Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1890-10-17

4 tremor seized her knees and hands.
She ssnk into chair and fastened her
eyes upon him.
"Tell the whole truth" she said.
Something horrible has happened. l
have felt the catastrophe coming long
time"
He had thrown himself down beside
her. His beauty was defaced like u
Greek god prone in the dust.
He began in broken phrases, which IL
lumined the situation for the listening
woman as flashes of lightning illumines u
black landscape.
Leslie never spoke.
The last carriage rolling away from
Miss Vassar's ball faced the late rising
moon. The day had been cool and the
night had warning of winter.
There were sounds of closing doors, of
moving footsteps, about the great house
for half hour or more. On tho landing
Of the first floor Helen said good night
to her guest and the women separated
and went to their rooms. The last light
was extinguished after time and every
thing sank into silence.
The creaking of door woke no echo
in the wide hall. A window at the end
of it admitted moonlight cloisteral in its
whiteness. 1t just touched softly step
ping figure dressed in black. In black,
of course. How could one tell what
trick stray moonbeam falling on white
might play2
Miss Vassar slept behind locked doors.
But between her bedroom and the hall
was small boudoir. There was moon
light enough here also. Enough, at least ,
to see ones way to the curious cabinet of
inlaid japanese woods that stood in one
corner A fragile thing in appearance,
but not fragile in reality, unless you hap
pened to know the mechanism of its Sec
ret drawers.
When you did, what more easy than
to touch spring and assist the hinge
that noiselessly turned, exposing the in
distinct contour of the we'll known Golfer
behind2 The box was light of weight,
despite the value it represented. But
those swift, dexterous fingers had nc
thought OF carrying 1t. Already they
had pressed the secret spring lock that
opened it and lifted the paddedtray. Just
then the moon passed urder a cloud.
But there was no possibility of mistake in
the touch of those cold chained stones,
slipping, like snake, against the palm.
This was the wonderful Vassar necklace,
enriched, in three successive generations,
by gems scarce anywhere to be matched.
The tray was replaced, the Golfer M
back, the hinge turned. The japanese
cabinet stood in its corner as if no alien
touch had violated it, The dark figure,
in the light of the reappearing moon,
glided from the room as noiselessly as il
had glided in.
"That wretched woman has been SEN
fenced to ten years in the penitentiary." !"
For days Miss Vassar had been op-
pressed as with weight. Even the
preparations for her approaching mar
rage seemed scarcely to arouse her. She
had taken a liking to the neat little
French maid so short time in her SER
vice before she had been arrested for the
theft of the Vassar necklace. Even now,
with every proof of her guilt, she could
not, apparently, convict her in her own
mind or appease her regrets.
II think you are morbid" said Leslie
Radetsby, quietly. "What is to prevent
people from getting their deserts in this
worldW
.'How cruel you look when you say
that!" exclaimed Miss Vassar with note
of pain in her voice.
"Well, some one who knew something
of phraseology, physiognomy-all the
rest of it-told me once that l was cruel.
Cruel, unscrupulous," added the girl
with smile. "Unscrupulous when
had an end to gain"
"Don't say those things" exclaimed
her friend, as before. "You are always
saying them latterly. Why9"
"Ah, why, whya" cried the girl with
shrug OF her beautiful shoulders.
Was she really changed9 she asked
herself a little later as she went down in
the wide grounds. She had slipped on a
thick jacket and walked with a rapid
step over the frozen snow. The winter
day was breathless and clear. The icy
stiffness seemed to cool her head and
hands. Oh, this feverishness that would
not go out of her veins But, outward
ly, was she not perfectly calm? She had
grown hard. OF course. Hard, bitter,
reckless; all the rest of it. She gave u
low laugh in the silence of the empty,
leadess alleys. How could one help that
1t was either to do that or-to go mad,
perhaps!
She stopped abruptly with light
trembling of the limbs. She had heard
an approaching step. 1t was Louis.
He had left his trap at the gate and
was walking up through the grounds to
the house.
81 thought should meet you here, y
he said His voice shook and his pallor
struck through all her bewilderment