The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-09


aim splendid artificial leg, you know now,
and he walks wonderfully well with it,
DOESN'T he. Mrs. Audleyr
Yes answered Ruth. almost under her
breath.
"He came in with me Just now" said
Murray, utterly unconscious he was saying
anything to disturb his listeners, $50 be
must be in the house. You should wait to
see him, Seaforth: l dare say he'll be down
directlvn
Mo- must go now,D said Seatorth,
slowly; II shall see you again" he added,
| as he took Ruth'S hand. do not forget
rhat have SAID"
She did not speak; she looked at him
out Of the depths of her gray and shadowy
eyes.
"Well, if you will, I'll walk down the
street with you a bit; it's nice to see you
again, old fellow" said Murray.
A minute or two later the young men had
left the room together. and Ruth was alone.
She sat YEARLY down on the chair before
the little table, where she had been sitting
when Seaforth arrived. gazing with a far
away look at his photograph, which lllay
where he hal placet it when he raised it
from the floor. OF what was she thinking?
or his words. his love, and the dreary bon
dage of her own existence. All it was
dark and bitter to her to think that if she
oads him go, tnat if he went to India
alone, that she would drop out of his
life; become perhaps like a half-forgotten
dream.
But on the other hand-and her face
flushed hotly-could she make her name a
jest and by-word as Frances had done,
and cast a shadow over his life and hers
thai could never pass away!
Her head fell low on the table before her,
but an instant later she had raised it hasti-
". She had heard footsteps in the front
room, and the next moment the curtains
were thru t roughly aside. and Audley,
with absolute fury depicted on his dis
figured face, stood before her.
well, is he gomez he said, loudly and
roughly-'your loverp
capt. Seaforth is gone," she answered,
rising.
capt Seaforlh ;ndeed!" almost shouted
Audley. Ruth" and he grasped her arm
savagely, ''you have told that man forced
YOU to marry me; told the story of your
sisters shamew
She stood facing him; growing pale to
the lips, but never taking her eyes from
his.
''Yes, have told him." she said: told
him why was forced to break my word to
hinep
'.You have dared to do this!n said Aud
ley, shaking her in his rage, with his fierce
grip upon her arm. 81 heard youl heard
what he said of me. You have disgraced
Yourself and me-you shall leave my roof
this very day"
~ have long wished to do SOL shall
gladly do So answered Ruth, trying to
pull her arm from his clutch. 81 shall 90 to
my fathers"
"Or follow the example of your virtuous
sister," said Avdley, with a coarse and Bit
ter laugh.
''No," and Ruth gave little shudder, 81
shall leave you-but alone"
I Har owl p,,E
woman who could degrade herself to
tell such story to another manic a
lover-as you have done, shall be no wife
to mel"
"And how did you degrade yourselfg'
asked Ruth, In voice broken with indig-
nant passion. "Think what you didi The
base adya ltage you took of the miserable
secret you should never have known"
Il was fool for my palms." said Audley,
thought you would have repeated the pretty
tale TO Seaforth; scarcely thought you had
fallen so low as that"
81 did it to clear myself to him."
Aud what ought he to be to your cried
Audley iercely.
At this moment his angry eyes fell on
Seaforth's photograph which was still lying
on the table. and as they did so a terrible
expression passed over his face
$50 you have been exchanging portraits,
have you" he said, with passionate bitter
ness, seizing the photograph, tearing it in
two, and fiji ging il on the floor. How
dare you do sop
And giving way to uncomfortable
passion, he struck heavy blow on her face
with his open hand
There take that and be gone; never
wish to see your face again!n he cried, furi-
ously; and as Ruth gave a cry and stag
geret forward, he turned and left the room,
and Ruth sank down, pale and painting, on
a chair that was near her.
lt was all over then, and she would go,
was her first thought. The insult he had
offered her, the singing pain on her cheek
and eye, would be sufficient excuse to her
father for leaving Audley, and Ruth made
up her mind at once to do So She stooped
down and picked up the torn photograph,
and placed the severed portions in the
boron of her dress, AMI then feeling physi-
caily weak and faint with the excitement
she had gone through, she tottered to her
own room, and having locked the door, be-
gan, when she felt little recovered, to
Gather together the few things she meant
to take with her to her fathers house.
Suddenly she remembered that she could
not reach Headfort that night, and that she
would be forced to sleep on the way. But
she would not stay under Audley's roof; she
would take her maid with her, who was a
thought sc0rnfully. would be unable to
blackeu her name with unseemly words.
No sooner had she decided on this plan
than she rang the bell, and when her maid
answered it she told her she had been sum
moned unexpectedly to her fathers, and
that she must be ready to start in half an
hour The maid assented, knowing very
we'll all the while that the summons t. her
father'so was really violent quarrel be-
tween the husband and wife. They had
rightly guessed the cause also of the quar-
rel down stairs for Audley. when he had re-
turned to the house, had been told by his
s1ldier-servant that Capt. Seaforth was in
the drawing room, and the man was sharp
enough to perceive the lowering brow with
which this announcement was received.
Audley had always been jealous of Sea-
forth, and it las.ei across his brain in a
moment that if he we It quietly into the
front drawing room, he might hear unseen
part of the conversation going on in the
back room, where Ruth usually sat-
Never did the old adage prove more true
that listeners seldom hear good of them
selves" than in what happened to Audley
during the next few minutes Going as
noiSelessly as possible into the front room,
he heard with burning sense of shame,
disgrace and rage, words which struck his
vain, passionate heart like sharp sword.
He heard Seaforth say in his clear tones:
He deserves anything that could befall