Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-09-07

uteS. and then he bent over his wife
and whispered
1T would save your life, darling
will you go?"
NO." she replied: "ict me die here
with you. Lionel. | am quite content"
He saw still decncr pallor spread
over the white wan face. and in that
moment Lionel CarteriS almost cursed
his own wrrrklcSS sirri.
| Despair took hold OF him. De said
to himself again and again that he had
destroyed the young life. once gay and
smiling as the life of i summer flower.
The room where his wife lay seemed
sitting. He had not tasted food that
day: he resolved to make one more eff
fort TO obtain work.
; In after years Lionel never rcmcm-
hercd how he left home. He had Il
faint recollection Of wandering. faint
and i'll. by the river side. of sitting
down to rest. and Of talking to some
rough man, evidently Il wandercr like
himself He remembered that his
porEetbonl was stolen. and that he
smiled at the disappointment of the
thief. who would find nothing but pal
pers therein. Then i feeling of uncon-
seriousness came over him: Il dull red
mist came before lima noise rs Of
gur%ling waters, :Spunlrl in his cars.
| Wltn SENS" and memory returned
) he was lying in the ward of Il London
hospital In answer to his questions
the nurse told him that he had been
there two days. and tii:lt it WIS now
III" rvrnig of the third. He waited I'M
! til MorninG-Whrn he would be permit
ted To drpart-in Il fever Of suspense.
Thankful once moro to find himself
; i'll the open air. anxious to hurry home.
and ,lreatling the effect that his ab-
s"nce might have had upon his wife.
i Lionel walked quickly through the
+; park. He seated himself on one of
! the iron benches To rest. Lying there
; he saw Il newspaper. evidently left by
some one who had finished reading it.
Hc took it UP carelrsSly and glanced
j over its contents. No wonder that his
! face grew white and his hands trem-
blcl: no wonder that wild terrible look
, came into his eyes. In one corner was Il
little paragraph telling how three
days before. the body of Il man had
been found in the river near Blackwell
the body of Il man supposed to have
; been accidentally drowned. for there
We're no marks of violence upon him.
He was stability dressed. and had
nothing about him Of any value. A
pOckctbOok was found in his coat. by
means of which it was discovered that
the unfortunate mans name was Lio-
mel Carteris. and his address No. 3,
Clayton Road. KrntiSh Town.
With wild eyes and beating heart
Lionel read the account Of his own
mistake had arisen The man with
had OF 1,a ri, cir a
had stolen his porketbook. and had
afterwards fallen into the river-acci-
dentally. no doubt
IF Evelyn has seen this" he cried,
lit will kill her"
1t seemed to him an age before he
reached Clayton Road He stopped
abruptly. for there before his door
stood travelling carriage which he
knew to be the carl of Trenham's.
Even rs he stood he saw Lord Tren-
ham himself half leading, half carrying
Evelyn TO the carriage. He noticed
his wife'S deep mourning. and the
nurse with the little child dressed in
black. He SAW the earl seat himself
by his daughters side. and then he
knew that his wife. believing him to
be dead. was going home. He caught
one glimpse Of her white sad face,
and his heart died within him. Why
should he care to live when she be-
lieved him dead?
Would it not be better. he said to
himself. if he were dead? Evelyn's life
would be saved-she would know no
| more want or privation. His body
would be an earl's grandson. not the
half-staryed child of pauper-ah, a
thousand times over it would be bet
ter if he We're dead!
Why not die to them? He might live
| out the remnant of his days and yet be
dead to wife and child. Let Evelyn,
let the whole world. believe that the
dead man found in the river was Lionel
| Carteris. Let Lionel Carters die to
| the world, to love. to happiness, to
fame: let him thus cxpiatc the reckless
folly of his youth.
He went to the place where the
drowned mans body lay: he heard the
care taker say that he must have been
a poor relation Of Lord Trenham's, for
Lord Trenham's solicitor had given Or
ders for Il funeral at his lordship's eX-
penSo. and in the cemetary at Finchley
4 plain stone was to be erected to the
memory Of Lionel Carteris. aged
twenty-five. There was no one to la
|
breaking her heart far away in the
stately castle at Trcnham. LioneTs
resolve was taken: henceforth he
would be dead in life.
| He Went back to the park. and sat
down stunned and dizzy He had no
money and no food. Presently re-
cruiting sergeant. noting the fine man
ly figure and broad shoulders, came
up and began Il glowing panegyric on
military life. He was startled by the
haggard young face that looked de-
spAiringly into his own.
Il am quite willing to enlist said
Lionel CarteriS. Il am tired of life.
If. as you say. your regiment is soon
going to India, will join it. Give me
the shilling"
And before sunset that day Lionel
Carteris was one of her majesty's sol
diers. and had taken his place in the
train for Weymouth, where his regi-
ment was stationed. He was too in:
different to ask it's name. A half fear
seized him when he found that he was
one of THE Queens Own Rangers" of
which regiment Capt. BERTHE Trenham
was in command.