Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-24
A BITTER BIRTHRIGHT.
LADY GILMoRE'S TEMPTATION
Ply DORA RUSSELL,
Author of 'Footprints IN the Snow" ''The
Broken Seal" "The Track of the
storm.""A Strange Mes
sage" &c, &c.
TALL RIGHTS REsERvED.1


was fine day. That is, the sun shone
out in ftiul CLEANS between the broken.
fast drifting clouds, and as Its rays stole
through the blinds of Nays room at the
Rookery, near Maidennead, she rose,
went to the window, drew up the blind
and tried TO shake off the depressing eff
fects of her bad dreams of the night be-
fore.
81 hope the wind was not so bad at
eea, - she thought, pitifully, for her
mind still fingered on the old days and
the old man who dwelt on the storm
washed coast. "Poor father,' she
KEEP. thinking softly, recalling how
wildly his rugged, weather-beaten
features had appeared to her in her
dream, and how kindly John Summers
blue eyes had gezed at his absent child.
Then her thoughts turned to- Gilmore
TO tGerard'' as she still always called
hm-and she kept musing on his strange
fate.
ave should have been far happier if
they had never taken him from Cragside
farm, she reflected, sadly enough;
"he would have been content with me
then, aud not ashamed of his wife as he
is now. But 1 must just try to make the
best of it, and dress and be more like
the ladies he mixes with, suppose.
In pursuance of this resolution poor
May got out her lns new morning gown
"A delicate soft blue material trimmed
with cream lace-which suited well her
fair skin and light hair, and proceeded
10 adorn herself In it in expectation of
her husbands return. Then, after
breakfast, she went into the rain washed
garden, the leaves still spangled with
moisture, and selected some pink hya-
cinths TO adorn her rooms, placing one
also near her own pretty throat. After
this she ordered lunch--taklng care that
the viRnds were those that Gilmore loved
and then she waited for him, but she
waited in vain.
Noon came, when he had said he
would be back, and then the afternoon
glided away, and still there was no sign
OF Gilmore. May was not exactly I'M
easy, because when he went up 10 town
he sometimes remained few days, but
10 do him justice he always let her
know when he was gong to do this
But when the evening came, and then
night, aud he was still absent, she
began TO be very anxious and afraid.
And the night passed as the day had
done, and then the next day, but on the
third day May could bear it no longer.
She therefore wrote an urgent letter to
Gilmore, at his rooms in Piocadilly, tell
ing him how uneasy she was ut not
having hear from him, and asking him
when he received her letter to telegraph
reply to it.
She waited hour after hour for her
telegram, and none came. She waited
until the last post came in aud there was
no letter, ana then she felt sure that
something must have happened to her
husband. Could he be ill-or-and her
heart seemed to faint within her, and her
face grew deadly pale. Could he have
left her for anotherP He had been
changed of late May knew well-cbanged
and cold-and was this the end of it?
May tortured hertelf by these surmises
and miserable doubts all through u sleep
less night, and then on the fourth day of
GilmOre's absence, she wrote 10 Mr..
Whitmore, whose address she knew, and
whom she knew also to be a friend of
Gilmore g, asking him If he knew any
thing of his whereabouts.
To this letter she received reply IN the
shape OF a telegram from Mr.. Whitmore,
on the same day that she sent it to tell
her that he would be at Maidenhead
early the next morning. Then another
sleepless night had to be borne--a night
haunted by dire forebodings-aud about
twelve o'clock Mr.. Whitmore arrived at
the Rookery, and with trembling foot
steps May went downstairs TO hear his
news.
He had none tn give her! He had
neither seen nor heard of Gilmore, and
could not understand his disappearance.
"He went up to town on the night Of
the 18th of April" said May, with
faltering lips; she said he would be
home next day-he said he was going to
a dance given by some bachelor friend of
his-he left here in time to catch the 8
train.
1T would be Escourt's dance, {" IN
terrupted Mr.. Whitmore eagerly, as May
paused; 81 was there, and Escourt told
me Gilmore was expected, aud we won
dered that he never cast up, and the
next morning"
But now Mr.. Whitmore paused and
hesitated, and cast down his eyes.
"Oh, go on cried May; ''tell me
all you know
liam afraid of alarming you-but
still, had better tell you, think.
Well, the next morning after Esoourt's
dance, went TO Gilmore's rooms in
PIccadilly, as thought he might be in
town, and 1 saw the landlord. Gilmore
had not arrived in town the night before,
though he had been expected, for he had |
sent on portmanteau there during the |
day, as he always did when he was COM
ing up for the night. This is all know,
and the next thing l heard of him was
when received your letter yesterday -
"Then-then something must have |
happened to himl" burst from Nays |
pale lips, and she clasped her hands to-
gether despairingly.
at is very strange, certainly; suppose |
l go to the station here and inquire if he |
did go up to town on the night of the |
goth; they are sure TO know MIN by sight |
there
''Ohi yes, yes. OIL please go, Mr. |
WhitInore. Oil what shall dor"
''Don = distress yourself, Mrs. May?"
said whitmore, kindly; 81 dare say
he II cast up all right; he's thought
less fellow, you know, but he certainly |
should have written. However, 1 IL go |
TO the station and inquire.
And Mr.. Whitmore did go 70 the |
station and inquire, and the station
master remembered the night of the |
29th Of April perfectly, because 1t was |
the night of the storm. the man said.
rfAnd do Won know Iord 1ilmora by i