Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1890-12-18
THE
LITTLE " AIP.
4 Story Of Absorbing Interest,"
BY BERNARD HERBERT.
CHAPTER XIV.
RETRIpuTroN.

maze ana mystic shadow, Clarissa Cliff
ford came forth upon the terrace where
Rupert Arnim sat, a pale, wasted
shadow of his handsome self.
The lady, too, looked wan and bag
gard in the uncertain light, and it was
with heavy sigh that she sat dow
beside the man who might have beer
her happy son-in-law.
murmured contritely; eff you knew all
you would shun me as you would
viper"
II know ALL" she returned gently
and do not blame you. You also
have been an unhappy victim of the
cruel fate which has killed my child
You thought her base and criminal
and the circumstantial evidence was
against her."
But 1 never doubted her in nv
hearth groaned the young man; ri
knew her to be good and true, but the
evil one seemed to gain possession oil
me, and I went mad. Oh, my God.
how / have suffered, how repent II
would have been too much happiness
for me to have died when I was stricken
down by that villains hand. No, am
reserved for remorse of spirit, for
fuller repentance, but I shall die
Thousand deaths until I am released to
follow herr
"Hush!' she rejoined kindly; "do not
question the will of heaven; the hand
Of the Lord has been laid heavily upon
me, but I do not complain. I only
dread to have her lying there alone in
that cold, damp tomb, when she looked
so life-like, 30 beautiful in her sleep!"
Don't, don't!" he sobbed; II cannot
bear to think of her! Oh, Mrs. Cliff
ford, if I could only give my life to re.
call her to you, how gladly would l
give It'll"
II know, my poor boy, I know. /
love you for your love of her, love you
for her sake. Rupert, you and old
Jean and little Stella must make your
home with me in the future; we will
live here together, close to where she
sleeps, and pass our lives in praying
Tor the repose of her soul"
'Not I, Mrs. Clifford, the artist re.
Piled; "as much as l love you already,
IS much as I would give to remain
ever at the side of my Gracie's
mother. I, too, have mother, dear,
blessed woman, who must be in ag.
Dny at my desertion and silence. To
her owe the remainder of my exist
ence."
"Yes, I forgot your mother" she
said; "Gracie told me of her. Go
to her, Rupert, when you are strong
enough, and cling to her, for in thia
world there is no love comparable I'd
that which exists between mother and
child"
For some moments they sat in ST.
lence, and chill breeze swept up
over the lawn from the bosom of Black
Pond.
Clarissa Clifford shuddered, and he,
tear-filled eyes wandered involuntarily
toward the hillside where the young
leaves of the oaks silvered bv the ris.
ing moon, Swallowed the tomb of the
Cliffords.
"You are thinking of her." Arnim
said, following tLo direction of hel
anxious gaze.
Eyes" she answered. II cannot keep
her out of my mind for an instant. II
seems SO cruel to leave that tender
flower all alone in that hideous place.
Rupert" she added, laying her hand
caressingly upon his arm, "by-and- by,
when the house is quiet, will you not
| 30 there with me to her resting place,
and take one more look at her?'
with all my heart" he exclaimed,
eagerly, "and I will sit by her until
lay comes, and you can take my
place."
mo, no! There is no need of that.
Her soul is with the angels. She is not
IN the tomb
In the meantime an evening train
had arrived from the city, and WON.
IN, closely yelled and cloaked, had set
I'll with nervous, rapid steps along
the dusky road.
The cloak concealed valise which
the woman carried, while the veil
masked the hardened, desperate feat
ures of Cora Boyden.
Driven to the wall, cast out upon the
world, the wretched woman had re.
turned to gather up her hidden spoils,
which We're all that remained now be.
tween her and penury and disgrace.
As she hurried along, keeping close to
the shadowy side of the road, she
chuckled in a mirthless way at he,
clever forethought in concealing the
Jewels and money in the old tomb; and
yet she trembled more and more the
nearer each rapid step brought her tc
the spot where her villainy had con.
summated such ruthless havoc.
By means of by-paths in the woods
she reached the oak-clad hill without
detection and paused, painting with
exhaustion, before the tomb of the Cliff.
lords.
For the first time, then, it occurred
o her that, though she had kept the
ley Of the charnel house in her pocket
ince her last visit there, some one
night have been there and tempered
With the lock. What. then. was he,
earful CONSERVATION to find that loci
'roken and the chain rent asunder and
ying up the groundl
Had some one detected the robbery
nd robbed her in return?
With trembling hands she raised the
eavy latch and threw the iron door
'ide open. With lightning celebrity |
he moon shot its silver lancss into the
ark receptacle and illumined its
loomy interior almost with the light OF |