Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1896-04-02

HA1 AASA A4OeSA hAhS
with yet more evident GOODNESS. ''Circum-
stances alter cases." she said severely.
''That wa before / really knew YOU"
THAT was before you knew Granville
KelnscOtt. you mean" hewitt responded,
with m unpleasantly,. knowing air. ..Oh,
about that. It's my business to hear and
find out everything. Blu circumstances
alter cases, ~ you justly say. 0wendohne;
and I've discovered some circumstance
about Granville Kelmscott that may
alter the case ~ regards your opinion OF
that rich young man, whose estate weighed
down . poor fellow like me in
what you're graciously pleased to call your
Gwendoline rose, and looked down atthe
man contemptuously. "Mr. hewitt" she
said. IN q chilling voice, '.yos We no right
to call me Gwendoline any longer now.
You've no right to speak to me Of Mr..
Granville kelmscott. ! refused your adj
vances, not for anyone else's sake, or any
one else's estate. but simply n solely be.
cause | came to krrw you better than l
knew You at first; o. ! the more ! Knew of
you the less ! liket you. I am not engaged
to Mr.. Granville ke.m>cott. l DOM mean
to see him again. l don't mean to marry
him."
hewitt took his cue at once,
like . clever hand that he was.
and followed it up remorsely.. well. Pm
glad to hear that, anyhow" he answered,
assuming q careless air OF utter u%nconcern,
..tor your sake as well as for his, Miss Gill
dersleeve; Tor Granville Kelmscott, as /
happen to know in the course of business,
is q ruined man---a ruined man this mo-
ment. He isn't and never was the heir of
Tilgate; and I'm sure it was very honorable
of him, the minute he found he was a PEN
niless beggar to release you from such an
unequal engagement
He had played his card we'll. He had de-
livered his shot neatly. Gw%endoline,
full presence, couldn't help but stay and
learn more about this terrible hint OF his.
A light broke i'll upon her even as
the fellow SPOKE. Was it this, then. that
had made Granville talk 50 strangely to
her that morning by the dell in the Wood
lands? Was il this which, as he told her,
rendered their marriage impossible? Why,
If that were all---G wendolinc drew q deep
breath, and clasped her hands together in
q sudden access OF mingled hope and des-
pair. "Oh, what do you mean. Mr.. Nevitt?"
she cried eagerly. what can Granville
have done? Don't keep me in suspense.
Do tell me what you mean by it."
Montague hewitt, still seated, looked up
at her, with a smile Of quiet satisfaction.
He played with her for q moment, as q cat
plays with a mouse. She was such a beau
tiful creature. SO tall, and lair and graceful,
and she was SO awiully AFRAID, and he was
60 awfnlly fond OF her, that he loved to
torture her thus, and hold her dangling in
his power. mo, Gwendoline." he said,
slowly, drawing his words out by driblets,
so as to pr0long her suspense. II ~oughtn't
to have mentioned it all. It's a professional
secret. / retract what / said. Forget that
! said it. Excuse me, on the ground OF
my natural reluctance to see a woman |
still love SO deeply and So pureIy-what-
nr,ov che y.ax, Io N,A.,, u, tJ,s,, l. ~ ~, ~, = y, ~,
herself away on a man without a penny.
However, rs Eelnscott seems TO have
done the honorable thing of his own ac-
cord. and given you up the minute he
knew he couldn't keep yen in the way
you've been accustomed to-why there's no
need, OF course, of any warning ron Inc.
Ill say no more on the subject"
His studied air of mystery piqued and
drew on his victim. Gwendolinc knew in
her own heart she ought to 20 ut
once; her own dignity demanded it,
and she should consult her Dig
nifty. But still she couldn't help longing
to know what Nevitt's lia't-hints and in
woman! .Oh. do tell me she cried, clasp
ing her hands in suspense oi,ce more;
what have yoa heard about Mr.. keim-
SCOTT I'm not engaged to him; l don't
want to know for that. ifnt---"
She broke down. hu~iIing crimson, and
Montague hewitt. gazing tixcdly ri her del
icate, leach-Iike check. remarked 10 l,im-
her.
mo; but remember" lie said, in o very
grave voice. in his iavorite impersonatiOn
of the maj of honor. whatever l tell you
eff / give way al all. and tell you anything
---you must hear IN confidence. and
repeat it, you will get me into very serious
trouble. And not only so, hut as nobody
knows it except Aiyser, you'll as good as
proclaim to all the world that you heard il
from me. Ii | tell you what know. will
you promise me this---not to breathe . syl-
liable of what say to anybody.
GwendOline, CHANGING down, and thor
oughly ashamed Of herself. vet answered.
in q very low and trembling voice, IN
promise. MI. hewitt"
Then the facts are these" the ma OF
feeling vent on. with an undercurrent oil
malicious triumph in his musical voice.
.Kelmscott is not his fathers eldest sou
He's not, and never was. the heir Of I'll.
gate. More than that, nobody knows these
facts but myself. And l know the true
heirs, and I can prove their title. Well,
now, Miss Gildprsleeve---if it's to be Miss
Gildersleeve still---this Is the circumstance
that alters the case rs regards Granville
Kelmscott. / have it in my hands 10 ruin
Kelmscott. And what I've taken the
y AVN @E W. & . wi 0tA mi - M ~
you to-day is simply this--for your
own advantage. beware 1t least. how you
throw yourself away upon q penni!ess
man, with neither name aor fortune!
When you've got over that dream. you'll
be glad to return to the man you threw
| overheard for the rich squire's son. No
circumstances have altered him. He
loved you from the first. and he will a.
ways love you"
dwendofine looked him back in the facl
again. a. pale as death. 'Mr. Neyitt,n shl
SAID, scornmliy. nnmoved by his .aie, u
do not love you. Yon have no right to say
such things to me IS this. I'm glad
you've told me; for l know nov
what Mr.. Kelniscott meant. And II
he was Is poor A. . church mouse, I'd mar.
| ~ him tomorrow. l said Just now / didn't
mean to marry him. l retract that word
Circumstances alter cases. and what you've
jugs Told me alters thts one. / Withdraw
what I said. III marry Granville Ksln-
scott tomorrow II he asks me-"
She looked down q him 20 proudly, y
deaantly, 20 haughtily, that Montague
hewitt, sitting There, With his cynical smile
on his thin. red lips, dinchsd and waysrsd
boiore her. He saw IN . moment the game
was mp. He had played the wrong card;
he had mistaken his woman, md tried ialse
tactics. II was toe late now - retreat.
An empty revenge was all thst r.