Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-02-21
CHAPTER XIV.

Lady CranStOun mad wired Tor news
to Yelverton, and every day a fresh
bulletin came-no good news and no
bad. Ronny was still alive, but he
might die at any moment It was i'm
possible to say how things would turn
out.
These kilograms were supplanted by
laborious letters, for. like most of his
class, Yelverton was a bad penman and
q worse speller, and a major part of his
endeavors consisted in entreating that
Lady Cranstoun would not let Lesley
worry herself, as it wasn't her fault or
anybody's fault but that Internationally
disgraceful scoundrel Dashwood's.
Lady Appuldurcombe, he mentioned,
was bearing up well. She would rather
have her darling's pieces to tend than
any whole sinner whomsoever, and if
Ronny died she would have the comfort
of knowing that all his last hours had
been hers. There had been some talk
Of Cynthia de Sails coming over, as by
Lady de Sails death Ronny IS mother was
left practically in charge of the girl,
but nothing was settled yet, as Ronny
was exceedingly anxious to be conveyed
home, whether he died on the road or
not.
And in those days Lesley had one of
her worst blisters removed in the per-
son Of Bob, who. obeying blunt word
or two of advice given by Lord Malin-
court, had gone to Homburg for
month.
Leave her alone, my boy" he had
said. There is nothing on earth an
swers with a woman like a little alb
sence sometimes. Try it,
And Bob went, not even getting that
goodby from Lesley which she had
somehow successfully eluded.
''What lot you will have heard
about me before You come back" she
thought bitterly, for all her thoughts
the gayety of youth that had distin-
guished her in town were far indeed
from her now.
And every day Lord Malincourt cursed
the error of judgment that had made him
send his little girl into that Vanity Fair
which, with all its shams and cruelty,
he knew so we'll and through which she
had danced gayly, only to come cut OH
the other side wan, sad eyed woman.
And August was the dullest month
to him in the whole year. as he did not
go to Scotland, and the LIST was yet afar
off. To that all seemed barren to him,
from Dan to Beersheba.
And yet it happened that in those
burning days, toward the latter end Of
the month, a ripple of change came, for
late one afternoon who should Lesley
see, dancing along under the trees, but
Miss Coquette, led by one of Lord Grams
toun's grooms, and riding behind her
Major Yelverton.
1t was as if Miss Coquette, shifting
the air delicately, scented her beloved
mistress, and at sight of her she whin-
MED, and when the girl ran up there
was such meeting between them as
left Yelverton quite out in the cold.
Perhaps he though. she had taken her
punishment lightly as she dashed into
the house, then out again, with sugar
| for the mare, but he knew this was not
SO when presently in the great entrance
hall she lifted her eyes to his and said :
"Ronny:''
81 don't know" said Yelverton sim
ply. Sometimes I think he will recoy-
er. and again He paused. I'm stop
ping with the Cranstouns, you know.
She asked me down, and Kilmurray
asked me to bring Coquette over
He paused again. He had to answer
the question in her blue eyes.
II was on the box seat, and Eobbie
Burns was driving, when We turned
that sharp corner into st. Helier's bar
racks, and Bobbie fell under the coach,
which literally passed over his back"
Yelverton stammered. ''Yet after a
time he recovered. There seemed to be
no difference in him, except that he
had the loveliest color-just like a
woman's-in his face. but years after,
quite suddenly, he died. Ronny may
| recover and die like Burns did; there's
| no knowing. Miss de Sails is there. !"