Mower County transcript., 1893-09-20

dinner, and so far recovered his natural
and pleasant department. that Roses
heart rested again in happy confidence
and serenity.
Dinner waited some time and was at
last served and over before Dunbar made
his Appearances circumstance so un-
usual that it had given rise to some anx-
iety on his account, and Lillian's was not
diminished when she met him in the hall.
"What is the matter, dear Eustace?''
'Do not be alarmed, my darling.
will not keep you in suspense. I am
panied for poor LIE Barron's wretched
family, but will explain when we are
all together. It is story I do not care
to repeat but once"
After hasty greeting from the family
he said:
"Early this morning our friend Austin
called to inform me of the troubles at LIE
Barron's. You all know that the brag-
CART adventurer De Courtney has for
some months had his eye on LIE Barrons
apparent riches under the guise of ad-
miration for their eldest daughter. /
knew that Estella and her mother were
greatly s1nitten with him, and Maud was
pining with envy. The more cautious
and suspicious father had written to some
merchant abroad requesting reliable tes-
timonials respecting this prince, in di
guise before he would yield to the has
consummation of the marriage, for which
the ardent lover was SO urgent. It see,
that when the poor father had confesse.
the ruin and degradation that were clos
ing upon them, and Estella had Dor
her part in the first outburst of wild
passion that assailed him, her shrewu
mind conceived plan for her own safe
ty, which, with consummate heartless-
ness, she at once proceeded to execute.
"Silently retiring from the wordy war
fare, she wrote hasty note to De Court
ney asking him to meet her at restau-
rant near by, sent it by her French maid,
deep in all her secrets, and silently made
her exit from side room to the rendez-
vous. She safely calculated that in the
tumult her absence would not be OBJ
served. In that unhappy family you are
aware that self is the dominant power,
and Estella we'll knew that when the
fierceness of the storm then raging had
passed it would be succeeded by tears
and hysterical lamentations that would
claim the attendance Of all the servants,
thus leaving her to consummate her self
ish arrangements unmolested.
"What passed between her and De
Courtney can only be conjectured by the
results and a letter left behind for the
mother. It would seem that she returned
to the house as secretly as she had lefti
directed her maid to collect all her val
uables and pack her wardrobe, while she
proceeded to secure what money or jew
elry she could find in her mothers or SIS
ters rooms and departed with her spoils,
attended by her French waiting maid
Quite early this morning, as Austin was
passing Roseville, Maud, apparently in
great excitement. called to him from the
library window. He entered, and giving
him but a brief statement of the last
nights revelations and proceedings she
begged him to find me and urge me to
come to her Immediately.
"Austin gave me all the particulars he
could learn from Maud's hasty and fren-
zied recital, but when wished to stop
hero for advice and if possible to get Mr..
Newton to accompany me on this deli
cate mission he objected, saying she had
especially desired that nothing should be
said to the Newtons l therefore pro.
ceeded at once to Roseville. Strange
sounds startled me when I entered the
dreary house, but Maud, whe was wait
ing in the hall, evidently on the alert to
prevent the servants from seeing me,
hurried me into an Office distant from
the parlors. Il disgusts me to think of
her inhuman, selfish ways. But it may
be that she did not realize the terrible
tragedy enacting around her."
Don't inger," cried Rose. 'This
SUSPENSE is dreadful"
II will be as brief as possible. It
aeems no thought had been given to Es~
tella's absence during the night, but
Maud in the morning had ordered her
attendant to bring some ornament or ar
ticle from her wardrobe, which could
pot be found. On examining further her
jewelry and most of her choice posses
sions were missing. Then her maid
limited that Miss LIE Barron had been
going on strangely the day before, and
all the servants remarked it, but the
madam had been 50 bad they had had no
time to give it attention. But now would
Miss Maud please go into her sisters
room and see for herself and not be say.
ing disparaging things to poor waiting
maid? Ijudge from the accent of both
mistress and maid that Maud, becoming
furious at the spelling Of her goods, had
visited her wrath on the o2e nearest to
her. On entering her sisters chamberit
was vacant, the wardrobe and bureaus
empty, and on the table lay an open note
to her mother Of the most insolent and
heartless character.
''She said that, seeing inevitable ruin
coming upon the family, and having no
disposition to share it with them, she had
at once sought her dear Victor, and not
wishing to reveal their misfortunes had
simn1v informed him that hor fo+hor1,d