Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-03-24


thing terrible was in store for him; but
his self-assumed position Of judge com
\ Ielled him to ask.
! "Who IL tf' he said slowly
| She answered him in a low subdued
| voice.
"Yon know very well that mean your
sc,f!"
Sire was his brothers wife, For two
| years he had thoug.- of her only as Sis
! ter. She hardly bore "A trace Of reseTn-
| blance now TO his former I0nce0. and. in
| his eyes. il would have been almost
| crime to recognize in her a single feature
| Of the young girl 10 whom he had so often
whispered. II love you" And now it was
che who said she loved him.
The unhappy, bewildered judge stood
silent.
She. opposite, waited for him 10 speak
| IL was one of those warm. moist days Of
early summer when the air is laden with
/ the perfume Of flowers and shrubs. the
! sweet voice Of Madame Zola floated
/ through the air, and from below came the
/ gentle murmur of the river
! "Ycs. Frank. have always loved you.-
said Sylvia; Il renounced this love in girl
| ish ignorance. but il has grown with my
/ growth. When / found that Dora loved
\ you also, thought Of the glory of self
| sacrifice. and Of her misfortunes, and de-
icrmincd to make her happy; 50 repuls-
ed You in order that you might turn to
( her. But as soon a. you were gone |
found that | had overestimated my own
strength, Poor little Dora. Will you be-
lieve that have hated her ever since
| The very sight of her occasioned such
keen anguish that | have not been near
her for months"
But. if you loved me-" asked Frank.
in low. half-frightened tones. 'if you
loved me, why did you marry my broth
err
She did not vince.
40 marry William was to bring myself
nearer YOU. l said to myself: Il cannot
he his wife. but can be his sister; in that
way may still care for him. and shall not
live life utterly apart from his Alas!
these were the simple struggles of a
young girl, the folly Of which only expert
eucc can teach MS. | could not love YOU
, with sisterly affection, Frank; neither
co.la forget yo;;. Perhaps, with anoth-
er husband than william. / might have
done so; hat he talked 10 me constantly Of
you. And then, worst of all. your brothers
voice. step. ways, all resemble yours the
I likeness haunted me. ! determined TO
seek some distraction; my life was so mo-
/ Eotonous. and gave me too much time for
thought. / offer no apology for myself;
simply state the bare fact of my utter
misery. | listened 20 George; but | swear
THAT in all this whirl Of excitement into
/ which have been drawn, have never
ceased To think of.you; and. if anyone has
I the right TO be my accuser. il Is certainly
( not you. Frank. who have made me--un-
/ consciously, it is true-what l am
she stopped. choked by tears.
Frank dared not look st her The mis-
/ cradle man felt that his former passion
had revived. rckindled by her burning
words. Neither did he dare to speak, for
I he felt. il he opened his lips, words Of pity
and Of passion would escape.
He turned away in silence. As he
reached the door Sylvia darted after him
and seized his hand. Hers was soft and
warm. his ley cold. AZ that moment viii
liam's tall figure PASSED the window.
They must bc here. Mr. Chip" he
said gaily. 'for we looked into the arbor.-
81 saying he entered the summer house.
accompanied by bis father and mother-in-
I law
I Mrs. Chipp. who had always been very
( fond of Frank. welcomed him cordially;
and her husband said. in q most patroniZ-
ing tone:
"And how are Egyptian Bonds looking
just nowl'
fatted calf for the prodigal, and then
shouted 10 the singing-mistress
Madame Zola! Do. please. sing some
thing a little more lively. or play us
waltz. for my mother-in-law and | are
dying for dancc!'
William are you quite cracked I" cried
Mrs. Chip, as her son-in-la law drew her
along the gravel-walk in wild dance. for
the good fellow was quite intoxicated with
Joy.
For Frank the day was one interminable
agony. Egypt and his brothers invention
I were talked OF until he failed to grasp the
meaning Of single sentence. Sylvia was
very silent. and seemed wranped in her
4 own thoughts; and Frank. without daring
/ to look at her. watched her scarlet silk
/ sunshade, and the undulations of her
white diapery How she had changed in
/ these last two years! But had she i'm
provedf Then horrible idea occurred
( to him. He had seen painted, madc-up
women driving low popy-car,ages IN the
park. and had heard them. called "Anon-
yma." Sylvia looked like these crea-
lures; Sylvia could have driven Georges
horses in that same way. Frank started.
Was he not at that moment in Georges
housel Had he not drunk his winel And
did not all the luxury by which he was at
that moment surrounded come from
Georgei
1t was shameful, terrible He owed it
/ 10 himself 10 expose the tissue Of decep-
tions to his brother. Had he not come for
thatl But his courage was gone.
In the evening. after dinner, Florence
urged his wife TO sing. He was anxious
that she should exhibit all her new ac-
complishments 10 his brother.
Sylvia begged TO be excused, but ma
dame tossed her little French head, and
seated herself at the piano TO play the ac-
compartment.
What do you wish me TO singi But
she ended by deciding for herself In the
fliekering light Of the candles, which
seemed to exhale perfume with their light.
so intense was the odor from the garden
OF roses and lines Sylvia sang strange
little French melody, with quaint proyin-
Mamade Zola
Pauvre petite Maamselle Zizi,
Cest ramour, qui tourne Ia tete!
In narratlng the late ~ poor nttlc Llzi.
who had been driven mad by love, Sylvia
herself assumed the air of women car
ried away by passion. With the pathetic
cry of a wounded dove she took up the
melancholy refrain
C'est famour, ramour. qui tourne In tete!
The siren had not been judicious in the
choice of song. The name of Zizi trans
ported Frank 10 the quiet room where sat
Dora dc Lacy, she who had loved him so
patiently and so long. In her childhood
she had been called Eizi, and the singer
seemed to be extolling her charms and
her fidelity. Again he was beside her,
waiting for the tardy coming Of her faith
er. Yes! 1T was there and only there,
/ Frank said to himself that he could find q
safe shelter from the temptation that as
sailed him in this poisonous, feverish at
mosphere.
| He would take refuge In Dora's love;
/ that poor and innocent affection might
| FL his heart, 10 the exclusion Of his guilty
passion.
Where arc you goingf" asked Flor
ance. seeing his brother rise abruptly as
/ soon as the last bar Of the song had come
to an end.
IL am going away; it is late"
~what Of thatl You viii sleep here, of
course"
He refused. His presence in London
was absolutely necessary for certain mat