The Globe-republican., 1890-12-24

had been leaning back with folded
hands in her abounding complacency,
sat upright now and gazed sternly at the
vestry door, by which the laggard should
appear. The three beautiful sisters
looked with meaning eyes at each other
as though portending discontinue. The
pursy brother-in-law who stood beside
the bride to give her away looked tes-
tily at his big gold watch.
Eleven o'clock. The great bell tolled
it out, filling the shuddering walls with
sound and breaking the electric spell
With start Carmine raised her head
and looked round her. At the same mo-
ment the vestry door opened and the
clergyman came quickly forward and
whispered few words to her escort.
"Can't be found-disappeared."
Size heard these words, and put out her
hands with wild. imploring gesture to
the rector. The next instant she had
tainted.
"Come home!-hide yourself. poor
miserable thing!' muttered the mother,
in passion of mortified pride, as she
thrust her into the carriage at the side
door. 81 might have known he would
desert you-but I shall never forgive
him."
They got her smuggled into the house
and up to her own chamber without
attracting too much attention. and as
they shut the door upon her and her
troubles, the gun of the depart
ing steamer mingled with the pealing of
the bells which counted twelve o'clock.
OF all the costly wedding-gifts that
had been sent her, Carmine chose but
one to cheer her in her solitude
simple guard-ring Leslie had given her
to hold the wedding-ring in place. That
wedding-ring might never grace the
thin hand now, but the guard should
take its place.
Indignation ran high in the town of
Elmsford over the insult that had been
offered its most popular young lady.
Parties of young men formed themselves
into various committees for purposes of
vengeance; but graver feelings began to
prevail when it was discovered that DR..
Kenilworth's money still lay in the safe
at his hotel, and that his travelling
trunks remained in his room untouched.
It was ascertained that he had last been
seen by one of the walters leaving the
hotel about eleven o'clock on the night
before his expected marriage. He re-
marked to the man that he was going to
take look round the town, as he had
not seen it for seven years. His purse
was lying on the table in his room,
along with some labels he had finished
addressing, as if he had intended return
ing Immediately. Could he have gone
down to the docks to see the steamer?
A search was quietly instituted, but in
vain. Was it to be one of those ''mys-
terious disappearances?"
Carmine noticed on the third day of
the year that her mother, when she
came up to pay her usual brief visit, did
not abuse the lost man with her &C.
customed rancor. Nay, she even alluded
to him as that poor fellow"
HE is dead, then?" she whispered,
sitting up and staring at her with her
burning eyes.
"No-no-we don't know; but there
is no trace, and-and it is very strange"
Carmine could not rest that night
All her hold on hope was torn away by
that thought of death. She wandered
up and down, clasping her hands and
praying for mercy. A moaning storm
kept company with her mood, and
lashed the snow in flinty sheets against |
her window. Through the hiss of the |
tempest she could hear the tolling of |
the bells telling the quarters, now loud,
now faint, as the wind howled past !
Never before had they pressed them
selves upon her attention as they did |
now. They seemed to be calling-call- |
with human voices-call-
ing to her for help!
The girls mind was in q highly |
wrought state, her fancy disordered;
that she knew, and she strove for COM
posure. The faith, which had never for |
a moment failed her, in Leslie Kenil-
worth's truth made her feel as if his
spirit were near her, his vo ice in the
changing bells.
AS the blast died away before the |
coming dawn, and all things became |
still, this impression became so power
full that she softly opened her window
and knelt down with her eyes fixed upon
the lofty campanile; and no sooner had
the blush light limned forth its fretted |
spires, than her whole soul seemed to |
be drawn from her in the words:
80! God Of mercy, tell me how to help |
him.
In solemn measure the hour tolled |
forth-six o'clock. As the sonorous |
echoes died away a wild voice spoke to |
her piercingly, as in her very ear:
Maniac bells! Maniac bells'"
1t was Leslie's voice! Had she lost |
her reason? What was that moving on |
the face Of the campanile? A shred of |
paper? A hand? A beckoning hand?
"Loslie! Leslie! I am comingw |
cried Carmine, as if he could hear her.
Perhaps he did. The pale hand was
withdrawn.