Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-11-26
CRUEL
THE. CRAVE;
The Secret Of DunraYen
Castle.
BY ANNIE ASHMORE,
,uthor OF Faithful Margaret" Etc. Etc
CHAPTER Iu-tContinued.I

pleased SURPRISE ana MIS- Nrecy 5 sou
Eye settled upon him with eloquent
satisfaction.
Lord Inchape shaded his joyless coun-
tenance with one hand. He too might
have had a son!
The play went on, to the tripping pro-
erosion OF the music which ushered in
the fiuttering fairies
They seemed TO pour out OF the shin
ing palace uPOn the moon bathed lawn,
and with rhythmic motions and wreath
ing arms to weave themselves into a
labyrinthine dance, in and out, and
round and about again, with the captive
as center and inspiring theme The
captive pleaded most eloquently, in dumb
show for freedom, but they only whirled
around the faster, and Knocked him with
delicate peals of elm laughter
These sylphicles were the daughters Of
neighborlng gentry. there present, and
looking on with critical cOmplaeency.
For weeks past they had haunted
DORMANT TO rehearse their roles, under
the tutelage of a certain SignOra,
premiere danseuse of Royal Opera, who
had cOndescended to run down from
London for the purpose; later they had
united their genius and energy to ar
range the floral scenes; for the fairy
extravaganza had been composed by
Auberon Crecy, and they WOrshiped him
Il =
1t was only yesterday that he had ar
rived at Dormant. after a two years
absence, so that his elves perfection in
their parts was as much a surprise 10
him as it was to the spectators. AS for
/ LOveday Deilamere, whom the cd
| Duchess so generously presented TO him
as his future wife, he had not caught
one glimpse of her yet, although she was
the queen of his fairies, for whose sake
he had written the vaudeville In vain
he had inquired for his old time play
mate; she was not to be seen about
DORMANT after his arrival, and his IN
avoidable engagement prevented him
from following her to the Pavilion, her
mothers residence
But Auberon knew who was coming
/ when he heard long drawn violin note
like an elfin horn. ana all the dancing
fairies sank down to their knees, look
] ing upward at a single fay, more airy
and elm than any Of them. who came
| floating out of a giant Gala cup and
down To earth; it was LOyeday-but
LOveday after some breath of enchant-
ment had blown over her and trans
formed her into beautiful woman, with
wOman's mystic power.
She was a golden blonde, her flowing
tresses seemed TO be saturated with yell
low sunshine; her eyes were purely
sapphire, with fire in their depths; her
countenanee was a perfect oval, with
| cheeks so pure rose that the brilliance
/ of her eyes was increased tenfold while
her delicatelY aquiline nose gave dignity
to her habitual expression of arch mock
cry. Her form was a raYishing petite;
she was a lonesome, attractive creature,
created for love and happiness.
! Having descended to earth, she paused
i q moment in an inimitable attitude, with
hor bright head on one side, ard a
sparkling rOguery in her eyes, while she
scrutinized the intruding earthllng who
| had fallen into her power. The elfn
host still humbly Knelt in a glittering
semi-cirele. the flowers of fairy and
glOWed in a rainbow Gordon around
them; but all the silvery light seemed to
gather about the Queen. as she lowered
alone before the captive
AuberOn gazed at his o d-time play
mate with eyes that gradually deepened
until they were almost black.
Astonishment at her superb develop
ment was his first sensation, then, as
his artist-eyes marked all and drank it
in, smile grew in their clear depths so
| wonderfully sweet and exulting, that the
girl turned her head away with a mo-
mentts delicious timidity, tlutteIed and
fascinated. Involuntarily the youth
stretched out his hand to touch hers,
forgetting his role-which sign of her
power instantly restored her self-posses-
sion; and she eluded him with a peal of
| the smallest silveriest eltin laughter
that mortal ear ever caught, and with a
wave OF her wand that sent her attend
| ants drifting well out of the way. she
| spread her arms as if they were wings,
and bounded into her pas de zephyr.
The trumpets blew a wild measure
that made the heart beat faster, while
she fiOated round and round the limits OF
e1,s.r a. 81
her eyes, now her tresses spun an aure-
ole about her head, and her white arms
| seemed to sustain her airy figure mid
space. Most intricate was the dance,
/ the time RAPID and precise, and the steI
absolutely tw.nkling; so light those
winged flights, she seemed TO float on the
mOOnbeams of fairy-land, marking, with
delicate precision, each refuent pulse OF
the music, and each flying bound SHOOK
out a shower of silvery chimiDgs from
the fringes of tiny bells that edged heI
tunic-
This pretty sight was watched in
breathless delight by the company, but
with deeper emotion by one or two
among them.
Lord Inchcape gazed upon this gay
sprite in all her eXultant beauty and joy
ance, and his own sorrow and LONELINESS.
| pressed heavily upon him. Where was
4 y
as this sweet girl? And he thought oil
Standardization, with its swollen sea:
! around it, and the blasts that swept
them into wrath; OF the old tower walls
| forgotten in far England, within which
he had imprisoned unhappy EngelOnde
| with no consolation save his child e
love and bear her company,
And he thought of the man who hae
| come into his life TO spoil it; who haC
Il stolen the errant fancy of his Wife " hf
| had fastened a stigma upon his public
character; who had poisoned five lone
years of the best of his life; and again
he looked round upon all this gayety
| and rejoicing, which Knocked his deSOla.
ton, and beheld his enemy
A stranger was Just gliding his sinu
Gus way among the chairs TO the front
"a tall, 1.-THE, dark man of thirty-five
with a suggestion of foreign travel about
his dress and the un-English fashion Of
his beardiess face AMI enormous coal
black mustache His picturesque per
son and inserutable cOuntenance attract
ed many an examining glance; but hG
met no eye, nor looked 70 right or left
he wound pliantiy forward; he see NED
Obliyious OF all save the pretty danseuss
on the stage.
Not until he had reached the very
}. front did he pause; there he leaned
against the corner panel by the mimic
stage, folded his arms, and gave himself
up 10 the pleasure Of gazing at LOVeday
Dellamere-
Lord Inchcape was white as death a.
he shrank back in the shadow Of a cur
tain. aud gloomy fire giowed In the
eyes which he fastened upon the mar
who had robbed him Of wife and reputa
ton
Loveday's dance went en-.