Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-01-21

I did not speak to him. aid not wish
him TO know me-"
"one can understand that" she re.
piled significantly. Has madame come
TO speak TO ms?"
Yes, yes, Mere Lucas" faltsred
piteously.
Her GOODNESS aud formality perpIer.d
me. could not undrstand why she
called me madame now that had re-
Ncaled myself. My embarrassmcnt
touched tho good old woman, and shs
broke the painful silence
Monsieur IL quite well7" she ASKED.
with hesitation in her voice.
"MonsieurY' echoed interroga,tvely.
IN. Gordon"
"Yes. but 1t lisa long time since I left
him, aud have travelled . long, long
way 10 come hero. aud / tind everything
changed and altered, and-And"-lm-
pulsively giving way TO my feslings,
soobed-"and am wretched and nm
happy"
rose aud wont toward her, and she.
springing up, broke through the bar.
risr OF reserve and claspcd me In her
arms, shedding teArs of afrectionats
sympathy.
"Ah, my poor dear" she whimpered,
I'VE are wretchod and unhappy, all Of
us, and this Is no time to bear grudges.
one against the other. My heart melt
cd the moment you told mo who you
were, for know how cruelty you must
have suffered to- come down To this.
But felt that ought not to forgive
you all NJ once for deceiving as US YOU
did, and look you 10 seemed as II You had
no feeling for any OF Us not to send one
word TO us In our trouble. No matter.
| That IL all past, and We will forget IL AZ
| ~
drawing mo down on chair close by
her side aud nursing my hand on her
1 knee, I've are friends again. but you
| must not expect mt Co feel Just the
same toward you as II nothing had hap
pened." Then, still surveying mo with
plying astonishment, she said, "And Ia
IL true, my poor soul, that your hair
has turned gray through all these hard
shipsa"
"No-that is false hair. 1 donr wan,
any ono 10 know me. n"
mo, no, OF course not"
VI didn't intend to let you know me,
l could not help it,"
81 promise you l will tell no one. No
ono shall hear n word OF this from mo,
no, not oven my poor master, aud for
very good reason--it would break his
heart 10 know that his little friend, as
he used to call you, had come down so
low. What wreckl What ruinI
And to think that l am TO blame for IL
ALL"
"You?"
Certainly. Dldn't I do all in my
power To throw you together? Did I
ever let him go up to sec NJ. Taras be-
fore he had gone into that front room
TO pay his respects to you? Didn't I
Halter myself from the very firstthat he
would make you his wife In tho end?"
"He, whoP" L asked In bewilder-
ment.
"Why, that NJ. Gordon, to be- sure.
Whom else could / mean?"
i saw At last what was In Mere Lucas
mind, and tho discovery took my breath
away.
"And does Taras believe also that
wc eloped In that way-Mr. Gordon and
~"
Nero Lucas shrugged her shoulders,
spread out her hands, subdued an In
voluntary chuckle that shook heI
abundant person, and then, with be-
coming gravity, replied;
mon Dioul what else could he be.
lieve?"
"raras thinks l left him to do thatp'
/ murmured incredulously.
fancy Mere Lucas thought wa
now going ll.tls too tar, for sha-sai
In tone OF expostulation:
BE reasonable, now it's all over, ma
dame. You must not expect too much
7 To DO sure, my dear master has never
uttered n word that betrayed tho
slightest suspicion OF you fault, but
what could he think? You and M
Gordon disappear tho same evenins
without leaving word behind you,
and all that we ever heard OF you after.
ward is that M. Gordon drew ali his
money out Of the bank the day after
your flight. For a week before he
came TO see you every day. and your be.
bavior was 20 odd as even TO perplez
me. You go out together one evening
and the next day you are so I'll that
anyone could see something serious
had happened-that some final arrange
ment had been made and some grea,
event was about TO take place. Come,
como, madam And how can ono doubi
whas had happened when everything ID
done so secretly, and no word OF excuse
or pretense Is set TO give things re-
spectacle appearance afterward, look
you?"