The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1895-07-19

head has been seriously injured. 4
part of the skull is pressing upon til,
brain, and, though she may regain he
bodily health, very much fear he
reason will be permanently affected
But will come again in the morning.
Frank clasped his hands in despai
when Mr.. Kemble repeated this opin
ion o,him.
Judging by his own feelings he fel
that death would be ten thousan(
times preferab BILE to madness.
He showed the doctor out of til,
house, REFRESHING his emotion as fal
as possible, but when the front doo1
was closed he did not dare to 70 neal
the chamber in which were his mother
and poor Kate.
Something in the face of the forme,
had warned him to-kcep away until
she came to him. IT
Now the intense strain of excitement
was over, the necessity for eXertior
no longer existed, and nothing bu,
failure and despair stared him in the
face. Frank Fairfleld's physical and
mental strength gave way before the
prospect that appalled, him.
When his mother mt 7engtl appeared
she found him so nearly unconscious
that she thought for time that she
was going to have two invalids upon
her hands instead Of one.
Judging that he was suffering ns
much from exhaustion as anything
she made him swallow an egg beaten
up IN brandy and milk, and when he
had slightly recovered slIe said quite
sternly:
"You must make IN effort to rouse
rouse yourself to meet the trouble you
have brought upon us. Tell me. In as
few words as possible what has hap.
pencd, for l mean to send for Lord
Lilburne at once"
Her cold, hard words seemed to give
him fictitious strength, and he told
her the story of his adventure and Of
/ his nights work. being careful alike
to avoid excuse and eXaggeiation.
"And what business had you outside
Silverton castle at such time." she
demanded sharply.
II only wanted to catch che glimpse
Of Kate" he replied humbly.
"Catch glimpse Of Kate" she re.
peated with disdain. "Who do you
think will ever believe that you spent
whole hours In the cold and the dark
. with no other motive than thatT she
demanded.
] Evidently you do not" he retorted,
stung by her tone and manner.
/ enc, 1 don't" was the emphatic re.
spouse.
| "Thon 1t is useless my trying to con.
vince you," he returned.
"Quite useless; and for any secret
passage or staircase that leads into
the castle, 1t is very strange that
should have lived at Silverton all those
years and never heard Of anything OF
the kind. l should mighty Ike to &C,
If it is there"
| "You Gun easily do that" he replied
calmly. Il found the place out many
! years ago, and have gone in and out
that way at night hundreds of times"
"And yet no living soul besides your
self knew of it?" she asked, with In.
/ creased suspicion.
| eyes, Miss Grace knew of II, I
, showed her the hole in the floor once,
and threatened to throw her down II
she watched me and told tales about
me again. frightened my lady. l cal,
tell you, and I remember the look Of
mingled horror and wonder in her eyes
when pressed the spring and made
the floor slide back into its place."
"Miss Grace" repeated Mrs. Fair
field thoughtfully. mo: this isn't her
work; but she may have told some.
body else how to open the place
through which you say Kate fell. She
or somebody else may have been
showing the place to Kate herself"
But Frank shook his head as he
said:
ut could not have been an accident
or the place would not have been COW
cred in directly Kate fell. Tie false
door does not open nor shut easily, the
spring needs a good deal of pressure
and could never have closed by acci-
dent"
"Then you think man must have
thrust my poor child down the shaft?'
mot necessarily; q woman could do
it II she We're SO inclined"
"Who is living at the castle now?"
asked the nurse.
II don't know"
"What do you propose to do?" was
the mothers next question.
"That don't KNOW" he replied de-
jectedly.
ut is not for myself that
hesitate" he added, seeing. the look
Of impatient anger gathering on his
mothers face; "but the consideration
that kept me from raising an alarm
when Kate fell at my feet is equally
strong now. To give Kate to her FL.
ther is. perhaps, to give her back to
the mercy Of the person who tried to
destroy her."
Good heavens! you don't suspect
her father of having tried to murder
her, do your exclaimed Mrs. Fair.
field in Mortified amazement,
II suspect no single person." he re-
piled evasively; "but that somebody
did try to destroy Hates life, and
that the same man or woman believes
her to be lying at the bottom of the
shaft down which she fell. there can
be no doubt whatever. / expected
that Kate would be allie to tell us
who took her to tint little room, hut
the doctor has dashed that hope 10
the ground"
HIS arms fell listlessly by his side,
and his hopeless helplessness seemed
to infect his mother. for she-having
been standing until now-sank down
on the nearest chair, and for the mo-
ment seemed Overpcwered by the ter.
rible situation.
She was woman possessing a graat
amount OF self control, however and
she soon recovered from her temi,or.
ary weakness.
There is another view of the mat.
ter which you don't seem to have
thought about" she said severely, at
would have been bad enough for any
man to have brought Kate from her
fathers roof in the middle of the night
but for you to have done SO 1t was
only to bring suspicion upon ypu aud
disgrace upon herr
"Oh, yes; have thought of all that"
he replied bitterly; "but when life is
Mt stake one forgets what malicious
tongues may say about ones actions.
aud though Kate is nothing in kinship
to us, you are the only mother she
has ever known, and when l brought
her to you 1t was the next best thing
to giving her to her own father"
AYE, II I'd been lady your argu-
ment might be worth something" re-
torted his mother, severely; "but as 1t
Is you've only worked mischief rs far
as can see."
he made no reply. Taunts and re-
proaches might be levelled against
him. but they could not undo tile past.
neither could they alter the traRtcai
aspect Of the present.
At length Mrs. Fairfield rose to her
feet, remarkins emphatically: