Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-01-28

practitioner. arrived at breakfast time;
very preud to attend such an impor-
tant lady who mostly got doctored in
London. He said Rosalys certainly
was not quite in her usual state of
health; prescribed tonic. and declared
that she would be all right in an hour
or two. He then informed her that he
had been suddenly called upon that
morning in the case of which they had
possibly heard-the drowning of Mr..
Durrant
And you could do nothing?' asked
Rosalys.
80 10. He'd been under water too
long for any human aid. Dead and
stiff. TWAS not so very far
down from here. Yes. re-
member him quite as boy. But he
has had no relations hereabout for
years past-old Durrant's property was
sold, if you recollect; and nobody ex-
pectcd to see the son again. think
he has lived in the East Indies good
deal. Much better for him if he had
not come-poor fellow"
When the doctor had left. Rosalys
went to the window, and remained for
tome time thinking. There was the
lake from which the water had flowed
down the river that had drowned Jim
after visiting her last night-as 4 mere
interlude in his continuous life of ca
resses with the Frenchwoman Mclanie.
She turned, took from her dressing
gown pocket the renunciatory letter to
her intended husband, Lord ParkAurst,
thrust it through the bars of the CRATE,
and watched it till it was entirely con-
sumed.
The wedding had been fixed for an
early hour in the afternoon, and as the
morning wore on Rosalys felt increas-
ing strength, mental and physical.
The doctors dose had been a powerful
one; the image of "Melanie," too, had
much to do with her recuperative
mood; more still Rosalys' innate quail
ties; the nerve of the woman who nine
wears earlier had gone to the city to be
married as if it were mere shopping
expedition; most OF all she loved Lord
Parkhurst; he was the man among all
men she desired. Rosalys allowed
things to take their course.
Soon the dressing began; and she sat
through it quite calmly. When Lord
Parkhurst rode across for short visit
that day he only noticed that she
seemed strung-up, nervous, and that
the flush of love which mantled her
cheek died away to pale rather quickly.
On the way to church the road
sllirted the low-lying ground where the
river was, and about dozen men were
seen in the bright-green meadow,
standing beside the deep central
stream, and looking intently at 4
broken rail.
"Who are those men?" said the bride.
"Oh-they are the coroner's jury,
think" said Miss Jennings, come to
view the place where the unfortunate
Mr. Durrant lost his life last night. 1t
was curious that, by the merest acci-
dent. he should have been at Mrs.
Lacy's dinncr-since they hardly knew
him at all"
1T was-I saw him there" said
Rosalys.
Ten minutes later she was knecling
a.yainst the altar railings, with Lord
parllhurst on her right hand.
The wedding was by no means gay
one, and there were few people in
vitcd. Rosalys, for one thing. having
hardly any relations. The newly
united pair got away from the house
very soon after the cercmony. When
- of
people round the door, and some
AMONG The bystandcrs asked how far
they were going that Gay.
'.To Dover. They cross the channel
torn GROW, | believe"
Tomorrow came, and those who had
gathered together at the wedding went
about their usual duties and amusc-
mcnts, Col Lacy among the rest.
As he and his wife were returning
home by the late afternoon tram after
a short journey up the line, he bought
q copy OF an evening paper and glanced
at the latest telegrams.
MY good God!' he cried.
''What?" said she, starting towards
him.
He tried to read--then handed her
the paper: and she read for herself:
"DovER-DEATH OF LORD PARKHURsT,
Il. n.
I'VE regret to announce that this
distinguished nobleman and heroic ma
val officer. who arrived with Lady
Parkhurst last evening at the Lord
Chamberlain hotel in this town, pre-
paratory to starting on their wedding
tour. entered his dressing room very
early this morning and shot himself
through the head with revolver. The
report was heard shortly after dawn,
none of the inmates of the hotel being
astir at the time. No reason can be
assigned for the rash act"
THE END.