Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-31

never once addressed word to her sons
young wife.
Miriam did not notice this, but Sir James
did, and it made him uncomfortable. He
had hoped that the mother would in her re-
served way become attached to her new
daughter-in-law, but he was afraid 1t did
not look very like it at present. 1t was in
fact an extremely dull evening, and Sir
James was glad when 1t was over. But just
as he was leaving the room for the night
after the minister had taken his departure,
and Miriam had gone upstairs, his mother
rose and laid cold, trembling hand upon
his arm.
Games, I have something to tell you,"
she said, not finching in her hard purpose,
vet sorry, perhaps, to infict pain on her
son, though she believed it to be her duty
to do So
"Well, what is 1t, mother?" he answered
pleasantly. Nothing serious, hope?"
'It's sad and terrible thing, James;
have doubted her from the first; but the
wife you have brought into this house is
unworthy OF her place here"
Mother! What do you mean?" ex-
claimed Sir James. with a sudden change
of countenance and manner.
sits sore and bitter thing to tell you,
but my duty lies plain before me, and 1
must not shirk it. James, was in the
front drawing room to-day when General
Conray came to see the woman you have
brought here, and overheard him speak
such words to her that they will bring my
grey hair with sorrow to the grave"
Mother. are you madr' cried Sir James,
who had now grown pale to the very lips
General Conray2"'
.'No, my son, am not mad, but heard
| this General Conrav tell the woman you
oil hor ocf ito ND
the terrible SIN and shame of it. heard
her say she had been out with some lover
the night he was murdered, and General
Conray said another lover of hers had done
the accursed deed-he said-'
"Mother, won't believe a word of itp'
now cried Sir James, interrupting her. 81
won't believe a word against Miriam;
believe she is good and pure as an angel;
you're dreaming; you're tancying things;
you must not insult my wife, won't stand
| It, won't hear it, and hope you will
have come to your senses by the morning."
| Lady MacKennon's only reply was
groan, but James did not wait to hear any
more. He hastily left the drawing room
! and went to the smoking room, and began
to smoke, telling himself once more that
his mother had undoubtedly taken leave of
her senses. He told himself this again and
again, vet her words left a sting. AS rule
he knew she was rigIdly truthful woman,
but prejudiced and narrow-minded. She had
taken dislike to poor Miriam then, and
wanted to turn him against her, he began 10
think, and she might have heard General
| Conray talking OF things that she did not
understand, and that could have had no
connection with Miriam whatever. "Out
] with lover the night he was murderedl
How absurdp' laughed Sir James, and vet
the laugh had an uncertain and dreary ring
in it. He had known nothing of her past
life he presently remembered; nothing till
| he met her at ball at Halstone, and had
fallen in love with her and wooed her.
Then he remembered also that she had been
very cold and GOV about fixing their We'd
ding; that she had put it off.
''Good heavensi'' cried Sir James start
ing to his feet, ''all sorts OF horrible things
are coming to my mind-am 1 growing as
mad as mother? AM ashamed of myself;
ashamed of myself for a moment to let such
thoughts creep into my brain. They are con-
temptible about Miriam, about my pure
sweet love-I will think of them no
more"
And he tried not He went upstairs pres
emily, and found Miriam asleep, and ne
stood looking at her, and these horrid
doubts again stole into his mind 1t is won-
derful the harm that evil words can do.
Their poison fingers against our wills, turn
ing bitter too often the sweetness of our
lives Sir James had had perfect trust and
confidence in Miriam; it had never dawned
upon his mind to have any other feelings
toward her until his mother had done what
she called her duty!
''she was agitated about General Conray's