Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-10-27

At that moment the door opened, and the
figure OF the black woman appeared. In the
light of day she looked foreign indeed-a
slight, delicate girl, shivering with the cold
of our raw climate. ! asked her how her
mistress did. She made no answer. but
stared vacantly ut me; and / then discovered
that she knew no language but the one in
which she had spoken to Madeline. I look
ed at my aunt, and she undcrstood-she went
herself into the bedroom TO see how her
guest was getting on.
She was away only a few minutes, yet IL
she smiled at my anxious look.
1T be all right, lad, 1t be all right" she
said. THE lady be nawn the worse o. her
waiting; but she be tired, and will stawp in
bed to-day. She be a pratty creature, Hugh,
and rich, j dsrsay; for her fingers be cover.
cd wi dawmond rings"
All that day, overcome by the fatigue
through which she had passed, Madeline re-
malned In her chamber, while /, utterly un-
able to work, hung like a restless spirit about
the house. The next morning she awoke re-
freshed; and when we three sat at breakfast,
she astonished us all by appearing amongst
MS fully dressed, and looking bright and
well.
Her advent caused a general exclamation;
my aunt ran forward to her assistance: my
uncle placed our most comfortable chair be-
side the fire while |, dumb and ~powerleSs,
stood In the background doing nothing.
Madeline! Could this be Madeline?-the lit
tie girl i had dreamed of all these years,
whose hands had been covered with passion
ate kisses and marked with my tears, and
NNhn hnh aN.an xxt.Vf N lIttIa l..aaIf a.. ..t...
with me: could this be the same?-thls glori-
Gus creature, with dreamy black eyes. warm
brown skin, and glorious black hair! Her
form was tall and straight as a willow; she
moved like a queen!
As all her own clothes had been lost in the
wreck, she wore a dress OF my aunt: over it
she had thrown the cloak which she had
worn Oh the wreck, and which was now
thoroughly dried. She came forward lam
guidly, leaning on the shoulder OF her black
attendant. and sank down into the chair
which my uncle had placed for her, whine
the native began crying and kissing her
hands. They spoke together in the foreign
tongue; then Madeline raised her eyes and
looked quietly around. All this while 1 had
been standing in the background, longing,
yet dreading to speak to her; for | saw clear
- ttA1 AAAek Y " nj tAt plDN No1 " ADN-
ten; but now, as her eyes swept the room
and finally rested with a look of recognition
on my face, | felt the hot blood mount to my
temples.
Am | mistaken" she asked, softly; did
you not take me from the wreck?'
bowed my head. In a moment all her
languor disappeared, the old fire darted from
her eyes, the old flush sutfused her cheeks
she was the Madeline of my childhood once
more. She looked at her hands, with one
quick movement pulled OF the most valuable
OF her rings and held it toward me.
Twill you not take IT," she said, with a
bright smile. You saved my life"
Her whole manner was that Of a lady
speaking to an inferior. Under my excite
ment | hardly noticed il. Scarcely knowing
what / did, | sprung forward and took the
ring; then, eagerly kissing her hand, | placed
1t again upon her finger.
Madeline" | said, don't you know mep
Madeline-Miss Grahaml'
She looked at me more critically, and
shook her head.
Have you forgotten Munster's?" I said,
and Hugh T~relawney?'
Ii | expected a wild outburst of pleasure at
the mention of my own name, l was quickly
At'tBlCihN@1s 1ht OiAf NAilitt ailhs ~
her eyes fixed upon vacancy as II she was
reviewing the past, said:
MINISTERS? Hugh Trelawney? Oh, yes;
of course, l remember nou! Hugh Ire
lawney was the incest Of those Munster BOYS,
and We were friends; but" she added, fixing
her eyes a~nxiously upon Inc, surely yOu are
not that boy?"
Yes" l replied. II an Hugh Trelawneyp'
Her AyAG nranaI yyfdar sIa ulapoad from
ne to my uncle and aunt, then round the
kitchen, then she was silent.
/ felt that some explanation was due to
her, and l gave it. / told her of my fathers
death-of the kindness OF my uncle and aunt,
and of my subsequent life at ST. Gurlott's.
'Ss Gurlott'sy' she said. lis this 81. Cur
lofts I'm Cornwally'
l answered in the affirmative.
Then | have an aunt living in a place OF
that name," she continued. Perhaps You
may know her; her name Is Mrs. Redruth."
"Lawd a mussey? wha, that be our mas
ter's mother!" broke in my aunt. But | add
ed:
Are you sure it's the same, Miss Graham?
This Mrs. ltedruth has a son who WINS the
mine"
Yes, l know-my cousin George! y she
answered; while my heart misgaye me at
the familiar manner In which she mention
ed the name. "Oh, ii must be the same she
continued, enthusiastically; ''and to think 1
should be shipwrecked here, of all places In
the world! Mr.. Trelawney, are they far
away? Would it be possible to let them
know that / am here?"
1T will be quite possible. Shall l take q
message!w
"Will you be 80 kind? Perhaps II you tell
her the story and show her this" she con-
tinued, drawing 4 quaint signet ring from
her finger, my aunt will come to me-. This
was my dear fathers ring, and she knew it
well, for he always wore it-and he had 1t
on even when he dled!'
l took the ring from her hand and started
of on my mission.
The events of the last few hours had made
me a changed being. l began TO wonder II
1t was all real; whether | had really seen
Madeline, and whether the one real romance
OF my life had been ruthlessly swept away.
IL was clear TO me now that she thought lit
tie of the past, and cared for. il even less.
While l had been living upon the memory OF
those dear days, she had let other events OBJ
literate it entirely from her mind. Well, it
was clear | must do the same. | must de-
liver her up to the custody OF her Aslatlons
as coldly as ii she We're a stranger who had
casually been east In my path for a day.
II wing made my decision, l became calm
Ell, and walked with q steady step up to Red
ruth House. l inquired for the young mas
ter; learned that he had left for London two
days before. asked for the mistress, and
she saw mo- She listened to my story quiet
y enough; when l showed her the ring, her
white face flushed, her hand trembled, and
her eyes filled with tears.
1T is my brothers, my poor. brother s."
she said, more to herself than to me-; then
she added, "My niece is at your cottage, you
say"
Yes, madam"
"Tell her, l will come to her at once"
/ left the house. and, instead Of returning
TO the cottage, walked straight down to the
mine. Where was the use of my returning
to Madeline; to stand by and see that grim
and st~ony-bearted woman bring to her
queenly eyes the light Of happiness, to her
Inns the cry of inv which the sight of nv