The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-06-13
By CHARLOTTE BRAEME. (Author OF Dora Thorne).


! terval. the marriage should take place
| Immediately after Christmas day.
When Miss Lilburne heard of the ar
! rangement and found that she could
not have her own way, she resigned
! herself to the tyranny of circum-
stances with the best grace she could
assume.
The rest of the terrible year must
be lived out at Silveron castle. for
the baron. with the morbid eXpecta-
ton of his eldest daughters return,
would not go to London or Scotland,
or any of the places on the continent
that ii was almost his yearly custom
TO visit.
Here at the castle he remained. and
here, sOrely against her will, Grace
was obliged to stay with him.
Oh, how she grew to hate every
stone of the stately pile which she
felt to be her own prison and her sis
ter's tomb.
Sometimes. as autumn drew on, and
the winds grew loud and shrill, if Il
door slammed suddenly. or an unusual
sound was heard at the window or
outside the door, she would spring to
her feet. or cover down into some cor
ner in an agony of SpeechleSS terror.
till she sometimes felt as if reason
We're altogether deserving her, and
she was going out of her mind.
And as the days shortened and the
nights grew dark and chilly and
Christmas was again approaching, a
horrible fascination seemed to draw
her to the room under which she had
consigned her sister to SO terrible
fate.
At last she could resist the feeling
no longer, yet when she at length
yielded to the desire she dared not
move the sliding floor and look down
upon the body of her victim.
She had no earthly doubt that Kate
lay there as she had fallen. or, if not
exactly in the same position. if she
had not been actually killed by the
fall, the guilty girl was equally sure
that her sister was lying dead at the
bottom of that horrible pit.
But though she would have given
half of all she might ever possess TO
look upon the face of her victim. she
dared not remove the floor that hid
the murdered girl from view, because
she feared that as surely as she did
so she should be irreSistibly impelled
To east herself down beside her
AS Christmas came nearer however.
and the wedding was fixed for the
succeeding day, Grace became rather
wild and excited.
Since they would spend Christmas
day at Silverton castle. they would be
merry over IL, she said. and as her
marriage was to take place immediate
ly afterward, she invited a great num-
Der of guests to come to the castle for
the Christmas festivities and stay over
the wedding day.
I'VE will forget last year if 1t is to
he forgotten" she exclaimed to her
lover almost Historically; and what
ever we do we must keep papa cheer
full. | dread Christmas day! oh, how
| do dread it,
She broke down and began to sob
and tremble as she said this and il
was some time before Sir Victor could
sOOthe her.
But when Christmas day really
dawned Grace was calm and cheerful
and only those who knew her well
! could detect the underCurrent Of eX-
element which she suppressed with
SO supreme an effort.
'To-morrOw is my wedding day"
/ she kept whispering to herself. land
! then | Snail be free-free from the
nameless terror that in this house
! always haunts me-"
! Tomorrow. But what will even to-
| day bring forth?