The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-06-05
ow FIRST PUBLISHED
CHAPTER xxx.

late to know more than that the masbeF Oh
the house lay helpless, and that the two
women were standing near him, looking on
each other with faces Of complete dismay
The natural conclusion was that Hetheridge
had experienced second stroke OF paraly-
sis.
The helpless figure was carried upstairs,
and laid upon the bed. One of the men,
servants ran Immediately for the doctor,
and the other waited by his masters side.
The trained nurse, the cook and the house,
maid busted themselves about the SICK man
with useless restoratives.
Downstairs, a strange and terrible scene
took place meanwhile. Mrs. Redwood and
Ellice saw Hetheridge borne away, and
turned once more to face each other. The
girl was trembling from head to foot, and
her eyes were wide with terror. The widow
returned her gaze for one speechless mo-
nept. and then fell upon her neck with con-
vulsiye tears. Suddenly, in the midst OF
Wild caresses and broken means OF pity
Mrs. Redwood started back with a faint
shrek.
Don't come near me-" she cried, with
gesture of adherence. "His flesh and
blood How could bear to touch your
"Mamma." cried the girl. "What is IT.
AmImad? Or are we mad together"
Don't call me by that name" said Mrs.
Redwood, sternly.
She shuddered with an intense repulsion.
and covering her eyes with her hands, ran
from her into the house.
Bllice rested herself for a moment. stupi-
fed, and then recovering the power OF mo-
ton, followed her.
The widow sat upon couch wrlnging her
hands and moaning.
mamma" Ellice cried, siezing the agon-
lied hands and throwing herself upon her
knees. "you must tell me, you shall tell
me. What was it you called my father|
Mrs Redwood fell upon her knees beside
the terrified girl, and embraced her anew.
crying 10 a broken voice that It was no
fault Of hers.
mo fault of yours. my dear, no fault OF
yours Forgive me. For the moment l
couldn't bear you. God have mercy
might have married him"
Mamma" said Ellice, in a horror
stricken whisper, you called him"
Her lips refused to shape the word.
II called him, murderer" cried Mrs.
Redwood.
The girl slipped swiftly from her and
closed the windows.
"Hush! What do you meanm
''Ellice, you must never look on that
mans face again, or touch his hand again"
what has he done? Tell me-"
She was excited almost to frenzy. and
kneeling before the window once more, she
fawned piteously, caressing and imploring,
"Tell me, what has he done"
''Ellice, said the widow, your father Is
my husbands murderer"
At these awful words low moan es-
4 A. i \ l,aTA -
covered herself by great effort.
20, think of what you say" she cried.
"How can you know to-day what you have
never guessed for all these years"
at was he who killed my husband" the
widow answered. There is no mistake,
no possibility of mistake. l should have
known him as l saw him to-day among a
thousand. understand it all now. George
knows it, Mons. Dom knows it. 1t is be-
cause of this that George has ceased to
write to you"
Little by little Mrs. Redwood's certainty
forced conviction upon Ellice's mind, al
though she fought against IL, as she would
have resented the temptation to commit a
crime. IL Dom entertained the same be-
lief as Mrs Redwood, she saw clearly that
it was her duty to encounter him. At any
cost to herself, she must know the truth,
and If the suspicion were true no tie of
fatherhood could bind her any longer to a
criminal 80 monstrous. II Hetheridge had
even held, or had even feigned an
affection for her, the girls feeling to-
ward him at this supreme crisis of her fate
would have been widely different. A
daughter who had been taught to love and
revere her father would have suffered more
but would still have chung to the criminal
even when guilt was clear. But even since
the'time Of her earliest memories he had
treated her with GOODNESS, and had met her
Of affaRfinU ruffh INN arkt hi
disdain. They had been separated by long
intervals Of time, and he was no more a
father TO her heart than he was in reality
There was no compulsion of love to hold
him dear in spite of his wickedness, and the
girl was in passionate revolt against him
His very generosity toward her in the one
matter or mere money made an added bur-
den upon her, and she loathed every posses
sion that had come to her through his
hands The f1endish callousness which had
permitted her to be brought up side by side
with the son OF his victim, astounding
cynicism which had permitted a contract Of
marriage TO be entered into between
George Redwood and herself. seemed to her
to transcend even the murder in its COM
plete abandonment to villainy. The very
clothes she wore were loathsome since his
money had purchased them Her trinkets
and rich curios, even her beloved books,
had suddenly grown hateful. Her one i'm
pulb6 Was W huOH kuc tTubD, W De sure De-
yond doubt or chance of refutation, and
then to set the width of the world between
herself and the monster whose name she
bore, and whose blood as she believed ran
In her VEINS
She wept so long and so passionately that
Mrs Redwood was alarmed for her, but
after the passage of some hours she grew
calm from sheer exhaustion.
Both in Ellice's mind and Mrs. Red
woods, one thought was dominant. 1t wa
impossible for either of them to rest be-
meath the roof which sheltered Hetheridge
MY darling" said the widow, when tn,
girl was at least restored to a semblance o.
outward tranquility. ~ can't bear to leav,
you but il l stayed in this house l shoulC
go mad"
''And so should l." cried Ellice. ''Let u.
go away at once. Let US go back to Well
sted. Let us see Mons. Dom together, anC
If this thing be true, l must go away, IA
away from everybody who has ever known
me. o. l Am hateful to myself. If 1 knew
what part of me was his. would burn /
away from me-"
Another wild burst of tears followed thes
words, but it was of much less duration
than the first. She was too tired and to-
miserable to feel her grief keenly, excep
by flashes. She had no sooner received {
partial self-possession than she went hastil,
TO her own room and began to pack-he
mind fixed on immediate flight Mrs Red
wood assisted her, and was in turn assiste,