The Red Cloud chief., 1889-09-27
MIRIAM.
qhe Romance Of HeatleflGgi Hall
BY MASDA L. CROKER.
COPYRIGHT, lSso.
CHAPTER VII.

And after the scene closing our last chap
ter Lady Pcrcival never saw another happy
day. From that wretched day on, until hel
Cecease, ner existence was but a lvine
death.
Not months after the death of Lady
Percival there fell a shadow over anothe,
home a beautiful country seat near Heather
leigh This n was the lovely home Of
former friend OF the PerciraiA But it wa.
rot the shadowof the silent reaper's sickle
No, il happened in this case to be that o.
the grim-visaged horror Of polite society
poverty, and the stricken was the pieasan,
residence OF Beechwood Terrace, and the
home Of the Fairfsxes.
With one fell swoop, uncompronisins
failure had swept the luxurious ease anG
careless contentmentfrom the elegant stone
mansion, and its aristocratic inmates found
themselves suddenly stranded on the ruins
OF its former prosperity.
So when the mother ofinventioo sat down
il the Observation-Disclosures apartments
10 devise diferentarrangementsf from those
Of simply enjoying life, she sent q thrill OF
horror through the veins OF their dwellers.
To be thus thrust out Of their rank in life
and society, and reckoned with the plebe-
ians. was a trying ordeal. The common 10:
Of the Financially unfortunate cast . dis
hear;ening influence across their day. The
social circles began to forget them. and nc
member Of the proud, refined family felt
the neglect more keenly than the eldest
son, Arthur, who had. hitherto, many warm
friends within the radius of the bon ton Of
Hastings.
To be thus ignored. many a less suscepti-
bic heart than his had found a bitter fort
une: then marvel not when Arthur grew
morbid over his changed life, and looked
upon their circumstances a. something
savoring Of q criminal oHense.
Society snubbed, society talked and spec
ula:ed, until. driven almost to despair,
Arthur determined to retrieve the loss OF
property in part, at least, abroad To this
end he resolved 20 embark in q mining en-
terprise with an uncle in the coal mines,
which promised unoounded success.
Bu: paramount 20 all the grievances he
endured in consequence OF his unfortunate
circumstances. there was q wretched dread
Of a possibility Of more magnitude and i'm
portance 10 him
In his palny days he had been a welcome
visitor at Heatherleigh, and had been a
favorite Of the house, with the exception OF
Sir Rupert
He, however, had treated him kindly, al.
though he could not lay claim to a title
This mark Of favor young Fairfax did not
accord TO the real reason. but was pleased
TO consider it in the light Of neritorious
worth. Had he, for An instant, imagined
that the master OF Heatherieigh was only
condescendIng 70 him, in consideration Of
the wealth and influence Of his family, his
visits 20 the hall would never have been
made IN the free and Easy manner Of An in
innate friend Of its occupants.
But Sir Rupert's kindly tolerance fat
tered him, and the sincerity Of Lady Per-
cival pleased him exceedingly: but, after
all, it was really the society Of Miriam
which had held him speubound in those
DAYS.
Thrown Into her charming company con-
~tinually. his heart had gone out TO her in q
sacred attachment before he was hardly
aware Of it. But when Miriam, who At