The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-01

was placed in "a terrible position. having
the option of either de8Ou lcing as q muir
derer a man she had loved. or permitting
another to lie under the lmputatIOn Of
guilt And you must remember that she
was prepared TO come forward at the trial
and tell the truth abous the matter had
Capt Mervyn been founi guilty. No
doubt she acted wrongly; but she has suf-
fered tsrribly, aud | think tat as my
daughter has forgiven her for allowing
Capt. Mervyn to suffer for her silence, you
NAV also do So"
Hiram Powlett had uttered many ex-
pressiOns of surprise aud concern as he
listened to the story. It seemed to him
very terrible that his girl should have all
the time been keeping a secret of such vital
Importance. he now said n tone OF sur
prise:
II don't understand you. Mr. Armstrong,
about your daughter. What has Miss
Mary TO do with forgivingl How has she
been injuredW
81 don't know that upon the whole she
has been injured" Mr.. Armstrong said.
"At least. l am sure she does not consider
so. STILL / think she has something to for
give, for the fact is she is engaged TO be
married to Capt. M 3rvya, and would have
been his wife year ago had he not been re-
solved never to marry so long as this cloud
remained over him."
Hiram Powlett was so greatly surprised
at this news that his thoughts were for a
moment diverted from Ruth'S misdemean-
ors. Capt. Mervyn, the owner of the Hall.
and now of the Carne estate also, was "A
very great man in tho eyes of the people of
Carnesford, and the news that he was on
gagged to be married to the girl who was a
friend Of his daughters, and who mad sew.
eral times taken tea at the mill, was almost
bewildering to him.
H., -
strong said, quietly, "buG you soc we are
not exactly what we appear. We came
here somewhat under false colors, to try
and hod out about this murder aud in tho
hope We might discover some proofs of
Capt. Mervyn's innocence. Now we have
been successful we shall go up to London
and there await Capt. Mervyn's return. |
| have been talking iJ over with my daugh-
| ter, and if you and Mrs. Powlett offer no
| opposition, we propose to take Ruth away
to stay with us for two or three months
1t will be pleasant for all parties. Your
| girl and mine are fond of each other. and
Ruth Will be nice companion for Mary.
The change will do your daughter good
She has for q long time been suffering
| greatly, and fresh scenes and objects Of in
terest will take her mind off the past aud
lastly. by the time she returns here, the Cos
sip ana talk that will be caused when all
this is known will have died away
1t is very good of you to think of it,
| Dir. Armstrong; Hiram Powlett said. "and
1t Will be fine thing for Ruth. or course,
she has been wrong, very wrong; but she
| must have suffered very much all these
| months | told you that thought that she
had something on her mind, but never
| thought it was like this. Well, we'll. |
| shan't say anything to her. l never
was good at scolding when she was child,
and L think that she has been severely pun
| ished for this already"
Il think so, too" Mr.. Armstrong agreed;
land now let us 20 in. / told her that
should speak to you this evening, and she
| must be waiting anxiously for you"
When they entered, Ruth rose timdly.
COL father" she began.
''There, don't say any more about it,
| Ruth" Hiram interrupted, taking her ten
| derby in his arms. MY poor girl, you have
had hard time Of it. Why didn't you tell
| me all at firstP'
81 could not, father" she sobbed. "You
know-you know-how you were set against
him"
"Well, that is so, Ruth, and l should have
| been still more set against him if [ had
known the rights of that fall of yours on
the hill; but there, we won't say anything
| more about it. You have been punished
for your fault. child, and hope thai when
| you come back again to us from the jaunt
that Mr.. Armstrong is going to be good
enough to take you, you will be just as you
were before all this trouble came upon
| you.
And SO the next morning Mr.. Arm
strong, his daughter and Ruth went up to
| London.
| Two months later, Mary received
Ronald's letter, telling of George Forces
| ter's death. and of his own disappointment
at finding his hopes of clearing himself
dashed to the ground. Mary broke the
news of Forrester's death to Ruth. She
received it quietly.
II am sorry" she said, "but he has been
nothing to me for a long time now, and he
could never have been anything to me
again. am sorry" she repeated, wiping
her eyes, 'that the boy played with Is gone,
but for the man, l think it is perhaps better
so. He died fig lting bravely, ana as sol
der should. l fear he would never have
made good man had he lived"
A month later, Ronald returned. The
war was virtually over when he received
the letters from Mary Armstrong and Mr.
Volkes telling him that he was cleared at
last, and he had no trouble in obtaining his
discharge at once. He received the hearth
est congratulations from his former Off
GERS, and perfect ovation from the mon,
as he said good-by to them. At Plymouth
he received letters telling him where Mary
ehhd hoA AdDuoT WoIo Sbayiu5 III 8uu
on landing he at once proceeded to town by
train, after telegraphing to his mother ald
sisters to meet him there.
A fortnight later quiet wedding took
place, Ronald's sisters and Ruth Powlett act
ing as bridesmaids, an honor that, when
Ruth returned home Immediately after the
ceremony, etfectually silenced the tongues
Of the village gossips. Ronald Mervyn and
his wife went for months tour on the
continent Mr.. Armstrong joining them in
Paris a few days after the marriage; while
Mrs Mervyn aud her daughters went down
to Devonshire to prepare the hall for the
reception of its owner
Col. Somerset had not forgotten his
promise. and two or three days after
Ronald's return, the letter stating how
Capt. Meryyn had distinguished himself
during the Kaffir war under the name of
Sergt. Blunt went the round of the papers
The skeleton walls of Carne's Hold were
at once pulled down, the garden was rooted
up. and the whole site planted with trees,
and this was by Ronald's orders carried out
so expeditiously that when he returned with
his bride all trace of the Hold had vanished
Never in the memory of South Devonshire
had there been such rejoicing as those That
greeted Ronald Mervyn and his wife on
their return home. The tenantry of his
two estates, now Joined, all assembled at
the station. and scarce man from Carnes-
ford was absent Triumphal arches had
been erected, and the gentry for many miles