The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-10-04
CHAPTER XVI.
1AKING THE BULL ny THE HORNS

1AEING THE BULL ny THE HORNS
Perhaps they thought that little Ora
Gle wnmla-burSt into tears or swoon.
Not she The fair fame of her mother
had been fOully assailed, and she alonc
felt the obligation of defending it.
She rose To her feet, every nerve rs
firm as steel, her lips white and COM
pressed into rigid iinc, Her DrIgnJ
eyes dark with Inc menace OF wounded
pride
"W hat YOU say is false-and you know
it," she said, firmly; "false as any word
uttered by iiend incarnatc! You are
II bold, bad woman! ] read it in your
eyes, and l warn these gentlemen to
doubt every word that you say, except
that You are the wife of Max Boyden.
If such is the case, all l can say is that
you arc we'll matchcd!"
The woman had been recoiling be-
fore the lash of her righteous scorn
with much of the sinuous action of q
serpent about to strike. AS the girl
ceased speaking she drew herself up,
and her eyes fairly lanced the fires of
hate.
"You insullcrable upstart!" she Kissed :;
"you deserved to be whipped from end
to end of the town for your insolence!"
"Not by you, madamw
"You arc II brazcn faced adventures! !"
"And you are no lady"
If she had stabbed the woman with
dagger, Oracle could not have wound
ed the creature more vitality.
In her mgovernable wrath, she
turned her back upon the girl and al
dressed Mr.. Edgar steadily, though she
was livid to the lips with rage.
81 shall enter upon the rights Of my
unclcs property" she said, "until his
will is produced. Then / shall contest
it. And I warn you to keep all i'm
posters out of my way, for ! am mcrci-
less!"
With these words she swept ont Of
the room and the outer door changed
behind her. Once more seated in her
cab, she glanced lack at the unpretcn-
tious house which shielded her rival,
and clcnchcd her hands until the deli
cate kid that covered them burst with
the vicious pressure.
Course her!" she pantcd "she has
| insulted me, wounded me TO the quick,
but she shall pay dearly for it, She
may have her property if she can wrest
it from me, Jut / ,CH haze her hap
pinesS"
In pursuance of the threat, she sent
note to Rupert Arnim that evening,
and rs he read it, the blood surged to
his brain and blinded him with guilty
! JOY.
The brief missivc ran as follows:
I i go by the Fall River boat tomorrow
evening. NY destination is Boston. You
may accompany m" If YOU choose. or follow
me at your own discretion. SATANELLA."
/ Do YOU ask what his determination
was?
(nU you ask when YOU know how he
witchcd he was, how insane he had be
come lpncath her fatal spell! He ac
compSsnicd her, and the lonely mothe,
slept that night unprotected in tho
humble home in Harlem
| Meanwhile little Oracle had consulted
with Lawyer Edgar, and had come to
the conclusion that the first and fore
most step for her to take was to start
in search of her missing mother. Sc
much seemed to depend upon her being
found that the lawyer reluctantly as.
scntcd to beginning the quest.
| But where to begin? How find q
woman who had vanished utterly, leav
ing no trace, no clue behind her?
81 shall go to Boston and to tho old
home first" Oracle said; "thc place
has been closed since we went to Eu
rope, but knowing what l do, perhaps
some Of the ncighbdrs can assist me-"
"Is the place i'll the city," inquired
Mr.. Edgar
NO, it is in a lonely suburb, but
know it well, for it has been my hom,
ever since 1 can remember"
"Thcn You lived in the house Will
] Mr.. -. your father?"