The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1889-09-06

81 rIEEtNs7afSa silence re 8 t 9 d
v V"N, upon the group
for almost a full minute after those
words from the duelist, and more in
tensely exciting tableau it would have
been hard, indeed, to find.
The point of that keen sword was still
placed against the breast of the captain,
and all that was necessary to send it
through was one quick turn Of the strong,
white wrist
The captains sword arm, having been
severely punctured hung helplessly at his
side.
Eye booked into eye, but that Of the
duelist could not stand before the mad
glare in the orbs of his vis-a-vis, and he
let his gaze fall.
At last she spoke. and her voice was
trembling with some deep emotion-ex-
citement, satisfaction, rage, perhaps all
three-though her form was outwardly
calm.
LAS you see, 1 am alive and here,
scoundrel and imposter. The grave
could not hold me, nor the mad-house
contain me. From death have come to
life, and now let those who have injured
me tremble, for nay heart is turned
toward vengeance, and shall never
cease until my wrongs Of the past are
righted This is my first blow. Arch
schemer, beware, far better that the
thunderbolt from Heaven should fall
upon and crush you, than that you should
live to feel the hatred of a woman
wronged."
care you done?" asked the captain,
whose face had turned whito and red by
turns while these scathing words were
hurled at him by the strange woman.
81 am, unless it is your wish to try the
last bout over again, though 1 fancy
your sword arm is not in very good con-
dition."
"For the present, we will cry quits,
but the time will come in the future
when you shall be repaid for this, curses
on you, woman or tiend, whichever you
are, he grated between his set teeth.
The handsome man uttered sharp cry
as if he had been struck blow, and,
leaping forward, would have slapped the
captain in the face, but that the woman
duelist held him back"
''This is not your quarrel yet, Jack.
Wait until have failed to accomplish
my VOW, and then remember your oath,
she said, hastily.
''Perhaps you are right, but when that
time comes, this cur will have to suffer
Tor these words. If you have done what
you came here to do, let US be gone"
''My work for the present is done. l
have prevented him from meeting the
man he hates"
From these words one would very nat
urally conclude that her reason for pre-
venting the meeting was that she herself
had an intense desire TO stand face to
face with Roger Darrell.
Nora Warner!
How the name would have thrilled the
heart of Carol Richmond, for it was the
fatal one that had separated her from
the man she loved and cast gloom over
her whole life.
Turning, the strange girl led her COM
rade away, and he seemed 10th to go, for
he cast a scowling look upon the Cap
tain, as though it would have pleased
him well to have torn the wounded duel-
st limb from limb.
pillo JooCLlOuo OuSh Wbo tlC
Captain had not the remotest idea, and
yet several times a spasm OF fear shot
like dart through his heart, as II guilt
warned him that there was a reckoning
between him and this parsonage that
must sooner or later be settled in full
When the two had vanished among the
trees, he turned to Lieut.. Carson and
made some apology for tho scene he
had just witnessed. What he said mat
ters not, for his second had his own
opinion upon the matter, and his ideas
were not changed a particle by the at
tempted explanation of his principal.
OF course, when Rogers acceptance
was brought to the Captain, he was
forced to postpone it for the time, and
the gentleman who carried it to him
thought he was wise when he saw the
wounds he had received.
The young Virginian was disappointed
when he learned how matters stood, for
since the meeting in the avenue of elms,
and the challenge, he had been in per-
feet fever to meet this impudent duelist,
who seemed determined to force himself
into affairs that did not concern him.
f1du nc DuG huOWu HOW ullulT5 were De-
ing worked at the Terrace, his indigDa-
tion would have surely boiled over, but
this was kept from him, as he
could not have been of any help.
In the meantime tho captains wounds
were healing, and he was once more the
diplomat he had proved himself in tho
past, managing his affairs with a cum
ming that proved him the possessor of a
master mind.
That Roger Darrell was the most mis-
erable of men can readily be imagined,
but, though his heart was breaking, his
exterior was calm. He possessed the
strength of purpose that could control
the will, and was thus able to hide from
sight whatever emotion reigned in his
heart. He was not the man to wear his
heart upon his sleeve for jackdaws to
amuse themselves In pecking at.
1t gave him pain to even look In the
of Richmond Terrace, and he
made up his mind to go abroad once
more. There he could at least lose much
of his pain among the varied objects OF
interest that greeted u traveller whose
time and money were both unlimited.