The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-10

cry other servant IN the place Is in Mt.
Whites confidence. Laura has not the
least chance Of out whiting the dragons
who surround her al Ivy Holme."
/ Il presume you have a plan in your
head. i said. what is ite'
StapietOn's face frightened.
Yes" he said, after a pause. Il have
practically arranged the whole matter.
Did sou ever hear Laura speak Of her
Uncle George-Ge0rge White, who lives
al ACTON
NO" 1 said, Il can't say that ! ever
have"
"Oh. we'll when she is your wife you
viii hear enough OF him. Next 10 you
she loves him better than any other soul
In the universe. George White is even
richer than Charles White. Laura's
father. IL there is one person IN the world
7 whom Charles respects IL IS his brother
George. Georges will IS law even TO
Charles George is somewhat Of a miser
he r. eccentric. and although he IS
rolling in gold. he lives in a small house
in small way. Ny plan Is this. / VIII
. get George White 20 invite Laura 10
come and stay with him Charles never
7 allows her 10 refuse those invitations,
7 and you shall elOpe with her while she
Is at The Hollies."
Stapleton spoke with enthusiasm. I
asked him a few more questions, and
finally his plan was agreed upon. He
was 10 get old George White to ask Laura
I 10 visit him, and while there she was
+ TO elOpe with me. George Of course
would not be in the secret. We were 10
elope one day the following week, and
in the meantime l was to trust myself
absolutely to Stapleton, and must give
my solemn promise that l would write
Z no letters to Laura, except those which
/ trusted to him TO convey 10 her.
/ I agreed blindly 10 everything. Staple
ton Is will was stronger than mine. He
J left me al last in state Of deirious bliss,
] IN ms n n
report of matters IN a day or two at the
/ farthest.
/ He did so and told me that all had been
satisfactorily arranged. Laura agreed to
everything She was TO 20 TO her Uncle
/ George on the following Monday and on
I Wednesday, the earliest day on which the
/ license could be procured. she would run
away with me.
Even this part Of the scheme was all
carefully planned by Stapleton.
1T Is most important he said. chat
/ George White should know nothing Of our
/ plan, he is an eccentric old boy. and 1t is
( just possible that for the sake Of opposing
/ Charles Che object of his life is to op-
/ pose Charles different manoeuvers) he
might help us heart and soul, but Laura
and have decided that It
/ is not safe 20 trust to this.
/ No. George must not share our secret.
/ Laura says that she will see that the din
/ ing room window is unboted on Wednes-
/ day night. / will meet you outside the
4 Hollies at midnight and show you the
! window. You will open it and help Laura
\ to step down on the grass-she viii be
I waiting for you In the dining room.
/ Laura will accompany US both to Lon
/ don, where l shall have secured respect
I able lodgings for her. and you can be mar
/ ried the first thing in the morning."
/ This cleverly devised plan quite fell
/ In with my wishes. 1 spent all the inter
g Ia ~.
\ honeymoon, which was so near. I resolved
/ to take my darling on the continent, and
/ had delirious dreams of the happy hours
/ which awaited us. ] absolutely threw
money away that week. l bought num-
! berless rings for Laura, and every knick-
/ knack which l thought she could posi-
/ bly, require. At last the fatal Wednesday
came. Its hours moved slowly
as though they were weighted
| with lead. had already gone
down to Acton to inspect The Holes
/ on the quiet / had stood outside the gate
and carefully examined the position of
/ the dining room window policeman
passing by stopped to stare at me in
some wonder. l asked him the name OF
/ the place. He said 1t was called The
/ HOLES, and that a gentleman Of the
name Of White lived there.
Now at last the hour came when the
dream of my life was to be fulfilled Ny
| Paris. 1t was waiting for me in the
cloak-room at Victoria station. I took
a return ticket to Acton and at midnight
found myself standing outside the gate
| of The Hollies. 1t was a heavy iron
gate, but Stapleton had ar
ranged beforehand that 1t was to be
| slightly ajar. ] expected to see Stapleton
| standing within the shadow of the gate.
but he was not there. l pushed il softly
open; the hinges had been we'll oiled and
it made no sound. / stole across the
grass to the dining-room window.
scarcely missed Stapleton My whole soul
| was on fire for the moment when l should
clasp Laura TO my heart. l mounted on
| the ledge of the window, and slowly and
cautiously began TO open 1t. All the ar
rangements which Stapleton had promised
beforehand had been carefully made.
raised the sash sufficiently high to admit
my own person, and bending forward I
peered into the darkness of the room.
My heart was beating almost to suffoca-
ton. Now was the time when a
soft football should be heard, and a timid
hand should be placed in mine. All was ST.
lence. Was my darling afraid? Had her
courage deserted her at the last moment ?
l put one foot carefully over the window
ledge, bent forward a little further into
the room, and called her name In a
whisper.
Laura" I said, Laura"
There came a hasty sound. I heard an
angry voice eXclaim, passionately.
You scoundrel, have caught you this
time. light flashed in my eyes, fol-
lowed Immediately by q hot, singing
pain in the region of the heart. Then all
became blank to me.
! don't exactly known how soon after
wards l awoke to consciousness. l found
that a bullet had been lodged in my left
side, and / also knew that my life was in
danger. OF the next few weeks 1 can tell
you very little. l was deirious a great
part of the time, and so near death that ]
only wonder 1 ever returned from the land
of the shades. l was told afterwards
that the irascible old gentleman who had
wounded me so seriously was overcome
with remorse when he found that l was
not the real burglar he had expected to
see, and he had me nursed for the first
week in his own house 1 was afterwards
removed to neighboring hospital and
there slowly, very slowly, returned to
partial health. ! may truly say that my
restoration was but partial. The CHASTITY
trick that had been played upon me
burnt into my soul and kept up the
fever of my wounds. Mr. George