The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1895-07-11
CHAPTER VIII.
Doubts and Fears.


/ she loved as if she had been her own
( child, and seemed to show SO little
emotion, and 10 be So paSSionleSs ana
so stern. her mind was in truth rack
/ ed by n Thousand nalneleSS fears.
/ 1t was very we'll for her son 10 say
, that be had done Kate no harm. and
that he had saved her life. but If his
story were true. why had he not TAX
en- her to her fathers house, instead
of bringing her here without leave or
license. and compromising her reputa-
ton by carrying her So many miles
through the dead of night:
What would the daughter of Lord
Lilbulne do in the cottage OF her nurse
brought here by that nurses son. who.
to make matters worse had dared 70
lift his pTeSUmptuous eyes 10 the
daughter of his b2uefactOr:
The very fact Of Franks infatuation
being SO we'll known made Kate :
presence here danger 10 herself and
disgrace to her family, and poor
Mrs. Fairfield despite the control she
exercised upon her words and actions
was nearly distracted.
Il am eating the bread of the Lii
burnes." size groaned and l have
ttu II iti ibltN atdlS, anu INV W
think that son Of mine should have
brought this shame and pain upon
them; the ingratitude and infamy is
more than | can bear"
The tears came into those eyes that
rarely shed tears. and she took Hates
limp. cold hand in her own and kissed
1t pdsSiOnately as she mLrnured:
"Whatevcr harm he has done to you,
4 alb, Il
for dearly. and until give you back
To your father will guard you as the
apple of my eye. Though Frank is nay
own son, | will not spare him"
a low moan from the sufferer recall
ed the woman to the necessity of put
ting Kate To bed, and she went about
her difficult task gently and tenderly.
as though the tall. graceful girl now
HOY Criug between life aud death We're
still the pretty baby whom she had fed
from her own breast and handled upon
her knee in the years gone by.
Mrs. Fairfield had often reproa ched
herself with loving her foster-child
Kate Lilburne better even than she
loved her own son; but that she really
did SO there could be no doubt. for
Kate had filled the place in her heart
which had been made void by the
death of her youngest child. a baby
girl, who died when she was but
few weeks old, and the little heiress
had been given to her To love and cher
ish. and had chung to her e. her own
infant might have done.
But the high-born little maiden. with
her beauty and grace and her gentle
| ways, was like a princess to the wom-
an whose previous experience of chill
dren had been among the rough and
ruddy boys and girls of her own class,
and Nurse Fairfield almost worShiped
the child committed 10 her care.
Her own boy had benented by his
residence at the castle. and his occa-
sional COmpanionship with the pretty
little lady. who. as she tCddled about
after him, likewise tyrannized over
him, as it is the habit of small girls to
do when the bigger boy is not a
brother.
Frank was boy for any mother to
be proud of, Mrs. Fairfield was told
on every side. and Lord Lilburne him
self had been heard more than once to
express the wish that Frank was his
own son.
All this was gratifying. no doubt.
her nursing. and. when as the years
went by, and Franks mad infatuation
for Kate made his lordship decide TO
purchase partnership for him and
pension off the mother. the latter re-
scented tAe well meant kindness, and
banned her own offspring for the
wrong which she considered he had
done her.
IA T., n 70
, also for parting with her so readily
! after so many years of faithful serv-
ice and loving devotion. and she had
in consequence declined more than one
invitation to the castle since she came
TO live in this out-of the-way cottage.
But all her resentment vanished at
the sight Of the fair girl who looked
like broken lily. and on whose face
We're stains of blood which had trick
led down from the wound on her head.
Next TO Mrs. Fairfelds love for
Kate, however, was her appreciation
of ali that belonged TO a daughter Of
Lord Lilburne. and no woman, let her
rank be what il would, could be more
jealous Of the honor of her house than
was Nurse Fairfield of the spotleSs
reputation of the family she had
served
Grace was no favorite of hers, but
she would have done much and suf-
f@ed much to have saved even her
from the shadow of shame
But the very thought was mad ,ening
that the honor Of the noble name of
Lilburne might be smirched ana held
up tn dersion and contempt by the act
of her own SOFIA man upon whom the
family had heaped benefits innumera-
/ bic.
CTo be Continued
disappointing.
Wool detest those opera crush