The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1895-06-07

i problem tint tsslisd hpn more ana
more the longer &c thought oe it.
He WAS quito convinced thsts me
had never left the castle IL het own
free will: yet :itI oesus6d peoted ~
yond all doubt that, living; oe daad,
,she was not Within the ,bulld ding. & Il Z
Remembering tie hints Which, Grace
: had thrown out about Frank Faifaeld.
J, Lord Roland began 70 question her
I about the young man, and she an
swerel readily enough until q sudden
thought occurred TO her, when Ii 1
moment she became pale and began To
| tremble. !. u. q 3 :
! What Il the matter with you nowYr
he asked. r So
I "Nothins, !" ahc replied othipg: III
Just occurred to my mind that Frank
could not have taken Kate away. be.
cause last year he went. to South
! America" - w n. :,
swim. is the young many. ti, II
toned his lortiship. !.
"A civil ensinerr.r
"Your father paid for his etluc. tion.
I suppose?'' ,lI, "A : - $500
Eyes. his mother took care Of Kate,
ana nn-sed her when her mother
died. aud she was always fond OF
Mrs. Fairfield and Of Frank, too" n, E;
where does this Mrs, Eairfeld
liver he next asked, 8
Il don't know; she went away from
here. Perhaps she ID gone to South
America to her son. / nm sorry now
I suggested that Frank had taken
kate away. because I see It ID Imp0S-
sil,lc.n' - -: 4. ! 80
why impossiblel He may have re-
turned to. England
"Oh, no; not at all likely. Poor
Kate! I wonder IL she win ever be
FOUND" ~ v
She buried her face In her handker.
chief as she said this, the better to
hide the terror TINT had suddenly
come over her.
For the thought that had flashed
upon her mind was that Frank Fair
field might be the only living creature
beside herself who III CIV OF the hidden
vault in tho turret-chn mber, and IL lie
were to hen. OF Hates mysterious dis
appearance, It was more than prob
able he would search the place In
question and discover the ghnstly
secret which 1t could unfold.
Why did she not think of this be-
fore? Why had she kept on trying to
associate Franks name with that OF
her missing sister? 4
She made matters worse now by
her feverishly anxious endeavors to
convince her companion that the
young man could not have, had my
thing to do With Kate's disappearance
but her arguments on this point only
confirmed Lord Roland In his. detee,
mtnntion to find the young engineer.
When, however, lie appealed to Lord
lilburne for further particulars re-
speeding Fairfield he received no en-
cOulngement to seek the young man..
HE never harmed Kate" said the
old peer, sadly, as be SIX Ok HIS head.
"He would have given lis life to
spare her moments pain. He IL n
noble young fellow, though he is but
the son of worFinEmEn, md when
he. gave me his word that he would
never speak Of love again to Kate
believed him, as I would believe you,
Roland. He has kept his word. de-
pend upon It. would as soon doubt
myself ns doubt him."
And yet Kate must hive met with
foul play" said Lord Roland gioomily.
"Any mere accident would have been
discovered before now"
But Lord Itilburne shook his head rs
he replied: 1T
II don't know-it's . mystery-an
awful mystery. My poor child-my
poor child!' !,
A few days after Christmas thaw
set In, and the river was dragged, md
the castle and grounds were searched
once more. hut again In vain, and then
Lord Roland Eyre batle atlieu to the
sOrrowfuf old man and Ills fearful
daughter. is
You will come again, Lord Roland,
and tell us IL you have discovered any
thtnRT Grace pleaded plaintively a.
he WINS going away. I.
But lie replied coldly: IL
II shall never enter Silverton Castle
again, unless bring Kate with me, or
come to meet her"
And turning to Lord Lilburne, he
added:
q shall take you Mt your word"
Heaven grant you may be able to
do So" was the answer.
Grace questioned her father as to
II AiAS AfVAN AAOMNu
But she received no satisfactory re-
ply.
Days and weeks rolled on. The mys-
terry was a mystery still, and Grace
began to talk of putting on mourning
for the sister who must be dead.
When she spoke Of 1t to her father,
of the kind to be done.
Il ssNVhv, oI,ns,ld vvo,, v.k~ A.
be deadT" he demanded, angrily. 81
don't believe she Ia dead. I believe
that she is alive, and that I shall see
her and clasp her In my arms before I
die.n -
Grace trembled with fear. y.
Kate alive!
Kate in her dungeon, bruised, bleed.
ing and starved.
No, It could not Ike. H..
Death must have ended her suffer-
ings ere now, and the dead girl could
not come back to tell the piteous tale
Of treacllery and cruelty Of which she
had been the victim.
Grace had never since TINT dreadful
night dared to 60 near the disused
turrcnt, but to avoid this was EASY
enough. because, as has been previous
~ said, this wing Of the building, In
Guiding the great hall, was only used
on special occasions.
twas several days after her father
had thus spoken before Grace re-
gained her usual self-complacency.
But this came back again, as with
such q selfish creatureit was sure to
do, and then she began to calculate
the difference in her own position in
the eyes Of the world which Hates
death would make to her.
Other people looked forward to the
possibility of Hates return to her
fathers house, and many were tie
speculations as to what would happen
IL she did come back.
But Grace quietly smiled at all such
authorizations. I.
She knew that they would never be
realised. She knew, past all Doubt
ing, that Kate was dead, and that
therefore, there was no '.if'' In the
matter, and she secretly but exulting-
~ declared herself to be her fathers
sole heirese.
Hitherto Kate had been first, while
she In all things lad been second.
Her fathers property would Mt his
death have been divided equally be-
tween his two daughters, but the tisie,
as there were two Of thelA, would mt
unliy fallen In abeyancG