Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1894-06-07
Ar WAR WITH HERSELF.
The Story Of a WOman's AtOnement,
by Charlotte N. Braeme.
CHAPTER XIV.

love, lie ana nOU cure IOf INC cuIluOll,
he did notvalue money; he wanted her,
and nothing in the world besides.
Yet he knew that she would never
be his; she had told him so, frankly
and honestly, She did not love him;
she loved some one else He knew
that, live as long as he might, his life
would never be crowned or blessed by
Leonie's love.
He did not love her less because OF
her grievous sin, In his eyes the am
pie reparation she had made atoned
for it. He said to himself that she
was the bravest, the noblest and best
of women: but she was not for him.
The world, so ready to worship Nam
mon, received him with open arms.
He was sought after by half the fash
ionable mothers in London. But for
Paul there was no peace, no happiness,
where Leonie was not. 1t would take
aim long years to learn to think less Of
his love, - -'--'S7 ~
Six months had brought back health
and strength to Leonie Rayner. She
was still az Reims, with the General
and Ethel.
She had visited the friends of her
fhir young mother; she had done her
best to forget all that was painful and
to regain her lost health. Surrounded
by friends, she was somewhat herself
again; her face had lost its radiance,
but over those most beautiful Textures
there was an expression of perfect rest,
and faint color had returned to the
lovely face and the beautiful lips had
reacquired their former smile.
One morning Ethel, with q bundle of
papers under her arm, entered the
room where Leonie sat.
81 told YOU" she said, that you
Should hear what the world thought of
you, Leonie. Read these"
Leonie opened one of the principal
morning papers first.
81 feel quite nervous, she said. at
is a terrible thing, after all, to be in
print.
Ethel silently pointed out the follow
ing paragraph to her:
Romance in High Life. Some time
since we announced to our readers the
succession of young lady to the es-
Yates of Crown Leighton and the title
OF Countess Charnleigh. The particu-
lars of that succession will be remem-
bercd as interesting and novel. Lady
Gharnleigh, by her brilliant teauty,
her gracious manners, and queenly
generosity, made herself one of the
most popular Of the fashionable world.
She has recently met with q reverse of
fortune quite as sudden as her uneX-
pected elevation. IL may be remem-
ber2d that she succeeded to the Crown
Lelghtons estates as next Of kin in
COnse1 ucnce o., the late earl's having
died, as 1t was supposed, without a will.
Lady Charnleigh was the neal est of
kin, and Is such took possession OF the
title anC the estates. After enjoying
them for two years, she accidentally
discovered the will of the late earl, by
which he left al that he had to Cap
tain Paul Flemyng The lady, with u
noble ense Cf honor and loyalty-un-
fortunately but too RAJ immediately
placed the will in the hands of the true
heir, and then retired from the brill
liant scenes of which she had been so
great an ornament. Miss Rayner may
never again possess patent of nobil-
ity such as the world cOnfers, but she
has one much higher, which no one can
take from her-she is a noble, gener-
Gus, loyaI ady-a title which no earthly
distinction can give. The new Lord
Charnleign has taken possession of
Crown Leighton, and has also taken
his seat in the House Of Lords.
You wondered what the world said
Of you, Le1nie. Now you know. Could
a,g praise be higher than that"
Il did not deserve it,, sobbed the
girl. Let me tell you all the truth,
Ethel"
But Miss Dacre kissed the sweet
face, and refused to hear another
word.
~If there is any secret" she said, at
rests between Paul and yourself.
There is no need for you to tell it, as
he has not done So"
For Paul hal kept her secret NEST
loyalty. When she had left him with
the will in his hands, he went at once
to Mr. Clements, the lawyer, aud told
him that Lady Charnleigh had discov-
cred it. He never uttered a word
about the terrible temptation, the.
deadly crime, and the most sincere re-
pentance. The story was never known.
Every one believed that the will was
given to him in the same hour that it
was found.
The paragraph above was copied
into all the papers; many of them
added remarks OF their own, all being
in praise of her who was no longer
Lady Charnleigh The scrap of news
went, as many startling scraps do, the
round of the world, and it was read by
Sir Bertram Gordon in the Holy Land.
He had gone thither, vowing that
never while he lived would he return
TO Eng and. He did not care how his
life was spent-how it passed; he was
utterly reckless and despairing. He
went to the Holy Land. There, he
thought to himself, it would not be
likely that he should ever meet people
who knew him.
He had been there for some time,
leading most hopeless and miserable
life, when, in one of q numerous batch
of papers sent to him from England,
he read this paragraph, telling of
Leonle's change of fortune; and in an
IVIu0I nc Iedu tudb MISS Rdyner was
staying with General Sir Huntley
Dacre and his daughter at Reims, in
France. A third repeated some on dit
as to the probable marriage of the Earl
of Charnleigh with the daughter of
Scotch peer.
Then Sir Bertram Gordon, with
low cry, started to his feet. If it were
true, the engagement with Leonie
must have been broken, Perhaps she
had repented of her CRUELTY to him.