The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-24


turned to stone.
~ stopped down and picked it up. ami
again the lightning befriended me; it was
the little spade [ have seen in your garden
the little spade that last Sunday afternoon
Seaforth carved your name on. have it
now"
Ruth started as if some one had struck
her. aud clasped both her hands on her
| breast.
"You understand now why asked you
to come here went on Audley, with hard
determination, land how, at least, you owe
me something for haying breathed this in o
| no ones ears tut your own! But let me
finish my story; picked up the srade, and
| ms antly understood you had taken 1t
there on such night for some purpose. ]
| determi ed t. fiud out what that purpose
was, and | did,
5 netting between a gasp aud cry now
fell on his ears, but the man continued his
tale, though he kne# he was rending the
| girls neart.
Il marked the spot with stick where l
had found the spade, and | carried the
spade away with me up to the fort, and
when got there examined it again, and
saw had made no mistake Then / got a
lantern, and carried 1t and the spade back
to the shore, and-shall | go on? l dug
up. Miss Ruth, what you had buried there.
| II
He stopped, for Ruth had suddenly fallen
| forward, and he caught her in his arms.
Listen to me, he said, half sternl q. half
tenderly, land you need not be afraid"
But Ruth i'll her horror and anguish began
to stagger feebly on.
"Hep me-" she murmured, hoarsely; 81
cannot walk-helD me to the gate
Then, as he looked on her white face, and
at her wide-open, feardllated eyes, q sort
| of pity crept into his heart.
| on ma ha aaid "a held n al
tightly by the arm, land do not suppose for
a moment | suspect this sin, this folly.
whatever you chance to call twas yours.
| You were puppet in your sisters hands,
aud for her sake you have exposed yourself
to great danger"
By this time Ruth had struggled on to the
| gateway on which AuileY had been sitti e
when she first saw him. She grasred
with both hands, leaning on il absolutely to
| save herself from falling, and Audley also
now leaned against it.
"Do you feel betterT he asked ''This
must be great shock to you, | know, but
on my honor you can trust me, Ruth" and
he laid one of his hands on hers; have a
motive for tel ing you this; a motive for
| asking you to meet me here"
He felt her hand qlive~, and that was all
| They were leaning with their faces to tn,
uncut corn, watch the summer wind was
| swaying intoa green sea OF waving grain,
| and al around them was the stiffness and
sweetness of the country scene But the
mans face was hard set and deter mined
and the woman's pallid aud drawn, with
unutterable pair.
- asked yol,n CONTINUED Au1ley, uncon-
sciouslv tgAtenng his grasp on the small
hand, "t1 tell you that all folly mus0 end
between you and Seaforth; ! wo 1T have it.
| Ruth-v0u know very we'll | ike you, and
| you must break with him entirely
lCa.1
into his face wi h her fear-stricken eyes.
''Doa't ask me this she said, in the
strange hoarse whisper, which scored al
the volca left to her; You do not under
stand-I am engaged to him have prom
ised to be his vile"
Audley gave harsh short laugh.
"Whatl it's gone as far as tnat, has itF
he said, contcmptuously. "Never mind.
Ruth, it must go no further. You will
never marry Seaforth."
She ga e kind of cry.
''Oh, don't be so hard,n she pleaded
"Show me a little pity, Maj. Audley, for
Gods sake"
''Ou this 1 will show none. You foolish
girl,n he continued with so ne sort of
passion vibrating his voica, "do you
think if this story were breathed to Gen
Seafor and his wife they would ever al
low you to marry Kenard9 Ay, and would
Kenard himself marry you, if he knewG'
"But-but need you tell hims Or, Maj
Audley," aud again she looked up into hi
face, It ink what this is to me! l love
| Kenardn
you use a bad argument" he said,
ha silly; at you love Kenard, you bad bet
| ter unlove him as quickly as you can, and
make up your mind to love me, for this is
part Of my bargain"
| "What!n
| "Rutn, may as well speak plainly, and
1 4. l..
| there is but one way in which you can Sc
cure my lasting silence. Your sister i
| about to marry an honorable man-Col
| Kenyon-it's a shame to let him do so, per-
| haps, but for your sake | will do thi,; 70
| volr sake | shall never breathe to a living
| soul what is hidden under the sand in
| Headfort Bay, if you will be my wife"
81 cannot / cannotl Maj. Audley,
cannotl"
But you must!" said Audley, passionate
| ly, almost roughly, and he grasped her arm
as he spoke; my bargain in this. and if
| you keep to your share of it, | shall keep
mine-rnine is silence, yours is that you
| promise to be my wife"
A moan broke from her lips, and her
! head fell low.
ITS not very hard bargain, after all, -
continued Audley; poor Kenyon gets the
| worst of it in my opinion, but he's acting
| like a fool at any rate. Ruth be a sensible
| girl" and he would have put his arm round
| her, but she shrank away. What it's too
soon for that kind of thing, you Think
| Well, perhaps you are right, so you need
not afraid of me. But, after ALL" he
added, bitterly, 81 suppose you would rather
| put up with me than all the shame, dis
| grace-ay danger-that this affair could
| bring upon your
what did you dor said Ruth, now
turning round and facing him with despera-
| ito in her face and eyes. You say you
! dug up what had hiddel."
81 dug it up and opened the box, Ruth,
if you wan all particulars and thea buried
it again; buJ | carried something away
W th me beside the spade In my barrack
| room, at this minute, there is a certain black
gown
"Oh! hush hush!' cried Ruth, putting
her hands to her ears; II can bear no
morew
And l do not wish TO say any more; but
let us understand each other before we
part. II you wish your sisters marriage
with Col. Kenyon to 60 on, II, in fact, yoI
do not wish to bring great shame and dad-
ger to her, and 10 yourself as well, marry
me, and break with Seaforth. And you
must do this at once" he continued with a
darkling brow; "I'il have no tender see es
no kisses, like you INDUCED in, Ruth, N
Sudley woods you must give me your kisses
now"
Ruth did not speak for a moment or
two, and then she said in a low, faint