The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-10-28
CHAPTER XVII.

was still weighing kayanagh's mysterf-
ous questions and dark insinuations, un-
able I'd draw any definite conclusions from
the conflicting doubts that agitated my
mind, when the door opened and Mere Lu-
cas- came in her big mouth puckered up
with pain and tears running down her
cheeks.
"What disasteri What a terrible ca
lamity, my poor dear friendw she exclaim-
ed, dropping on chair as II overcome with
grief And then rocking herself backward
and forward she whimpered out her grief
I'm a long chain OF incoherent phrases broken
by sobs behind the blue apron which she
held tp her eyes.
1t seemed to me as I watched her impos-
sible that such grief could be simulated;
that any one could summon such flow Of
tears from an unfeeling heart. But then
reflected the person chosen by the cars
agent to execute SO dangerous n mission
must OF necessity be extremely subtle and
deceptive,
'frhe beautiful figures all torn down-the
whole work ruinedf' she went on. 1.-THE
work it has taken so long to make, the
pride and joy Of my dear master would
rather tho monsters had beaten me down
and crushed the life out of mel'
Iasked myself if Mere Lucas was not ov-
erdoipg it now.
"a hd to say" she added, getting the bet
ter OF her tears and dropping her apron
ITO say that am the cause of it all'
"Dbes he say so?" asked quickly.
"Ahl l would he had. Look you, my
poor dear friend, it is easier to bear blame,
when one deserves it, than forgiveness and
words of kindness" She burst into tears
again as she repeated the words with which
Taras bad tried to comfort her.
My Judgment wavered-it was difficult
to doubt the sincerity of her emotion.
1T is my fault; say it, II she cried,
striking her breast, adding, with dramatic
emphasis, "and it is true! What right had
/ to cave the house when my master was
aways What am here for but to protect
the house and my masters interests2 If it
had happened while l was at home, it
would have been great misfortune, but Mt
least should not have been culpable no
one could have said suffered the mischief
to be done"
does any one say SO nowW asked.
why, 1t Is evident, my poor friend Any
good for nothing watching his opportunity
might have opened the front door with a
bent nail and walked in. And, animal that
am l did not even look round the place
when came in to see that all was safe as
left it,"
Kayanagh' 'ssuggestiveq questions returned
forcibly to my mind, and l found it was
quite conceivable that a crafty person
should accuse herself of pardonable fault
to screen herself from the suspicion of an
act of baseness.
"And to think that this is my fault and
that i owe everything in the world to that
dear master. One would say that did it
EXPRESSLY to show that there was no more
gratitude in the world" and the tears
starting from her eyes again she rose and
went out of the room, whimpering: "Heay-
ensl | deserve to be turned out of doors,
aud then what would become of me2"
| started, thinking that had key to
the mystery in that phrase. Had not the
dreaa OF being cast adrift induced Mere
Lucas TO connive ut the destruction OF the
group2 If she had been warned OF the fatal
consequences to Taras, which the produc-
tion of this work must entail, would she
not, for his sake as well as her own, agree
to Til simple measure for ayerting such
terrible result5 Gauging her disposition by
my own, | believed she would and nv
heart readily forgavo her offense. But
though affection for the old woman in.
clindd me to accept this explanation / re-
SOLVED to watch her closely till had seen
Kavhnagh and heard the result of his in
Nhiif itaptCiluk but Ill i9DDO.
followed her when she went out shop
ping slept with my door open, and wax
ing at fancied sound crept out in the
darkness to listen on the stairs | discov.
cred nothing tending in the slightest de-
gree to confirm the suspicion of her COM
plicity in the outrage; on the contrary her
continued detection, which the cheerful
remonstranco of Taras failed to remove,
seemed TO confirm the sincerity OF her sor-
row and humiliation.
Apparently kavanagh found greater
difficulty than he had anticipated in his in
vestlRations, for a week elapsed before |
saw him again. When he went up with
Taras into the workshop to see the new
group which was already taking form, /
followed with the hope of finding an op-
portunity of hearing the communication
which thought he might have to make to
me.
II shall finish it now," said Taras conf
IDENTIFY, "by the time Gordon's kiln is
ready to bo fired"
"If nothing happens to you or 1t in the
meantime" said Ksyanagh somberly.
1T isn't likely the rascals will try that
game on again. II they do, so much the
worse for them. They will have to settle
accounts with poor old Mere Lucas"
And supposing, nevertheless - said Kav-
anagh, with glance at me as he turned to
Taras, that this group shared the fate of
the last, what them"
"What them Why, l would begin an
other, with revolver by my side, and
never leave it till gave it to the world TO
protect"
Kavanagh nodded gravely. but made no
other comment For some minutes he
stood silently watching Taras as he built
up 4 fold i'll the drapery with pellets of
moist clay; then, recovering from his fit of
abstraction, he looked at his watch and
pleaded an engagement. Taras laid aside
his clay, and despite his friends remon-
strahces led the way down the steps to see
him to the door.
In that moment Kavanagh. turning to
me, murmured:
II have something to tell you when get
the chance. But, for heavens sake, don't
lose sight of Mere LucasP' Then he added
some commonplace in louder tone and
ran down the steps.
An dinner time Taras said to me:
Il am going to smoke pipe with Cor
don presently. Will you walk as far as the !
Adelphi with mese
Nothing would have pleased me more,
but with Kavanaghs warning still ringing
in my ears dared not accept the offer.
"lIow long shall you stay with himP"
asked, thinking that If the time were not
too long Mere Lucas might be left
"a couple of hours or SO, too long for you
to wait And can't very we'll ask you to
go up into his rooms"
II know that | had almost ceased to
be eNacting and no longer begrudged Taras
the liberty which man always wishes to
feel. "Thank you veiy much, but | think
would rather stay at home tonight"
ITO DE Continued
Euri.d in Mine Shaft.
BEREIs, Oct. 2s,-While a party of |
miners at Bochum were sinking n third |
sha in the Monopol pit the shaft par
nall y collapsed and buried eight men in |
the ruins Df tho antor,ba. - -