forsfugsr at me,
II have known" she said, for a long
time the ruin thst hangs over your house,
I saw your father sign the mortgage. he
launched aud called il q deed gift, / remem-
her. All! good money after bad. But my
brother. who was foolish enough to lend
thu money, was not so foolish as to let ~
20 without security. A deed OF gift! he
il GINNING, your father, and would deceive
me- if he could, l doub. not" She turned
over the leaves and found something hat
scanned 70 suit the occasion and my de-
merits. "'He hath made thy vine bare.
NV brother is full Of compassion. Re
hath made it clean bare Thy panlsh-
ment hath begun"
Il wish to see your brother alons
.'Do you come in peace or in ennityE IL
in psace, YOU must first make Submission,
and confess your deeeits Is regardsthe boy,
who il surely dead. Nothing else will
satisfy him. Ycu can bsgin with me-
Where IL the boy?"
''What Ihsve to say is with yolr brother,
not with you"
Go, then; but remember, when you are
married, look not to be mistress here. l
shall continue TO be the mistress as l n q v
ALWAYS been. Ii You come IN enmlty,
then vnu have me to battle with and not
NV brother alone. Two hundred pouods
il not asum 20 be gwen away for napght
Men arr safe where q woman il concerned
MATHEW may be = fool for your sake; you
NAV lo6 10 wheedle hin out Of his papers
An, butyou shall not. He may be q fool,
but / "a behind. 1 sm not soft; youreyes
will no make q ioOl OF me, Mistress
DrusillS'
She ten babe me go within, where i
should nd her brother.
Il waa cloudy afternoon, and, 50 early
in the season, already growing dusk
MatheVRas seated beside the fire. and on
the tabla stout jar containing Hollands
which hhad already begun to drink.
"Preg Drusilla!n be cried, sstonished.
Have pu brought the money!" o.
NO u said. 81 come to learn If you
are in ernest or IN Jest"
I'm ist?" Then he swore a loud cath.
"See yea, my lass; if that money is not
paid nett week, your house will be sold.
Make yIur account Of that. Bot if you
comply with my conditions, the papers
shall be torn up"
"ThH / am come to tell you, Mathew,
that although l shall not comply with your
conditions, the cottage will not be sold. #"
"WhY uot?"
Because, first of all, that mortgage is
false. knew now what you did. You
caused my father to sign one paper, be-
heying it to be another. That is fraud,
II" aAss iaag6sd, but Gnessily, sndfe turned
pale. Also, which is hardly worth the
noting, ne wore q great oath.
"It's a lier' he cried. prove itn'
81 can prove il, when the time comes.
Meantime, reflect on what l have said. II
is a wicked and detestable plot. Reflect
upon this and tremble."
he laughed again, but uneasily.
There ia another reason" / said, why
YOU will not sell the cottage. 1t is this.
You are afraid that Ralph may come home
and demand an account. Well, / can tell
Won this; that he will not come home Just
vet. But, if you do this thing as sure rs |
am alive, Mathew, l will write to him and
tell him all. / shall tell him how you
prosecuted me to marry you, not because
YOU want me for your wife, and though
you have had your answer q dozen times
over, but because you want to plague and
spite your cousin. | will tell him, next,
how you have spread false reports about
another will, and how you have whispered
that he is turned highwayman. And
lastly, / will tell him how you have prac-
ticed upon the kind heart of 3 poor de-
mented man, and made him sign his name
in testimony of your w foul plot and
falsehoOd. / will not spare you. / will
tell him all. l will beg him 10 return post
haste, and to bring with him officers OF
Justice Then, indeed, You may look for
no mercy, nor for anything short Of the
assizss and Newcastle Jail"
l spoke so r~esolutely, though perhaps
through ignorance l spoke fooliShly, that
l moved him and he trembled.
Yet he clustered. He said that all wo-
men are liars, rs is very well know; that
the hoy was long since dead and buried;
else why did he not return to claim the
property? That, as for my story, he did
not value il one fsrthing; while, as regards
my accusation, he would laugh. I'm fact,
he did laugh, but not mirthfully.
Come, Drusills," he said; your father
is welcome to the money, for aught / care.
l do not desire to sell the cottage. Sit
down and be friendly. Tell me all about
the boy; and look, my lass"-his eyes were
cunning ipdeed-"look you. Write to
the boy, tell him, if you will, about the
money. Tell him that / am willing not to
press 1t if he will give reasonable assur'
Snce or sscurity of his W in exchange.
Let him for instance, give me q mortgages
on the mill, and let him, since he is 50
prosperous, pay the interest himself"
Iels was = trap into which l nearly tell,
nus l saw IN time that ne designed to find
ouS IN this way what he had to fear.
do" ' ~
Az! your story, / doubt, is but made
up oy "oman's wit. Drusilla, you are q
eunnIns baggage. Come, nov, give over
S'sy mere aud be my wife; thou shalt be
uISiess IN everything. As for Barbara, ]
Sl ufed Of her sour looks She scolds all
Gay. she may pack; she makes the meals
uncomfortable. She may vanish; she stints
tne Deer. We shall keep house without
she fnds FAULT from morning to
n'gnt. She is a.
ioa cslled me, Mathew" Barbars
suddenly opened the door and stood before
u, NNRE GHWa.