The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-07

whispered scandals.
She was known to bs divorced wife,
and the story of the tragic duel rear Calais
was not forgotten. But she was handsome,
and had money, and Count de Laguerre
was in such an Impoverished co lditi1n, he
told himself he could not afford to be par
ticular. And Frances married, partly be-
cause he was a good looking man, and
partly because, she thought, it would give
her more assured position.
But terrible awakening followed. She
found his position was an assumed one, that
he was a drunkard and gambler and
that what he most priced was the quarterly
check which she received from England.
1t was n wretched marriage, and they
drifted lower and lower, sinking ITO an
abyss of debt from which they never es-
capped. The natural consequences followed,
and abuse and re rimi alton were of daily
occurrence in the cheap. gaudily furnished
apartments where these two dragged out
an unhappy existence.
They had lived together about a year
when the count contracted typhus fever.
and died after a short illaess. Frances,
true TO her character, made no moan over
loss which she did not consider one. She
buried the poor man and put on her Grape,
feeling she had had good radiance. But
the subtle germs of disease had stolen into
her frame also, and to her terror and con-
sternation she felt herself growing iii.
She had always been strong, and she
struggled against the insi1ious foe, and
went out when she ought to have been in
bed. But do what she would, the fever
kept possession of her, and fear began to
steal into her heart, for she ielt herself
alone in a city where she had no friend.
She grew worse and worse, and her doc
tor asked her if she had no relations she
would like to have near her in sickness.
Then Frances remembered Ruth, and how
when kshe had been young girl her then
child-sister had nursed and waited on her
She remembered. too, how Ruth had
nursed her during another illness which
she had never until now cared TO think of,
II have a sister" she told the doctor;
but we have quarreled."
''Still, madame, in illness quarrels are
often forgotten and forgiven. May l send
for your sister."
Frances hesitated, not from any fear of
giving infection to Ruth, but from a feel
ing of pride and shame that Ruth should
seq her brought down 50 low. But the doc
tor urged it, and finally Frances gave her
consent, and also gave Ruth's address at
Headfort.
They had heard there of Frances second
marriage, but no direct communication had
passed between the sisters during the
two years and six months which bad
gllded away since Frances had fled
from her home at Sudley. But after
Audley'S interviews with Ruth, and his
hard words to her on the subject of Arthur
Beaton'S death, Ruth had begun to think
more tenderly of Frances-to pity her, in
fact, for the terrible retribution which had
overtaken her when her young lover died
And rumOrs reached them that her sec
ond marriage was also an unfortunate one.
and Ruth would often muse sadly enough
over her beautiful sisters fate But she
never talked of Frances to her father, as
her name was sufficient to put Col Forth
into tremendous rage. He could not for
get the pain and misery she had caused,
and the Swallowed life of his old friend was
! an ever present grievance.
The letter, therefore, from the French
doctor, which duly arrived, was a great
shock to Ruth. He informed her that
| Nine. dc Laguerre, her sister, was danger
ously i'll of typhus fever, and though the
form which the disease had hitherto as
sumed was not of so fatal nature as that
which had carried off her husband, after a
| brief illness, still it was OF a sufficiently
alarming character to induce Ude doctor to
wish that some of madames near relatives
| should be by her bedside. And he ended by
urging Ruth to go to Paris as quickly as
possible
Ruth received this letter at breakfast
| time, read it, and laid it down with little
| cry. -r"
'Oh father" she said, Frances is very
| ILL.,"
"Frances" answered the colonel, with an
| ominous frown.
! eyes" said Ruth with agitation; "this is
a letter from her doctor; she has typhus
fever, he says, and that her husband has
| died of it, and that some of her relations
should be with her-I will 60"
Ruth" said Col, Forth, starting to his
! feet, you shall do nothing of the kind
| forbid lido you hear?'
| "But father / must go; could not bear
| to think of it if did not-fancy, when she
is so i'll, to be all aloneW
'tShe has forfeited all claims on our con-
| sideration, and [ am not going to let you
run the risk of catching an Infectious fever
| for the sake of one who has ceased to be
| anything 20 US; most justly ceasedw
But that cannot be, you know said
Ruth, also rising; "if Frances had been
prosperous and well, it might have been
| different, but now, when she is 80 i'll and q
| widow, we cannot forget what she once
was to us-at least | cannot. You will
give me the money to go to Paris father,
4 will YOU notf
Not one pennym answered the colonel
! in loud, angry voice, II repeat, | forbid
| you to go, and SO there's an end of it;n and
| he walked out of the room to escape fur
| Cler Solicitation.
| But Ruth had made up her mind. Many
time she had secretly blamed herself for
! that partial explanation that she had made
to Seaforth, which had brought Indirectly
| such dire consequence to Frances, and she
was not going to forsake her now. She
| thought moment; then went upstairs, and
dressed herself for going out. and without
again seeking her father, left the house, en-
gagged cab, and drove straight to Sudley,
for she meant 10 ask Col. Kenyon for the
money to take her to Frances sick bed.
1t was q fine frosty morning in the early
days of the new year, just two years and
six months after she had gone, on such a
morning. to tell Col, Kenyon the miserable
story that had wrecked his life, And now
to speak of Frances was again her errand
but this time the news was very different
She found him walking slowly up and
down the terrace, in the sun, and when he
saw her he at once advanced to meet her.
She shook hands with him gravely, and
something in the expression of her face
startled him.
Has anything happened" he asked ner-
vously.
Eyes, Frances is very ILL.," answered
Ruth, in low tone; land have come to
ask you to advance me the money to go to
her, as my father will not give it 10 me
Very ill" repeated Col. Kenyon, as
though the news was a shock to HIM also
at is typhus fever; this is the doctors