Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-10-23
Dark OarreIl's Bride.
CHAPTER XI.-CoNIINUED.

CHAPTER XI.-CoNIINUED.
"No, Roland" The girl colored deep
ly, and her eyes fell. 81 am sorry about
yesterday. don't want to make excuses.
1 did not forget my promise To you"
"You need not apologize" returned her
cousin, declining the proilered hand. 81
know why you broke your promise; and il
il not worth while To ask whether your
other promise wss made before | said
goodbye TO you the other night or after
wards"
..Other promise! What do you mean?"
said the girl haughtily. IL made no other
promise. | Went out to avoid you; that is
the plain truth--nothing more"
Every well, then; ! wronged YOU" an
swered Roland, who did not doubt his
young cousins truth. Ii lima had made
an appointment with Darrell, she might
have refused to answer questions; but she
would never stoop 10 an untrulb. III
thought you had promised Sir Philip OAR
rell To meet him; for you were with him.
You were seen walking along the road
with him."
"What them" said lima. "Is that SO
very new or strange a thing to do? Have
l never walked or ridden with Sir Philip
before? What is it toyou orany one in this
place what do or where ] go?'
alt is everything 10 me, Ilma," cried the
young man, "if Darrell is--as | believe he
is-your lover! No; you shall hear me!
You know that l love You; and that can
give YOU what he, with all his beauty and
his wealth and his intellect, cannot give
you-happiness! Sheer as YOU will, you
cannot shake of all faith in that terrible
curse. You must believe that TO love him
Is fatal"
"Then how can you save me?" inter-
rupted lima, with flashing eyes. elf
love him, it is too late-l must share his
fate"
Glove? No, no." said Roland almost
wildly: sit is not love-only fancy. You
are captivated by his graces; his very
doom has excited your interests. lie is "A
bastard To have tried to win you; and he
tried from the beginning. Look back, and
you will see that l am not unjust to
him. He threw himself in your way, he
gave YOU costly gift, such rs no man
would have given to u girl he did not
want 10 lay under an obligation TO him.
Did he mean nothing by those flowers,
nothing by"
"Stop, stop, Roland. / will not listen
TO you! How dare YOU speak so to me OF
Philip Darrell:" The slender girl seemed
transformed into a woman, as she stood
erect, with stern brow and commanding
gesture, never more superbly beautiful
than now. "Leave me, you have said too
much already. | should not have loved
YOU if | had never seen Sir Philip OAR
relly l never liked YOU, never trusted
you, and you have proved that my instinct
was right"
.NeVer liked me, never trusted me"
echoed Roland, drawing back step. His
face was livid--the look in his eyes made
the girl tremble inwardly, though she
showed nothing of this in her fcarles, mien
and dauntless gaze. Then you love Philip
Darrell, and he loves you"
"Why should | deny it? Even if his
fate is sealed by a gipsy-woman's curse,
am | not free to choose death with him
rather than live without him!"
Roland stood still for moment, gazing
on the beautiful girl before him. lie felt
a If he could strike her; but not so
should his vengeance be worked out.
Suddenly he burst into a discordant laugh.
"Yes, | suppose you have a right to
choose your fate. Yours, is IA fair life TO
win from him the .ncedful sacrifice a
man might we'll lose all for you. Yours
will be merry marriage-chimes. Ha, ha!
Tell them not to toll the minute-bell when
they bring the last Darrell home with his
bride! No, am not mad; you need not
recoi with that white face. 1t will be
whittier tomorrow by this timew
lie laughed again, and, dashing open
the door, rushed from the room and the
house, leaving lima in the full belief that
his mind was unhinged.
An hour later Roland Sabine stood in
L.. a
in low tones TO job and Zeph Heston;
and, as the trio parted, Zeph nodded with
u resolute look OF evil in her black eyes,
and said, "All right; I'll do it" anu job
dropped some money into his pocket and
said, "Agrecd--all one TO me sir"
Then Roland turned back towards the
village, but not homewards. He went no
farther than deserted barn little way
up the slope; and there he sat down, with
the wide landscape of hill and void and
river before him, and his heart full of a
foul design that lie scarcely cared even to
try to veil with a euphemism.
He had not told Ieph the whole truth
when he had enlisted her services; he had
not told her that lima should have one
chance for her life, aud that that chance
was to fly with him; he had only told her
the alternative, as though il were the
entire scheme; and, if lima chose that,
his crime would perish with her. The
Hestons dared not betray him, for his
guilt was theirs. and Zeph regarded her.
self as in some sort an instrument To fulfill
the curse Of her ancestress. Moreover, in
speaking TO her first, he had filled her
foolish undisciplined heart with wild hopes
for the future, till he gave the girl cause
TO think that he would some day make her
his wife. What the result would be when
Ieph found herself deceived Roland did
not ask himself; he was not u man who
at the best of times was able TO forecast
beyond short period, or to hedge round
any contemplated misdeed with safe
guards and now he was in no condition of
mind for even ordinary precautions. Had
Sir Philip Darrell at that moment appeared
before him, he would most likely b-ye
sprung at him with the ferocious instinct
OF wild beast, without seconds consid-
Grafton of his inferiority to his antagonist
or of the consequences to himself il even
he succeeded In taking the hated life.
Startling was the change that evil pas
{ nn- had .,e,l,t In lao. L..