Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1891-07-09

gether till the jeweled rings left inden-
tations red as blood in the white flesh.
Meester Phenix !" announced sery-
ant
She turned and, ali the unbridled.
passion in moment under control.
swept with her fexile Incidence OF
motion across the room. The soft hand.
SO plant, so steely strong held, his and
drew him little away.
Come; il il cooler here. The lights
make 30 much heat and glare.
She led the way into small adioin-
ing boudoir She unwound the lace
from her throat and head with her in
imitable, supple grace and stood smiling
before him.
I sent for You because you had been
here this afternoon and / had missed
you." she said. She leaned a little
toward him and laid her hands upon
his shoulders. Her warm, perfumed
breath was on his cheek. Her eyes
shone into his like the stars in the night
outside. Time had been when this near
ness, this caress, would have filed
Phenix with rapture. He had been long
in her toils--under her spell. The
awakening had come in part when the
beautiful widow refused to marry him.
why? p he had asked sharply. She
had thrown herself, weeping passion
ately, on his breast. But he knew
why. He was plain American, poor
at that Nine. d'Erloff reigned like q
queen now, while in case of a second
marriage she lost by her husbands will
the colossal fortune which surrounded
her with her prestige of utter su.
premacy. But If she could not bear to
abdicate all this supremacy neither
could she bear to give up this hand.
some, cold stranger who had taught
her heart to beat, and there came strug.
giles and recriminations in which the
woman's complex passion grew evei
more intense, while the mans simpler
love dropped and lost its strength.
II took Arville-that tiresome Arville
with me this afternoon" she muir
INJURED. You do not mind ?"
Phenix had acquired dreary insight
into her Vaccinations. He knew tina
her ostentatious Haunting of Arville il
his face was done to excite his jealousy
"No," he answered little YEARLY
"Why should mind?"
She started away from him. She hat
not intended to let him know what sh,
felt, what she had seen. But her masl
had dropped from her.
"You do not mind because you Low,
that white-faced chit of girl! Tha
DEPENDENT That child whose worth
less services engaged out of charity
A companion for me-for me-" sh,
laughed sardonically, viciously. @Bu
you-I tell you that you love her."
Phenix looked at her, turning o littl
pale. Then he made Struggling mo
! ton.
what follyl I have talked to Mis-
Penrhyn two or three times. / hav
felt great sympathy for her and tried Il
! be kind to her. She is friendless Lit
tie American alone in strange land
As eountryman of hers could one d.
less? Does that constitute love?"
Her eyes held him mercilessly.
You do not speak the truth" sh
said
Again he shrugged his shoulders.
Suddenly Nine. d'Erlof began to tall
of other things. As he was about t
leave she held him back.
why not 60 by the terrace and gar
den? 1t is shorter.
As he passed the terrace he started
little on seeing Arville sitting ON
bench there and Monica Penrhyn be
side him. No, he was not in love wit
that pretty child, but he would hav
| liked to warn her. He had deep dis
trust of this unctuous Chevalier. Thi
little American girl whose whole sa
history spendthrift father, a sickl
mother, then death, poverty and tn
need Of earning her bread-he ha
heard from her coufiding lips that after
noon, was very inexperienced, very il
nocent. Dumb anger rose up in Pheni
he wished that he could protect hel
"Come to me at once. l have
special reason for asking your presence
Lena"
These lines reached Phenix early on
morning. He had not seen Mime
d'Erloff for days. He asked himse
sometimes why he did not go away
His unhealthy passion for the beautiful
widow was thing of the past. An
still he fingered on-sometimes takin
boat and rowing near the gardens {
the Villa d'Erloff, sometimes walkin
in that direction; but never stopping.
i He found Nine. d'Erloff enveloped
| a epeignoir of white silk and lace, in th
boudoir she affected.
| miss Penrhyn has eloped with til
Cheyaller Arville," she said.
There was deep silence.
| "I do not believe it," then uttere
Phenix. Il do not believe it," 81
laughed.
"You are fattering to me-yet it is tru
If You had fancy for the girl, / a
. sorry to give you such bad news. M
self too, have reason to grieve.
thought Arville so absolutely, cor
! pletely devoted to me-and to n
|. alone"
"There is some mistake"
"Oh, no, none The maids four
that her room was as it had been lie
last night. And one of the gardene
remembered seeing her get into DO
at the foot of the terrace steps Wi
Arville late in the evening. The ms
thought it was row just for pleasu
they were going to take. There was
bright moon, as you know"
} Phenix, blindly, had turned and va
ished through the door.
Nine. d'Erloff sat in the same plac
!, breathing quickly, her eyes darkenir
II what was that? Was he returning
Those were not his footsteps. III
portiere was drawn aside. The wom'
} started up.
"Youl"-
III It was Arville.
9The game is upl"