The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1892-12-03

-L.IlNAE,:@ SSg.1VVgSV9
'News?" repeated the employees. mo
doubt the San Francisco house to which
the vessel belongs has received news
from her several times already"
"Already?"
"Ycs, madam"
''Several times?"
AS she repeated these words, Mrs
Allaire had risen and stood looking the
man in the face as if his words had
been unintelligible to her
Here, madam" said the ernploye,
holding out Journal, Here's copy
of the Shipping Gazette. lt}contains
an announcement tidt the Golden Gate
left Liverpool Il week ago"
"A week agol" laurmurel Mrs AL
lnire, taking the paper in her trembling
hand. "How long has Zach French
been gomez" she asked in q voice SO lit
tie above whisper that the man could
scarcely catch it.
about eighteen months"
Eighteen months?"
Molly was obliged to support herself
by leaning against the wall. Her heart
had ceased to beat. and there was a look
of terror in her eyes as they suddenly
fell upon poster on which was printed
the arrivals and departures of the steam
launches for the summer season. At
the head of this notice stood the date:
March, 1879.
March, 1871 They had deceived her It
was four years since her child had been
drowned; four years since John had set
sail for the Indies. She had therefore
been out of her mind for these four long
years! And if Mr.. Hollister and DR..
Bromley had allowed her to believe
that she had only been deranged for
the short space of two months it must
have been for the purpose of conceal
ing the truth about the Dreadnapght-
1t must be that for four years they had
no tidings of either Capt. John or his
ship.
To the CONSERVATION of the employe,
Mrs. Allaire seemed about TO suceumb
to some sudden aililsnt; but with a SUI
perhuman effort she reee cred posses
sion of herself, and. dssbinR s. Of ilzes
Office, hurried along fFosa one Ssfses -
another. ( =
Those who met this woman with her
wild eyes and pallid face could not do
otherwise than regard her as an escaped
lunatic
And If she was not what they thought
her to be would 1t not be mere ques-
ton of time? Whittier was she hurry
ing? IL was in the direction of the of
fees of Hollister IL Co., where she ar
rived in few minutes without know
l.. II. a Al. 4
fitting by the astonished clerks who
had no chance to detain her, and pushed
open the door of the shipping merchants
private office.
Andrew HOLSTERS astonishment at
seeing Mrs. Allaire quickly gave place
to dislnay upon glancing at her drawn
features, her deadly pallor.
II know ALI know ALI" she ex-
claimed, wildly, before he could find
time to utter syllable. "You have de-
ceived me. I've been out of my mind
for four years -"
my dear Molly-calm yourself -"
Tell me-about the Dreadnaught-
isn't it four years since she sailed?"
Andrew Hollister bowed his head.
"You have had no news of her for
four years-for four years?'
The merchants lips still remained
closed.
"You look upon the Dreadnaught as
lost-and every one on board of her?
And John will never come back to me
again?"
Andrew HOLSTERS eyes filed with
tears-they were his only response.
Mrs. Allaire's hands flew to her head,
she reeled and would have fallen had
not the merchant FASTENED to her side.
He laid her tenderly upon the sofa.
She had lost consciousness. The jani-
tors wife was called in to care for her
and messengers were dispatched in
search of lar. Bromley.
Upon his arrival Ir. Hollister in
few words explained the situation to
him. Accidentally or through some
lack of precaution Mrs. Allaire had
learned everything Whether it had
been at Prospect cottage or in the
streets of San Diego it made little diff
ference. The whole truth was known
to her now. She knew that four years
had gone by since little Waits death,
that during these four years she had
been out of her mind, and that for four
years no tidings had been received from
the Dreadnaught-
It was only with the greatest difficulty
that DIR. Bromley succeeded in restoring
poor Molly to consciousness, and the
question which he now put to himself
was whether her mind would not be
shattered by this last and most terrible
of blows that had been rained upon it.
When Mrs. Allaire came to herself,
she did SO with full consciousness of
what had happened. She had come
back to life again with unclouded rea-
son. Tier eyes were bent inquiringly
upon Andrew Hollister, who sat by her
side with her hands clasped in his.
"Speak, oh speak, Mr.. Hollister-"
she murmured. and then her voice died
away.
The merchant obeyed, speaking slow
| ly and tenderly but plainly and firmly.
He told her of their first anxiety con-
cerning the Drcadnaught-how letters
and dispatches had been sent to Singa-
pore and to the Indies where the ship
had never arrived, how search had been
made all along the course. traversed
by Capt. John and how no sign or trace
of the shipwreclsed vessel had come to
light.
With parted and rigid lips, with n
fixed stare, Mrs. Allaire listened, and
when Andrew Hollister had finished, q
half groan, half sob escaped her, and
then like wall came the words:
MY child dead-my husband dead
Oh, why did not Zach French let me
die?"
Then suddenly her face lighted up,
and there WAS such wonderful display
of that energy and force of character
natural To the woman that DIR. Bromley
was fairly startled. With a strong and
steady voice she called out:
"Then there has been nothing heard
from the Dreadnaught since you made
search for her?"
Nothing" replied Mr.. Hollister.
"And you look upon her as lost?"
"Yes-lost"
Nor not IL word from John nor from
any man In his crew."
Not Il word, my dear Molly; we have
given up all hope"
+ "All hope?" she queried in tone
that seemed almost tinged with irony.
: AS she had uttered these ~ords, she
: had risen from the sofa and stood with
. her right hand stretched out towards