The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-07-11

far as 1 can see, and l hope he viii make
good husband"
II have no fear"
"Quite right to stand up for him; and l
expect and trust that he will. But don't
let me detain you from your other guests.
l shall make my appearance at dinner
time
And a very good appearance it was.
When Lady Barbara re-entered the draw
ing-room she wore velvet and point lace,
and, with her gray hair and diamonds,
looked very dignifed lady indeed.
The whole party soon assembled, and
Jock Fraser, with his shy, pretty, fair
Minnie leaning on his arm, presently en-
tered the room. Nora led him UP to Lady
Bah, who received him graciously.
"And are you to be at the wedding to-
morrow, Mr.. Fraser?' she asked.
Il am to have the honor of giving away
the BRIDE" answered Jock.
''She's handsome creature" said Lady
Bah. Its pity she is little lame"
''But that was an accident, you know,
and will all go right in time. L shall
never forget the day it happened;" and
Jock sighed, and a far-away look came
into his kind brown eyes, for he was
thinking of his boy.
Mrs. Jock had refused to come, and also
had declined to appear at the marriage
ceremony.
Don't ask me, Nora, my DEAR" she
said, when Nora was pressing her to do so,
and tears came into her blue eyes as she
spoke; cit would only upset me. Jock
will take Minnie. / am better at home"
And Nora felt that perhaps this was
true. Mrs. Jocks jealous love for her son
would have made her miserable, seeing
another occupy q place she had fondly
hoped would have been his. But she had
sent her Minnie, and this fair girl, with
blush and start, had recognized Lord
Glendoyne, whom she had not expected
to see.
He crossed the room and shook hands
with her in his usual languid, elegant
way.
"And how have you been?" he said,
just as though he had parted with her
yesterday.
Every well-at least, not very WELL"
answered Minnie, with heaving breast and
trembling lips.
She was wondering if he knew all the
dreadful story about poor Malcolm, and of
their trouble and grief. Glendoyne did
know all about it. On the way from
Edinburgh Maud Lee had told him the
sad details, and said she was so sorry for
'poor Minnie"
"And so am !" )" he had answered; and
he felt really sorry, but the little girl who
had been telling him did not. Maud Lee
remembered, as she graphically detailed
the tragedy in the Glen, that Lord Glen
doyne was supposed to admire Minnie
Fraser, so she thought it as well that he
should know all the disadvantages of the
family.
But after dinner was over, to Maud
Lees annoyance, Glendoyne found his
way to Minnie's side instead of her own.
He was very gentlemanly man, and the
thought of the poor girls trouble made
him more attentive to her than, perhaps,
he had intended to be.
"AIinnie looks very pretty and very
happy" whispered Nora to Biddulph, who
was bending over her.
81 know some one else who looks very
pretty and very happy too, he answered.
Il don't know about being pretty, but l
know | am very happy" she said softly,
looking up at his handsome face.
She felt proud Of him-pfoud of his love,
and his good looks. There was no one
like him, she thought; and Lady Barbara,
looking at these two at this moment with
her keen gray eyes, was satisfied that
their affection for each other was very
great.
They kept the party up late, but at last
Jock Fraser rose and said it was time for
Minnie and himself to be crossing the
water. Biddulph also was going to re-
turn to Dunbaan, as it is not considered
lucky for the bridegroom to sleep in the
house on the night before the marriage.
Nora went out of the drawing room with
Minnie, and, after she had parted with
her half-cousins, she was re-crossing the
hall, when she encountered Biddulph.
81 have waited for one last sweet kiss"
he said, drawing her arm through his.
"Come down this corridor, Nora, and we
shall be alone"
She went with him and he took her in
his arms.
81 like Aunt Bab," she said softly, lift
ing her dewy eyes to his.
II did not come here to talk about Aunt
Bah, my dearest, my sweetest love. 1
thank heaven this is our last parting?"
About an hour later, perhaps, Biddulph
was sitting in his own library at Dunbaan,
thinking of Nora still, and no man ever
thought of his future wife with more COM
plete content. Nora Stewart satisfied
every wish of his heart and every desire
of his soul. She was a perfect woman to
mind, physically and mentally---the fair
est, purest, and most lovable he had ever
known. And tomorrow was his wedding
day! Tomorrow by this time he and
Nora would be far away from here---far
away from place haunted for them both
with such painful recollections still.
He got up to stir the fire and light his
pipe. He had not been in the room many
minutes when he did this, and as he bent
over the fire slight noise behind him at
tracted his attention. He turned sharply
around and as he did so he staggered
back, the poker fell from his hand, and
look of unutterable horror and dread came
over his face.
Was he mad2 Had his brain suddenly
reeled over? he thought, with quick fear.
There, standing between the half-parted
window curtains, which had been closed
when he entered the room, was the form,
the mocking face of the woman who had
once been his wife, whom he had seen
lain in the grave in the hrkyard at Ballal
Biddulph was a brave man, but an in
expressible shuddering dread passed over
him at this moment. He put his hand up
to his head, he rubbed his eyes; it might
be delusion. 1t was there still; the next
moment the familiar voice-the voice of
the dedd-sounded in his shocked ears!
'I am afraid have given you a start"
"Woman fend! why are you here ?"
now burst from Biddulph's white lips.
"Why have you arisen from the dead to
disturb my peace!"
perhaps l have not risen from the
dead" answered those mocking lips; and
the form slowly advanced toward him