Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-11-14
NO. 4s.

the overseer's daughter? Look at
that set of ivory chessmen on the
shelf. That came from Burrampore.
Look at that tiger skin on the floor,
all black and gold, with the head
erect, as if it would spring at you.
That was from the jungles of ArdPoo-
ira. He sent those to Daily Warden,
not to Miss Leieune. And I saw you
ooking paler and sadder day by day,
and l was en-ed."
Lilias had drawn back; she had
Redeemed at first and then grown pale.
''is that what you wanted to say tt
me-"
''Isn't it enough?" insolently re-
torted the consumptive, an evil smile
writhing her lips.
"Too MUCH" shuddered Miss Le
jeune. 81 am sorry, Daily, that you
entertain such vindictive feelings
toward me. 1 never intended to wound
VOW"
! ''Oh, it don't matter,'' said Daily,
I'm revenged-that is all. I've lived
to see the proud Miss Lejeune
broken-hearted woman. Now, SO fai
as know, there's nothing left to live
for, and I'm ready to GO"
And Miss Leieune's last impression
of Daily Warden was that of small ex
ultant eyes, like those of serpent
yellow-tressed head drawn back, cobra
rapella fashion, and such a sinister
smile as Lucrezia Borgia might have
smiled.
That was the last time she ever saw
DAILY Warden alive. The poor CIR
died that night.
"Please, Miss Lilias," said old Ju
dith, the pur-blind cook, who lived
near the overseer's cottage, "dey sayl
lie tiger skin wild de green-glass eyel
tor yo' bedroom flo. Lef' it to yo' il
her will.
81 don't want it." said Lilias LIE
feune, shrinking. "You may have it.
& Judy"
:. ''T'ankee, miss-t'ankee, mighty
: much! J" said the old woman, gleefully,
displaying her stumps of yellow teeth.
e "Old Judy'll be as fine as fiddle with
{ ilat tiger skin on her cabin ho'-wil
E TO-
;, = She called Lilias triumphantly into
- her little habitation the next day tc
. display the new treasure. With a
" ponderous pair of silver spectacles
. 2erched on her nose and an old jack
! .,nife she was ripping off the lining.
: ''Crar EFT up by de moths, Miss
FIilias," she declared. 'I'll hab to git
> It refined fore it can be ia rly decent.
( 20 can read, Miss Lilias, can't yo';
c But ole Judy she never had no educa.
: tion. And hers lot o writ paper
;, theets tucked in between de linin' an
Il lie skin hese'f, like as dough dey was
quilted in. Wha' does dey mean,
honey-eh? Kin yo' tell ole Judy ?"
Lilias stopped down and took up the
e dry and dusty relics.
|. 'Thev are letters" she said. 'Iet-
ters written to"
She stopped abruptly. She might
= have added: "Written to one dear
i tLilias,' and signed Edgar Main
u waring." Loving, pleading letters
: that begged for but one word of an
swer-letters whose faded ink and dry,
rustling paper took one back nearly D
=, quarter of q century.
i 81 have sent these to Dallette War
den's care" he wrote, "because she
tells me your father is vehemently op-
posed to my suit and will receive no
. correspondence. She promises to for
l ward your answer, if ever you deign
me one. If not, l shall, of course, ac-
cept your silence as sufficient doom. 5"
And all these letters had been
. opened and mercilessly perused by
!. Daily, the overseer's daughter, then
hidden away beneath the snarlins
teeth, the cruel green glass eyes of the
man-eating tiger of Ardpootra. Thus
had she nursed her revenge.
, Lilias drew n long sigh.
''Ill take these pagers, Amt Ju-
, dith, said she. "They-they are in-
. teresting t. no one but me-"
"Tankee, Miss Lilias, said the old
crone, contentedly stroking the spotted
gorgeousness of the tiger skin.
: Colonel Mainwaring was coming
slowly up from the Okeechee, his
|, jointed fishing rod flung over his shoul-
der, his eyes fixed gravely on t.e
violet dotted grass at his feet, when
the towering branches of the glen were
parted, and a tall slight figure in
white stood before him.
''NIiss Lejeune?" he exclaimed.
Colonel Mainwaringl
He looked-as well he might-su.
premely surprised.
! She took all her womany courage in
her hand, and spoke out what W IS in
: her heart.
- "'Will you look at these letters that
are in my hand?" she said. "They
were written, as 1t seems, to me, but
they never reached me until now"
And then in low voice she related
the whole story.
He looked intently at her.
"You are going to give them back
to me?" he asked.
"No; am going to keep them"
! "You have not answered them"
81 have never had the opportu.
nity."
'Lilias, will you answer them now?'
Eyes, Colonel Mainwaring.
Sand what is the answer to be?"
'1t is to be yes p"
So the tiger of the Ardpootra Jun.
giles had yielded up the secret, and ths
long-parted lovers were reunited at
last in spite of Dallet.e Warden's
treachery.
"And he's just as much in love with
her as if he We're boy of eighteen
and she one of this seasons rosebuds,"
sighed Lill "And I'd almost made up
my mind to set my cap for him! No
one can be too good for Aunt Lilias,
and am sure Colonel Mainwaring de-
serves the incest wife in the world; SO
that all is right at last"
And the two lovers, secure In their
own happiness, never betrayed the Sc
cret of Dallette Warden's envious
heart.
The tiger r-skin lies cleaning on Aunt
Judith's floor, and she solemnly avows
fbot SSit h1ipLo Jau, Jrafn1 r,1oSc oraa