The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-10-05

dDs&A III atA<*A @iNss' - = $500 's~~ $1,000
times2''
Yes
1t came raezaotonously from the fall
rel lips which after easA utteraEes Mrs-
Ea.e-Dss drew herceiy IL under her
glGsteuing white teeth
But whyY''
II told you why IL that leitrr-"
/ "Eut never got the letter. tel
you
Then will have - g. over the
whole hateful chapter once more Bat
not here. This Is Mr.. Norcrosa's study.
and he might come 81 czPectetily."
She go, up, almost dragging her sis
ter with her.
why should Mr.. Eorrross not find
me hcrcY" Nora asked, r,s~entfally-
Il have right to come and ses my own
sister have | not, Auc!ia?'
Amelia made an irritatcd motion with
her pretty hands:
Il have 50 much t. tell you, Nora,
and the house is 30 fnil Of people You
must follow me. Some one might inter
rupt u.s.
She dropped her sisters hands, and,
sweeping rapidly forward. led the way,
by a rear staircase, t. the upper floor,
never once pausing in her graceful sin
nous progress until they reached the
small dressing-room, perfect in all its
appointments, through the open door
Of which Nora got glimpse into bed
room fitted up with still more oriental
splcndOr.
Now. We are safc-quitc safe!
Eugene never intrudcs here. We can
talk comfortably"
/ She pushed Nora into an easy chair,
and, seating herself close beside her,
began neryOusly.
Il am sorry You failed to get that
letter. 1t would have saved you this
trip"
NO. I came to the city independent
! " of any expectation Of seeing you. !
| had believed You were on the stage. |
had given you up for dead placed
the child where its proper protectors
would be obliged u care for it, and
tnen-then- But did not come here
10 talk about myself. Tell me all that
you have kept from me SO long.
| Amelia"
Il am married"
Mrs. Norcross WIS not looking at her
sister now. Her eyes were down-dropt,
and she was nervously twisting a heavy
| gold bangle around on her wrist.
Il see that for myself. When did
| Sibley Fairbanks die?"
| II don't know"
| Don't know! Don't know! You
| must know that he is dead, Amelia?"
| II don't know. OF course he is dead
| OF course / know it, Wretch! deserter!
| unnatural monsterl Was I to wear the
willow all my life for a crcatur. who
| defrauded me into mock marriage,
| deserted me and his ehild-left us to
starve or to wOrse?'
But how could you marry another
man? How dared you? Did you tell
! him the whole truth? Mr. Norcross,
| mean"
Mrs. NorcrOss laughed again. There
was none of the silvery merriment in
the sound that the guests downstairs
had heard before this person had In
truded like a deaths head at her feast.
1t was a CHASTITY sort of laugh, and,
| leaving her seat, She began pacing the
narrow dressing-room with long rest
less strides. Suddenly she turned
ferccly on Nora:
why did you come here, Nora Hem
way? Why did YOU come here to spoil
my beautiful, bright, gay life? The
| child would never miss me. She did not
need me. 1 heard you had married that
stupid John Lorimer and gone away to
the country to live. and was glad"
Glad, Mellie?"
Yes, glad! glad! glad! For Eugene
! NorcrOss never would have made me his
wife, if he had not believed / WIS abso-
lutely alone in the world. And | wrote to
you, throwing myself on your mercy.
told you that my past must be dead and
buried past l begged you to help me
make It so. It was to avoid Just such
| nischances as this that I wrote that let
ter. told you all about the money
had put in the bank for the child You
might have let me be happy, Nora. God
knows l have suffered enough in the
past"
How can one be happy living lie,
Nellie? How can you be happy without
letting him know all about Sibley Fair
banks? You were innocent then
Amelia. bnt You are guilty here-horri-
bly, guilty"
DO you want me to kill you, Nora?
feel equal to it-quite equal to it-you
wretched, pulling moralistr'
She stopped in front of her sister,
quivering from head to foot with pas
sion. Every vestige of color had fled
from her beautiful face, leaving it
drawn and CHASTITY. Her small, jeweled
hands were clinched until the pink nails
penetrated the soft flesh. AS she stood
with her back to the chamber door, she
looked quite equal to carrying her wild
words into execution.
Nora, looking at the wildly excited
creature more in alarm than in anger,
became conscious Of a third presence.
A dark, stern face was framed momen-
tarily in the doorway behind Amelias
back, then quickly withdrawn.
''There is some one In there" she
said, huskily, pointing toward the bed
room-"some one who has heard our
talk"
If possible, Amelia's face grew yet
paler. She sprang like some beautiful
panther toward the open door, then
stopped, paralyzed Her voice sounded
husky and feeble:
''Eugenel You here?"
II am here, Who is your visitor, Mrs.
Norcross?'
"a poor sewing woman"
She had disappeared within the room
and pushed the door after her. 1t die
not close fully upon its hinges. Nora
sat still, SO absolutely dazed and
wretched that it never occurred to hel
to put herself beyond the reach of the
voices in the next room. Where, in
deed, in this strange house. should she
! go?
You are at home early, Eugene"
1t was Amelia's voice The effort t.
| make it quite natural and soft was
:, pitiahly apparent to her sisters tortured
ears.
} 1t was not pleasant voice that an
: swered her: