Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-04-26
The Martlet Seal.
BY JEANETTE H. wALwoRTH.
CHAPTER VI.

banks in this sudden fashion.
How was she to get the child back?
1t was one thing to tell old Cato that
she would send the child's nurse after
her, and quite another thing to induce
the fastidious Celeste to trudge the one
dusty mile of country road that lay be-
tween the two plantations.
If the road had been lined with gay
shops, now, it would have been alto
gether different. She almost hated this
French woman, who was so essential to
Nincttc, for the amount of abject diplo-
macy required for her management.
For Nincttc's sake" was the formu-
Ia which Nora applied to more rasping
things than the bonnie. She approached
the intractable Celeste smoothly and
graciously:
Celeste, you ought to be out in the
sunshine. The day is perfect. Those
rufllcs can wait"
The bonne's yellow fingers were busy
with the crimping- iron. She looked up
surprisedly.
''Why should care to go out In this
savage country? There is nothing, mad
anne, to sec, but the wild beasts of the
field and dismal cotton-fclds. They
make one sicl1er than ever with the
inconsistencies"
Mrs. John laughed indulGently:
'Wild beasts? Do you call Mrs. Lori
mcr's shorthorns and the horses wild
beasts? Seriously, Celeste, you will
have to face them. 1 want you to go
after Ninette.''
$50 after the child? What has mad
anne done with her?''
Il let her take short ride with the
old man who carries the flowers to mar
kct."
Celeste raised Mortified hands: "The
black savagc!''
"Blacl1, but much less of savage
hands. He was on his way home, and
Ninette begged So"
'She always begs so. Where was he
to leave the child?-bah!-for all the
world like an express package"
''IIe was to take her over to Glenbur-
mic, and you were to go for her A
lovely short one-nile walk through the
most beautiful grove you ever saw, Ce-
lcstc.'
81 abhor groves. Groves are only
meant for savages to live in. Glenbur-
ME! Glenburnie!" She repeated the
name musingly. '"That is where the old
man lives who never comes down his
own stairway, but permits his beauti-
full young lady daughter to sacrifice her
self to him. NJ. Fairbanks. Bah, quelle
brute''
you have gathered information rap
idly" said Nora, coldly. Yes, it is there
that Ninette is waiting for you"
"And madame, then, will permit
- A. =
enemy?"
Madame" looked at the speaker
sharply. How many more family Sc
crets was this demure-looking cat al
ready in possession of?
Whose enemy? What nonsense you
are talking, Celeste!'
''Is it nonsense, madame?2 Do not the
Loriners and the Fairbanks hate each
other? And does not every black man
and black woman on both places know
it? A woman, some say, is at the bot
tom of the trouble. 1 will fetch the
child home, but will not dare come
back by the public road, nor enter the
front door of White Cliffs and say: 4
have just brought the child, from Glen
burnic.'"
Celeste, you are insufferable.'
But, boldly as she uttered the rebul5e
conscience convicted Mrs. John of shar-
ing the woman's feelings. No moro
words passed on the subject. Celeste
prepared for her walk with sullxy activ.
ity. Nora watched her furtively She
was sorry she had aroused the woman's
quick temper. Ninettc, poor little
angel" might suffer vicariously.
And to Think" she said alolyd, as
Celeste left the room, closing the dool
after her with significance force, thai
have, to-day, taken only the initia
step
She walked to side window to see i
Celeste had taken the right turn" aftel
| getting into the road. She stood there
| idly staring out at the monotonous land
| scapc long after the woman had passed
entirely beyond her range of vision.
She did not care to join the family
| group downstairs. 1t was such an un
usual thing to see her without Ninette
| that it might lead to announcement ques
| tions. AS she stood there, her HUSBAND
came into view from the side-porch, ant
| passed down the walk towards the small
| gate which Celeste had just gon
| through.
| He had on his corduroy hunting-suit
His gun was slung across his shoulder
and three dogs trottcd close upon hi
heels. His back was necessarily turnct
towards her. She waited kiss toward
him from the tips of her smooth whit
fingers, then laughed softly at her owl
folly:
poor John! Poor old simple confid
ing John! lie melts me to pity. I al
so sorry for him.
| Why she should have selected tina
particular moment for so expressing
herself was known TO herself alone.
John Lorimer did not look like a fl
object for commiseration. He was, Xix
all the Lorimcr boys, straight of linn
and strong of muscle, and carried h
handsome head somewhat defiantl,
just then he was whistling "Captai
Jinks" with moro force than melod,
The wind waited the air to her
broken snatches. AS he walked he Sc
tied the strap to his hunting pouc
more comfortably about his collar bon
Some one halted him as he reache
| the Smal1 oate Nora oou1d SEQ n lett.