Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1896-11-12

veil. Thus much only the servants
saw Of her as Charles showed hel
into the library. whittier she was in
stantly followed by Mr.. Elverton.
Charles, in the conscientious dis
charge Of the principal duty of his
Office. applied his ear to the keyhols
but his virtue was not rewarded by
any satisfactory result. He only heard
4 low exclamation of establishment
from his master muttered reply
from the stranger land then the sound
Of their steps retreating toward dis
tant part Of the room, where the words
of their conversation were quite maud
ible.
The ingenuity and perseverance of
! Mr.. Charles was really worthy of a
better cause and a greater success. He
shut his eyes, plugged the orifice of
his left ear with his little finger. and
concentrated his five senses into the
hearing of his right ear, which he
plastered to the keyhole.
Alas! he could make out not single
! syllable of that mysterious interview;
and the few sounds that he heard only
| tortured his curioSity-theSe sounds
were occasionally deep. half-smoth-
cred groan from his master, and q
sharp, sarcastic laugh from the stran-
ger.
This secret interview lasted for about
an hour. at the end of which Charles
heard the footsteps coming down the
| room toward the door, and deemed it
proper to withdraw from his pest Of
observation. But Mr.. Charles limbs
| We're so stiff and numb from long
! kneeling that it was no easy matter
to rise, while at the same time there
was imminent danger Of his being dis
covered in the act of listening when
his master should open the door.
With last desperate effort he strug-
gled upon his feet; and then. as for
tune CROWNS us when we least expect
her to do so, he had the satisfaction of
| overhearing something. 1t was the
voice of his master, saying in tone
of anguish:
You are fend. fiend. H never
cast forth Il blacker one to blast this
fair earthr'
And the moment after Mr.. Elverton
pulled open the door. and hurried
fOrtE-alone! He crossed the hall, en-.
tered the drawing room and shut the
door after him.
Charles stared after his master, and
then looked to the right and to the
left, before and behind, above and be-
low and everywhere else, to see With
er the stranger had vanished, but in
vain, for the earth seemed to have
swallowed her.
Then he entered the library, and
turned on the full light of the gas
and searched every nook and Granny,
Still in vain. Finally, he came to the
conclusion that the stranger had been
let out through one of the French
windows that opened from the library
upon the lawn.
And having fully settled that
part of the mystery to his salts.
faction, Charles turned of the gas.
shut up the library, and came back to
the hall, just in time to hear a wild
shrek and very heavy fall from the
drawing room, and to see Mr.. Elyerton
rush forth ard run up stairs.
In establishment and terror, Charles
hurried into the drawing room, where
to his farther CONSERVATION, he found
Mrs. Elverton extended upon the floor
in dead swoon. He fastened to sum-
mon the housekeeper and the ladys
AAAS>ANS =" AAS SoAAAS Ill b AOsAI uAdA LII " luC
assistance of their mistress.
Mrs. Elverton was carried to her
! room, where every means was used to
restore her to consciousness. But when
she came to her senses it was only to
fall into the most fearful rawlings, in
which was darkly Swallowed forth a
calamity so direful, a grief so deep, a
shame SO intense, as raised the hair
from the heads of the listeners with
horror.
The housekeeper ordered everyone
from the room, that none should lleal
these awful revelations. She also sent
to summon Mr.. Elverton to tie he'd
side Of his wife. but the master of the
house was nowhere to be found. In
! her desperation, she dispatched Charles
for the medical attendant of the fam
lily; but it was near morning Def, re DIR.
Watkins could reach Edenlawn.
On his arrival he repaired immedi-
ately to the chamber of the suffering
lady, but on hearing the appalling ma
ture of her rawlings, he warned the
housekeeper to permit no one but her
self to approach Mrs. Elverton until