The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-12-24

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| ton in the adjoining apartment. Her
| eyes glowing like two sinister stars of
| light, Beatrice glicei noiselessly to the
| threshold Of the door that had just
| closed noisf lessly on her companion.
| Her ear bent, she strove to translate
the SiuT, .ptanatory accents of the
| man, the sharp, queru!ouS, excited
/ tones OF his companion.
| When the doc: again opened, how
ever, with the grace and agility OF a
] panther she had rcgained the chair.
/ go III, nodded the keeper, and the
| door opened and closed after ii L, usher
! ing her into rcomy apartment, and
! leaving her face to face with her fate
! Half reclining in an invalid chair was
thin, white-hairei man. She studied
his working face from beneath her veil;
/ she noted the nervous tension Of bra n
AMI TO ly, for he was almost painting
with excitement. his eyes were keenly
niive with uncon caled suspense.
My 5 ewari tells N" you come here
With q letter, SPOKE the master OF tho
ns'on, in tones scarcely audible from
emotion.
Yes, murmured Beatrice.
have written but one lettcr-it was
to one | have not cen for years"
Your daughter, Alice Edna Rnlston?
| am she. Father"
The plot. the fraud, the false assump-
ton OF the fair schemer was revealed ut
last. She has. determined to pcrsona:e
| her dead fri,h and schoolmatr; and
the stolen letter had well equipped her
for the cruel imposture.
My child"
She hal sprung forward at that wild.
haa ri Of
pity for the fond, deiuded old man, soul
hungry for the love and sympathy of his
| long absent child stirred her heart
only fierce, Covctous JOY and triumph.
His real daughter was deal a kuowl-
| cd-c OF that fact, in his evident critical
condition Of health, might kill him.
Surely ii was mercy t. step into her
pla %, to soyacc the last days of Il dying
man, TO benefit by a fortune that, else,
would so TO Strangers or soriid COM
panionS in his incxpIieablo exile.
She knew she was safe in tell. the
story she had framed, and that circum-
stances woall carry out her claims She
showed the letter she had stolen from
L ina; she told how she and her guide
had been overtaken by the storm at the
broken bridge. He had persisted, she
hal csc lped, and she showed the news
| I"
double TRACE ly, Unconsc .oHsly portray
ing what Had really transpired, little
dreaming that Edna Dcanc of the past,
the real Alice ECna Marston. or Ralston.
hal not gone down in that weirI swir!
OF waters.
But there was mu h to learn. Her
path was yet one of pitfalls, and she
must be sec. ctiye, ana yet draw out the
secrets OF the unsaspecting old man
who accepted hoy unreseryedly a. his
own child, blinded by clever fa.sehoocls.
the changes % Yeas, and her cirrull-
stantjai narration of events he knew L.
have happened rs she related them.
hen you enter this house, he said,
you c.o-c door on the pa 5t never 10
he opened. Poor Rodney he died in
bringing YOU to me. He was my best
friend. All these years, amid my i'm
pr!sonmcnt, my fugitive wandcrinys he
has been tru" TO mo- He alone kncH
where yoI had been placed. Now, un-
der a new name, you come TO share my
loneliness. Fear not ii viii only bc iCr
a few brief years. ] n, mistress Of
ny fortuac, You can 30 forth into the
world and enjoy the liberty denied me-.
Ia hgr, | do not understand" MUIR
INJURED the falls" dau-htcr
30 not try 10. An innocent man. ]
have Yet cen called up n to suffer the
penalty Of Grim" Lniusty laid to my
charge. ven now, | an fugitive
from iusti G. HuStcd down, a reward
uoon my rccapturc. I sought this Sc
eluIe spot to die in peace. Here we
VIII i've IN quiet ,ontcntmcnt, your love
and Gaze the solace of my declining
years. Are you not coatent with that,
Alice, my chill T."
Yes" murmure Beatrice, since YOU
Will 1t So
Why not? Life hero, surroundcd "
every luxury, would hot b so arduous
thtt 5h" couIi not tin some enjoyment
in it, md later On, h"r eyes glow, d
VITA sinister triumph, there was a
farther p OF 10 carry ont, there was Ray
moni Marshall to think of, the m III She
was determin Il TO win, come what
might.
Iupcrfe 'tIy under5tandin the vague
mystery surrounding RaIston, She yet
realized that he was in danger Of apprc-
hen-ion for some IN. anglemcnt OF tho
past. sou day she must posses; that
secret in full. It would give her added
iowcr 10 sway Inn 10 her will if ever
her lmpo9turc We're discovered.
Sh" could scarcely comprehend the
rare success Of her impo-ture as, LATER
that evening, she at in the foudoir of
the suite OF 70 ms apportioucd to her in
the Old mansion.
Not breath Of suspicion hal been
aroused. P.acidiy. une .uivocally had
old Mr.. Ealston accepted her as the
child he had nat seen since infancy
Her pas, like his own, he would never
seek 10 prob OF revive. Yesterday was
a dea and gone as the ages past
Here She could chang her own idcnti-
~ in the undis .1uted posse sion o.
royal fortune. Ral-ton dead, that for
tame acquired, and with her youth,
beauty and intelligence, she coul so
ont mo the world ami becomc q queen
among women. tread vrlvet pa,h
through life she, the POOR, obscure
teacher on la fray, the friendtes5
drudge Of Hopedtle Seminary.
Vet there was 4 cankcr at lii" heart
Of the rose. Conscience did no. trouble
her. She even justified her trau,lu ont
representations. No. all she thought os,
all that disturbed her was Il memory of
the man She loved.
How she loved him still, How the
handsome, animated face os Raymond
Marshall haunted er
For h 5 sake did it all" she MR.
murcl, tumultuousiy. He must Lcurit
b. il ali. How; All, lat.ennc, ms
eager hear, ! hold the strings of destiny!
II make no misstep, fortune and love
arc both mine in the end
Her rooms had been papercd for i."r
with infinite care. They wer,' more chan
Ia curious, they were elegant. The
steward an Il 10 zeheeacr were the
sole servants, tut try attended Ike
mu g slaves to her ever caprice a, the
do