The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-04-28

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those letters over which discovered
her crying SO bitterly only a few days
ago, and which she thrust hastily
into that Old black trunk when /
entered her room? Oh, my fine lady,
Ill soon see you fall; and even though
l steep myself to the very lips in crime,
swear I'll yet be Ross Desmond's
w1fe'-with fierce-wrung heart-cry.
Now, my first move is to secure and
read those letters"
| And the next day, while hapless little
Claudia was in the mushroom, ,Lora
Howard seized her opportunity to carry
out her scheme, and slipped into our
herOine's room.
In a corner was Claudia's trunk. and
in eager haste she tried the cover. It
was unlocked, and glad cry left her
| lips.
"Ah, now for the precious letters!'
| she Kissed, under her breath: and al
| most the first object that greeted her
was the package of missives, tied with
narrow red ribbon.
Inscriptions and daring she opened
| the first letter, and with look of
| tiendish triumph, she read:
Claudia, My Dear Little Wife-The
hour of confession to my mother of our
secret marriage has come. I must
! speak before I go abroad She will
surely reveive you'll pray to God that
she will-though married you against
| her wishes. Before night darkens down
again she will know ALL Be brave and
| patient. and when the sweet syringas
are in bloom, shall come back to you,
and we will be happy once more; for,
my darling. you remember it was in the
! halcyOn, sunshiny days, when those
| lovely, fragrant flowers were unfolding
their waxen petals, that you became
| my bride. True, faithful love, farewell
Tor the present. c.. d.
! The letter was wrinkled as though it
| had been clutched by a trembling. ago
nized hand, and stained by a woman S
bitter tears
Eagerly LOra Howard read the other
letters, which revealed the true. selfish
! nature of the writer, one Curtis Dyne:
his cold, imaginary love for his trusting,
faithful wife; how his cowardice h.l
sealed his lips against the confession 10
his mother, who had, by some stran~
fatality, heard of her sons ill-starred
marriage to beautiful little working
girl of New York.
She had threatened to disinherit him,
and he, preferring the loss of his wife
to the loss of his princely, tempting in
heritance, had cruelty deserted our he
rOine, with a heartless demand upon
her to drop the name her wedding-ring
had given her.
At last [ have found her out in he..
true colors!" Lora Howard Kissed be-
tween her clinched teeth. "A married
woman-a deserted wife! Now to have
my revenge upon the braZen impostor,
whose beauty has come between me
and the man love! Oh, God. how 1
hate her! I will tear her lifes mask
from her, and expose her before the
whole world!''
She flashed about, only to stand root
| ed to the spot, face to face with Claudi;,
! Verne and an DID, white-haired lady
in trailing robe Of rich black satin
! Miss Howard, what does this mean?'
! Claudia asked in low, tense voice.
| But Lora Towards courage came
quickly back to her.
"It means that you are in my power
| at last!'' she cried, with tragic vehem-
| ence; that the dark secret of your
| life is mine, and now I shall denounce
you! Z have torn aside your mask,
you serpent! you impostor! Hear me,
dear Mrs. Creighton. That woman
there''-waving her jeweled hand to-
ward the paid, terrified little govern
ess-'sis sailing under false colors and
| deceiving us all; she is an adventures,
and the deserted wife of Curtis Deyne!"
| Mrs. Creighton recoiled with sud-
den, startled cry, CHASTITY, painting, her
hand pressed over her heart.
Curtis Deyne!' she repeated trem-
| blingly. My God, Claudia! is this
true? That you are the girl he mar
| ried-he, Curtis Deyne Creighton, my
only son? Oh, how 1 have sought for
you and longed to breathe his words
of repentance to you, whom he so
| cruelty deserted, SO bitterly wronged!
Poor, hapless child! you have indeed
suffered To the very last he pitifully
| begged for your forgiveness
''Then he is-dead?' Claudia asked in
| bewildered tones.
Eyes," the old lady answered grave
| ly: land he left you to me as a last
! sacred charge; but could find no trace
| of YOU; L did not know your name be-
| fore marriage, by which might have
| found YOU long ere this. All! poor
girl! the love, and even the name, he
| gave YOU were as empty as your we'd
ding ring, for he had a lawful wife
| living when he dragged you through
that miserable mockery of sacred
| ceremony.
| II know it; I discovered it was all
| too late.' Claudia said, a piteOus light
in her dark eyes; land I tried to hide
! it from the world He confessed it to
me in a letter, and l prayed night and
| day to God to let me die. Alas! l was
not his wife! But l must explain. l
| believey his name to be merely Curtis
Deyne; and he made me vow never
! to marry until release from his lawful
wife came to him, and II kept the
cruel vow; for, oh! Mrs. Creighton, l
did love him still then in spite Of all.
I meant to be true and wait, and he
soon won me over to silence. 1t was
| all for love and the world we'll lost
with me in those days.
Il was only poor, inexperienced
orphan, a struggling young working
girl, with no one to advise me. Heaven
alone knows how I struggled through
that fearful ordeal that wretched. mad
dening past. Then suddenly starvation
came staring me in the face, and hid
| ing all I could of the old life with my
empty wedding ring, I came here as
gOyerness. Now you know all. Will
90 away. and may God bless you, Mrs.
| Creighton. for your kindness to me-
mo, you must stay here with me.
my dear child, and let me keep my
H. II II