Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-11-22
Christian e[iina
A Thrilling Romance OF
Land and Sea:
BY ARRAH LEIGH

In moment her visitor entered. lend
Ing Chris, for whom he had waited in the
lobby below.
.Mademoiselle will excuse the liberty
take In bringing her guest, he begged.
The actress bowed. She liked to awe
people little by her dignity, SO she mo-
tioned them to be seated then said
Where is your brother, Mr.. Byrne?"
lett him about 3 O'Clock on Broad
way" replied Griffith, and Chris felt a
sense OF anxiety come over her, for fear
TINS tall, handsome man would not come,
when she wanted to see him, to hear him
talk; poor little Chris, how she would
have crushed the desire had she seen
into the future!
But she did not see; did not know the
danger of allowing herself to think Of
pale with disappointment as other guests
arrived, ard still he did not come.
Mademoiselle's eyes grew bright as the
jewels she wore. Mademoiselle's hand
shook as she rang the bell, to tell the
servant she wished supper announced.
She was furiously angry to think Ken
meth should dare be late. She scarcely
tasted the dainty salads; she did not
touch the well-served meats; she toyed
with some oysters, and pretended to eat
the sweets. but all the time she was won-
OOAAAS INV 6uo COulU make hcuQ0tQ re.
pent his late arrival. And her face
looked moody when the servant, Just at
the end OF dinner, announced the last
guest.
The actress was sensitive about being
treated with courtesy, and she told herself
Kenneth would not have been late in
keeping dinner engagement with one of
his mothers friends, So she bowed very
haughtily to the young man, who seemed
to her older, whittier, and sterner-looking
than she had previously thought him,
when he entered.
Kenneth, however, scarcely noticed her
nonchalance, for his eyes were fixed on
Chris, poor little Chris, who was smiling
at him as if she were glad he had come.
He spoke to the girl without waiting tor
the formality of an introduction, and as
she heard his rich, full tones, q change
came over Chris nature.
wish that she scarcely dared to own,
For something better than she had known.
She would have liked to be rich and
beautiful and this mans equal in posi-
tion, that her lot in life might have been
cast near his. She felt, could she have
been but his sister, his cousin, what u
dear task it would have been to chase
away the look of care and anxiety that
was not unbecoming on his noble coun-
tenance. She wondered what could
trouble him. and even as she did so,
somebody said:
Kenneth, you are late"
Yes, business detained me-" he re-
piled, with an apologize look at made
moiselle; but her head was averted, and
Kenneth saw he had wounded the feel
ings of one of the most arrogant women
on the stage.
Chris heard him whisper:
Forgive me. mon annie, will explain
all. am in terrible trouble"
His words awoke memories that his
coming had lulled to rest in Chris breast.
She, too, was in terrible trouble. She
was this night to we'd q man she loathod
"a man she feared, and yet for whose
brothers sake, in order to make him hap
py, she felt she could have died.
Such is the mockery of fate.
The one man is SO noble, SO handsome,
SO gentle while SO strong, one cannot but
love him; while the other"
A shudder passed over her as she
glanced up into Griffith's evil face.
She could scarcely keep herself from
crying out against the cruel fate which
awaited her when she left this house, fol
Griffith had told her after the supper was
over that q carriage would be at made.
moiselle's door, which would convey his
victim to the friend who had promised to
perform the ceremony of marriage.
And even now the supper was over, but
Chris did not move to depart.
Other guests went, wearied Bohemians
said goodnight till at last Griffith. Ken.
meth, Chris, and mademoiselle we're left
nearly alone.
Miss Verina, will you please not keep
my carriage waiting any longer?" request
ed Griffith; who had been telling Chris
it was time to leave, for an hour.
Mademoiselle stared at her; Kenneth
stared at her, and the unhappy girl felt
she had no longer an excuse for tarrying
But her cheeks grew white with woe, and
even her lips were blue, as she thought Of
what leaving here meant to her.
Heaven help me-" she muttered. q
feel as il l cannot marry this man, and
yet nothing can save me now"
She recognized the fact that she was in
the hated ones power without a hope OF
escape, as he looked down on her with O
triumphant smile, and motioned her from
the room.
IF it had only been Kenneth" she
thought, Il would have been SO happy.
Alas for the poor child! Kenneth was
to bring her misery even worse than
tibet which now wrung her heart with
anguish; for she was doomed to suffer
much, this poor little Chris, but neve,
more than tonight.
She seemed to recognize all the misery
fate had in store for her, a. she glanced
up into Grifith's coarse. triumphant face,
and let his fingers rest ON her arm.
.Oh, my God! Anything else, only
save me from this man, she PRAYED, even
while she felt the prayer could not be
answered.
Come" said Griffith, come" And
she rose up with feeling Of one about
to die. and prepared to follow him to q
fate worse than death.
Alas! the recording angel must have
wept as he wrote that page of poor little
Chris life, for no martyrs face could
have been more pathetic than hers, as she
turned to Griffith and said:
Il will 60 with you"
CHAPTER VII.
AN OUTCAsT
For q moment let us pause and SEE
what was the terrible trouble that hai
overtaken Kenneth Byrne.
Slowly the gray mist lifted from ovel
the Sound; slowly the golden tendril.
of sunshine lightened the leaden sky
and great drifts of carmine tinted an(