Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-04

! GLADYS. He dreaded he knew not what. II
! was like living on the slopes of volcanoi
any moment torrent of lava might over
whelm the fair seeming of their lives.
One night, on retiring to his own room,
Ralph saw something on the carpet that
startled him almost as mucha as the footprint
on the seas and did Robinson Crusoe. II
was only tassel of jet and steel beads; but
cold shiver of apprehension stole over
Ralph as he picked it up and placed it on
the dressing table. That evening at dinner
gown ornamented with precisely similar
tassels.
'What could have been her motive in
coming to my room?" thought the tutor.
'"That she has done me the honor of paying
me a domiciliary visit is, to my mind, con-
clusiveiy proved by this small memento. -
Here he picked up the bunch of beads and
examined it meditatirely. 81 daresay she
has ransacked my possessions; but the ques-
tion is-why? Did she expect to find love
letters from Gladys? If so, fear she was
disappointed"
For quite half an hour Ralph stood hold
ing the tassel in his hand, Eliminating on the
extraordinary circumstance that had brought
it into his possession; then suddenly be-
thinking himself that as it was not yet IL
o'clock, he might get letter or two written
before going to bed, he went to the writing
table where stood his desk and opened it
leisurely. 81 may as well put this out Of
sight" he thought, smiling as he dropped
the ''memento" in the pen tray inside the
desk. ''It would be rather good fun to re-
turn it to Mrs. Harrington in the morning.
wonder what she would say?"
Having written his letters, he still felt
disinclined for bed. Old habits of night
study still survived from his college days.
There were half dozen or so of his favorite
volumes in his portmanteau; he determined
to select one and read until he felt sleepy.
But in turning over the contents of the
poItmanteau he made second discovery
that startled him a good deal more than the
former one-a discovery which brought out
cold beads of perspiration on his forehead.
His worst forebodings had been realized.
Sleep was out of the question for that night,
and Ralph spent the long hours until the
day dawned in meditation that was neither
agreeable nor profitable, for he had found out
the motive of the strange domiciliary visit
on the part of Gladys handsome step-mother
But the discovery brought him new food for
thought, for it opened up prospect that
filled him with dismay.
AT breakfast the next morning, both Mrs
Harrington and GLADYS seemed as calm and
self-possessed as usual; they greeted the
tutor with more than their customary gra-
eiousness, land though Ralph watched the
elder lady narrowly, he could detect no
change in that handsome impassive face of
hers. ''What grand actress the woman
would have madep' he thought. 'Not the
quiver of an eyelash betrays herl'
1t needed a strong effort on his part to
talk naturally during the progress of the
meal, and once or twice he caught Gladys
eyes fixed inquiringly on him. He resolved
to take her into his confidence, for he felt
that it would be impossible to hide his
secret from her; for the intuition of love
had enabled her to find out that something
the man she loved.
"Woman's wit may find way to battle
wit, +" he thought with a smile as
he followed Gladys into the garden after
breakfast. "Wise mother, wiser daughter
to paraphrase the oftquoted Latin line"
Gladys counsel seemed to dispel the cloud
of anxiety and depression that had envel-
oped Ralph during the night. An hour
later he passed into the study with a serene
brow and devoted himself as usual 10 his
tutoral duties