Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1895-06-27
w. JOHNSON.
eoPYRIeAT 1902 By RAND. MsMALlY 3 co.

the fountain alone was audible within
the enclosure.
"Grandpapa? Open the gate for me.
You will be sorry if you ~refnse."
Still there was 10 reply vouchsafed
by the obstinate old man. The ap-
peal of Dolores, more piercing and as
sured this time, only served to arouse
the echoes. Jacob Dealtry gave no
sign of life. Did he hear the appeal?
Had he shut himself up in the tower?
Fear again smote on the heart OF
Dolores, a chilling, indie Unable dread
of the coming night and darkness
She must seek the convent as a shelter,
or become a beggar, a fugitive. What
other refuge could Malta offer her?
Terrible alternatives of poverty and
friendlessness.
She wandered away from the gate,
and crept into the ruined temple,
where Lieut.. Curzon had first found
her grandfather lying insensible on
"a pavement. Her instinct was to
bloc herself from the light of day and
che scrutiny of her fellow creatures.
Sine wa only conscious of a cowardly
impulse to put off the fatal hour of re-
turf 10 the convent until evening. and
when no other course should be
possible to her.
She crouched in the most obscure
corner of the ruin, holding Florio in
her arms. The little dog whined from
time to time and licked her cheek.
Florio evidently realized the full peril
of the miserable situation.
Her r1anoa cfra -aH ara,rpJ tba v,,5a
interior of the temple with WEAKNESS
and Indifference She knew the place
well. She had often visited it with
her grandfather and DIR. Busatti The
altar rose before her and fragments of
sculptared blocks lay scattered about
on the ground.
If the past appealed to Aer at NIL, it
was when a sunbeam slanted in a
golden shaft athwart the entrance, re-
calling to her the night when she had
personated the Phenician maiden in
the tableaux.
She buried her face in her hands and
wept. Hunger and thirst ~assailed her,
and then her faculties became grad
ually dull, coldly benumbed. Perhaps
she slept.
A light and %jaunty footstep aroused
her, a masculine voice hummed a
strain of the song, MY Pretty Brown
Maid"
Captain Blake looked into the tenn
Pile.
Dolores held her breath, and
shrank back further into the shadow.
Florio was mute in sympathy.
The girl felt overwhelmed with
shame. She did not wish to be seen
in her disgrace, just then. What as
sistance could this stranger give her?
She hated him, with sudden caprice of
unreasonable animosity. If he dis.
covered her retreat, he would laugh
and jest at'the whole dilemma. Dol
ores could not endure laughter and
jesting in her present plight.
What a .beastly hole remarked
Capt Blake, aloud, as he lighted a
fresh cigar.
Then he strolled on.
The minutes passed slowly and
m~onotonously. Dolores wished she
had detained, claimed the human sym.
pathy of the gallant soldier once he
had departed. He had been kind on a
former occasion. Why should she
shrink from him now? Hope, expec-
tation- thrilling anxiety of waiting,
were all awaked in her breast by the
incident of Capt. Blake's taking
a country walk If he thus
rambled forth from the town.,
why not another? All, she watched.
not for him, but for another!
Surely Arthur Curzon would come be-
fore nightfull. II he loved her, he
must be aware, by some unerring in
tuition, of her need of him. Of course.
he loved her, Had he not repeatedly
sworn that he loved her? She doubted
this much needed tenderness no more
than she feared the sunshine would
be Withdrawn by some cruel within of
naturc from her island home
At length her quick ear heard an
other footstep approaching She rose
to her feet with a bound. and Florio
rushed out of the ruin with a joyful
bark of welcome. Oh. swift divina-
ton of feminine eoquetry. Arthur
Curzon had sought the Watch Tower,
with n new fan in his pocket to atone
for his misdemeanor of the previous
night
Good morning. Dolores" blithely.
Good morning" f~alteringly.
Were you watching for me here,
little girlf Bless you, Why, this
rum old temple would serve us a good
trysting place
YES" said Dolores, with a sigh.
She grew pale, and her eyes sought
the ground.
"What is amiss, Dolores?" quickly
/ She flew to the Young mans side
and clasped both of her hands on hi,
) arm
/. II should have soon died ii YOU has
not come she moaned. ''Graudpap,
( has driven me away. He is in one .
r his fits of bad temper. He has then
occasionally. did nothing to often
e him, except to hide the broken fan "
! Arthur C0rzon.s features larkened