The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-06-06
specting Fairfield he received no en-.


old peer, sadly. as he slCok his head.
He would have given his life to
spare her a moments pain. He is a
noble young fellow though he is but
the son of nottingham, and when
he gave me his word that he would
never speak of love again to Kate l
believed him, as / would believe you,
Roland. He has kept his word. de-
pend upon ii. l would as soon doubt
myself as doubt him.
And yet Kate must have met with
foul play" said Lord Roland gloomily.
ANY mere accident would have been
discovered before now"
But Lord Lilburne shook his head as
he replied:
Il don't know-it's a mystery-an
awful mystery. My poor child-my
poor child"
\ few days after Christmas a thaw
set in. and the river was dragged. and
the castle and grounds were searched
| once more. but again in vain. and then
Lord Roland Eyre babe adieu TO the
sorrOwful old man and his fearful
| daughter.
You will come again. Lord Roland.
| and tell us if you have discovered any
| thing Grace pleaded plaintively as
he was going away.
| But lie replied coldly:
/ II shall never enter Silverton Castle
again, unless bring Kate with ne. or
come 10 meet her"
And turning TO Lord Lilburnc. he
! added:
IL shall take you 1T your word
"Heaven grant YOU may be able to
/ do 50. was the answer
! Then they ci&sped hands and parted.
Grace questioned her father rs 10
what Lord Roland meant.
| But she received no satisfactory re-
! ply.
Days and weeks rolled on. The mys-
| terry was Il mystery still. and Grace
| began to talk of putting Oh mourning
! for the sister who must be dead.
When she spoke of it to her father.
. however, he sternly forbade anything
OF the kind to he done.
why should YOU suppose Kate 10
be dead?' he demanded. angrily. Il
don't believe she is dead. ! believe
! that she is alive. and that ! shall see
! her and clasp her in my arms before
! die"
Grace trembled with fear.
| Kate alive.
Kate in her dungeon, bruised, bleed
ing and starved.
No, il could not he.
Death must have ended her suffer
| ings ere now, and the dead girl could
not come back to tell the piteous tale
of treachery and cruelty of which she
had been the victim.
Grace had never since that dreadful
night dared to go near the disused
| tUrrent, 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.
1t was several days after her father
| had thus spoken before Grace re-
! gained her usual self-cOmplacenc
But this came back again, as with
| such a 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 Rates
| death would make to her.
Other people looked forward 10 the
| possibility of Rates return to her
fathers house, and many were the
! specula tons as to what would happen
| if she did come back.
But Grace quietly smiled at all such
anticipations.
She knew that they would never he
realized. 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.
| ly declared herself TO he her fathers
sole hcireSs
| Hitherto Kate had been first, while
| she in all things lad been second.
Her fathers property would ut his
| death have been divided equally be
| tween his two daughters, but the tie,
| as there were two of them, would nat
urally fallen in allegiance.
Now. however. the whole matter
was changed. and Grace at her faith
er's death would succeed him as Bar
Oness Lilburne of SilvertOn in her
own right, besides inheriting all his
wealth.
She sighed as she remembered she
could not forthwith take possession
of Rates fortune, but one cannot get
all one desires i'm this world, and she
began TO wonder how long it would
he before her fathers life would come
TO an end.
Sometimes when these thoughts
were coursing through her mind. and
she wished that her father were lying
in his last sleep by the side of Kate.
she would shudder with horror 1T her
own wickedness Of heart
But people who have chosen the
path of evil soon find it easy 10 make
excuses for themselves. ard Grace Lii
burne's mind was daily becoming
more accustomed to the thought of
crime.
And throughout all this she looked
so inrocent. so pretty, ard so child
like with her golden curls, her sweet
hlnn eNnS and her InSehul of q mouth