Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-10-08
CHAPTER XIV,

one evening i nau Deen uOWD 10 the lake
TO meet Gilbert, In an hour stolen when Mr..
Crawford Garden was poisoning Mr.. Gas
colgne's ear and counting the favor of the
old man he looked upon as childish enough
TO be cheated by his duplicity and duped by
his flattery. / knew that in the end he
would find himself deceived, for, after his
departure, Mr.. GaScoigne would chuckle,
and say to me-
Clever man, Viola! I'm an old roi fam
ednt,and he Is going TO checkmate me in the
next move. lie knows how ~ play two
games at q time, does Crawford Garden, and
he will win them, as he deserves. He knows
there's q liltle sun TO come 10 him under
nv will, for the last | made he himself sug-
gested should be drawn up by another law
yer, and | shouldn't be surprised if he ex-
poets the Grange"
How can YOU bear TO have him aboutyou
when you think thatT.' | cried.
Bat he only laughed in his dry way.
On this night, as | was coming back
through the Grange %shrubbery, | came sud-
denly face 20 face with G~wendoline Pom
eroY. She stood nerfecilv still in front NJ
Lady Martin y / exclaimed.
had never called her by her Christian
name, although such was her own wish,
preferred in one of her periods of friendli-
ness, and having its root in dislike of her
married title, 1t was q curious stormy
friendship that existed between us; some
times she would be almost ~passionately at-
fectionate, at others she flung me aside
when | would have sought her with an im-
patience as fierce. Never for an hour to-
gether could | tell what her humor would
-. I.N 100. 49,. H. IaHZ,- ayl alum ~
restless and changeable.
Your she said abruptly. "Why are you
not with uncle Richard? Why are you out%'
IL came to see Gilbert. You are taking a
late ramble; but it is such n lovely night,
far pleasanter out Of doors than in"
"Yes," she said, perhaps it is"
"May l walk up the terrace with you? L
do not want to go in yet. Mr.. Gascolgne
does not need me, and it Is hot and close in
the house."
II an not going on the terrace, and Idon't
want company"
turned away-I was accustomed to her
petulance; still l wished she would walk on
the terrace, for down this narrow walk be-
tween the rhododendrons l knew Crawford
Garden would be coming before long. /
wondered IL the three girls ever suspected
anything of his visits, and / could not ask
them for my promises sake; but, If Gwen
doline had let me join her in friendly mood,
/ think l must have been lmpelled to induce
her, with the strongest words i could use,
without actually relating facts, to dismiss
her maid; for that very evening, as / came
out, / had seen Mr.. Garden enter the Grange
by the little side-door, and by the door Ma
thilde met him, and | saw her place in his
hand a note-the record Of her own spying.
As / walked towards the house Gwendo-
line stepped back and laid her hand on my
arm.
''Viola," she cried, don't leave me! Stay
with me, whether / want you or not. Don't
leave me here by myself. You must not go."
"Dear Lady Martin" | said at once, TAX
Ing her hand in my own, you know ] want
to stay. / should like TO be here under the
stars and among the trees for an hour. 1t
Is so calm, and the air so sweet with the
roses! Let us 20 down the rose arcade.
''Calml Is it ealm?' she cried passion
ately. II think 1t is the ealmness l hate. l
should like TO be by a stormy sea, and hear
the wild wind and the waves night and day,
hear the waves lashing the shore aud the
wind moaning and shrieking! Let US go
away to the sea-shore, Viola, somewhere
lust YOU and /, with no one else We know.
Can't we do it?"
ut might be good for youto have a change
and ~sea-air," / answered quietly. ut Is dull
here, and the monotony tires YOU"
.'Yes," she said, In the same hurried way
-"that Is it. 1t will kill me with its mono
tony and its calmness! When you leave my
uncle-it will be only a few weeks now, will
%it?-you must come with me, and we will
forget every one and everything we have
known, and we will watch the storms and
the sea till we grow calm with their fury"
.Where shall we go?' / asked.
l could not contradict her in her wild
mood, though / felt her fancies were only
fitting ones. She laughed little hysterical
laugh.
sFool me TO the top Of my bent, violai'
she said sarcastically. "What is the sea-
eide? Noise and rabble and brass bands.
What are you? The promised wife Of Gill
bert Gascoigne, fancying yourself very much
i'm love with him, and that you could not be
happy O day away from him. What am l?
A prisoner here, consigned by my husband,
with my sisters. and perhaps yon too, as
guardians. Let us go and walk among the
roses, and say we will be,
.Liviug and dying,
Sweet roses, like theei"
We were still in the narrow shrubbery
path, and, as l quIekened my steps In obedi-
ence to Gwendoline's behest only too glad
to hasten away, I avn man coming towards
us. II could be no one else but Crawford
Garden.
Gwendoline said nothing. and, I thought
did not notice him. l looked round and
suggested quietly
sLetus cross the grass. through the bushes
There Is a short cut this way. Seer'
/ stopped and pushed aside the shrubs;
but she did not seem to hear me. She walk
oil on, and, before l had ~rejoined her, saw
whom she was meeting. She turned back
sharply.