The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-01-27
A N o V E L,
am RIGHTS RESER VED1

ward the end of the street furthest from
! the sea- but still the man behind never lost
sight of the woman in front. At last she
| stopped, where he had expected-teared
that she would stop; before little house in
a garden, built back from the roadway.
She opened the latch of the wooden gate,
and he watched her go cautiously in, aad
! disappear amid the wet evergreens. She
| did not go to the front door Of the house,
but evidently intended to enter at the back,
and the man watching her saw all this with
a feeling of intense anger and establishment
| in his heart.
! "If it had been the other one" he was
thinking as he leaned a momeat or two on
| the gate, ~ should not have wondered
much-but Ruth-confound it, what can
| she have been after! But I'll be at the bot
| tom OF this escapade-She came up by the
steps from the bay-pll go down and try to
see who she has been meeting there, for
suppose there must be some one. All! what
! trust can you have in themm
And he gave bitter smile, and shrugged
his shoulders and turned away, retracing
| his steps down the street; then instead of
entering the barrack gate, which bad been
his original intention. ne once more lit cigar
and proceeded along the path at the head
of the cliffs, but this time by no means
| leisurely.
In the meanwhile the girl had stolen noise
lessly into the back door of the little house
in the garden, which she found unlocks d.
! Then she crept through the kitchen Ia grey
cat rising and purring a welcome as she did
| this and having left the kitchen, she eau
tiously assembled the narrow staircase, at
the head of which stood beautiful woman
in e white wrapper watching her, and hold
ing a candle to light her on her way.
| They looked at each other, these two; but
neither spoke. There was intense excite
ment depicted on the face of the beautiful
woman at the head of the stairs, and she
eagerly scanned the slender, cloaked form of
the girl Then she breathed a sort of sigh
! of relief, and turned back still without a
word, into the bedroom, from which she had
| only emerged when she heard the lIghJ foot
step she had watched aud waited for.
| The girl followed her, and then sank down
| on the side of the bed like one whose
strength is utterly spent. The woman saw
this, and hastily shut the room door and
| took off the drenched cloak, and poured out
some brandy which she had standing in
readiness in glass, and held it to the girls
| white lips.
| AT first she seemed too much exhausted
| even to swallow the restorative but at last
| did so with one or two deep drawn signs.
| Then sheffield her head and looked into the
others face, with eyes still full of fear.
''But-it IS safe, is it notF' whispered the
woman, seeing this expression with sud
| den pang of dread.
YES faltered tue girl; mo one saw
me-Out OIL Francis, Francis, l would
rather have died than have done what did
| to-nightln
''Iush, hush, said the woman she had
called Francis; lit is done and over now.
Dol't give way, Ruth, for heavens sake
do0's rave way now after all We have gone
| through"
NO" and the girl caught up the coverlet
| ,F 4h,A 1A her to
stiff the choking ard hysterical sobs that
seemed to rend her throat; but it was so
dreadful-the lightning and the Storm
| thought the end of the world had come,
Fraacis-yet went onm
mo fear of the end Of the world coming,
my dear answered the other, more lightly ;
1T was a bad storm, but it would keep pry-
ing eyes away, so perhaps we ought to be
| thankful. | hope you won't get cold.
| though; get off your wet boots at once,
Ruth, and have some more brandy, and go
to bed
But the girl refused any more brandy.
She rose feebly and began to cut the laceS of
her soaked boots, and unfastened her wet
aud clinging gown. She was young
woman with a fair face, though the rain
| had beaten on it, and sue was faint aud
worn. A tall, slender young woman with
a shapely head and throat, and white neck
| and arms Not beautiful, like the one
! standing beside her, though, at least not
beautiful in such grand outlines and vivid
| coloring. But there vas still likeness be-
| tween them, the likeness of the rose and
the half-opened bud They were sisters, but
Francis Forth was five years older than
Ruth, and fully looked it. One was a
splendid woman, the other pretty girl.
Suddenly Ruth gave a half cry, and
sprang to her feet, while a look OF abso-
Lutte CONSERVATION passed over her express
i've face.
1.-THE spade, Francis!" she whispered
I've left it behind-in my terror forgot
it. Oh! what shall we do?"
How could you be so made But it can't
be helped You can't go back now, and,
after all, it does not matter much, for the
sea will likely have swept it away before
morning, as the tide was coming in; and
even if it hadn't, who could identify a com
mon little spadeln
The younger sister made no answer. She
drew her lips tightly together, aud forced
| back some words she knew would but add
to her sisters anxiety.
But long after Frances Forth had left her,
she lay awake, pale and trembling, thinking
of the forgotten spade.
Glow could |, how could II" she moaned,
in bitter, sef-reproaoh, tossing uueasily on
her bed. "And it may be traced-poor
| Francs does not klow il it is, 1T will kill
me, | think. | could but die"