The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-19

ileul was reached. and IL startled me
more tnan the knowledge which I then
CHATTER II.
! I'm proud Of my only daughter. I sup
pose 1 have no right 10 say 50 in this pub
lic manner But she was comfort to
me when this great trouble came and
Wrung my old heart. She was pret ty--nay-
more than that She was lovely. and
was afraid the time was not very far OF
Wnen some one would come and try to rob
me 81 my one comfort In this surmise ]
vas EiSnt ana IN the coming Of this
wocer / was brought face TO face with
the great sorrow which had blotted out
ny happiness. she, like a coy maiden.
trled 10 hide her love from me until / sup
pose. she could give me unquestionable
eEllence that her sacred love was re-
But I fOrestailcd her explanation Pass
ing through dark wooS which skirts my
mouse, one moonlight evening l heard a
rustlng or trees close beside me. This
rustiing was not caused by the wind
was satisfied OF that, for there was not
q breath OF air. Somehow the thought
came home to me that / had disturbed
some sweet condolences. and / was about
10 pass on. But / hears a sweet voice
which startled me. Ii was the voice Of my
own daughter.
OH Evelyn. I love you" pleaded
strong. earnest voice Please do not talk
any foolish rubbish about the difference
IN our position. You the daughter Of a
man i have learned to honor-a man
AND you are the -" said a laughing
voice. but could not catch the last word
We'll, yes. | suppose / am, but you must
put that down TO my fathers account,
not mine"
1 was dreadfuHy curious to know who
was this candidate for the honor of re-
lationship with me.
just at that moment the grand old moon
steered out of a bank of thick clouds and
L saw everything.
Just beneath a tree, not more than five
yards from me. l saw my daughter
pair of arms were around her neck, and
her lovely face was turned towards the
his head and kissed her
Ut was Charles Chesters. the son OF the
man l mad poisoned not two years ago.
Like a flash OF lightning the story of
agony came back to me: I saw the old
man lying upon his bed stiff and rigid /
seemed 10 see him lying in the grave in
Which l mad chained him long before his
time. IT was too much for me. / groan-
ness.
Through the long hours OF that dreadful
night had terrible struggle with my
SELF Charles Chesters was a young man
1 esteemed above all others. If / had
possessed the power to make my son-in-
law l could not have made one more to
my taste. He was like his father,-a man
any other man could always respect and
almost any woman love. That was the
trouble. If there had been a flaw in his
character I could have put my foot upon
the proposal, and perhaps l could have
crushed out the passion before any hearts
were broken.
The result Of the struggle was this:
could not give my dear daughter to the
son of the man l had murdered, muir
dered accidentally, but still murdered. I
was superstniOuS enough to feel that the
shadow Of the dead man would rise up
ana blot out their happiness. It was a
dreadful feeling. a horrible feeling, and /
could not get away from it,
was not surprised to see Mr.. Chesters
walk INTO my surgery on the following
day. II appeared to me to be about the
most matter-of-fact thing in the world. I
knew exactly what he would say to me,
and thought knew perfectly well what
l would say to him. 1 had arranged the
whole thing in my mind.
You never come to see us now" he be-
pam quietly You were a constant Wis
itor at our house before father died"
! trembled at the mention of his father
/ said not a word.
81 hoped that l should have the honor
Of retaining your friendship as my father
did, he continued, but l could not open
my lips. was trying to steel my heart
against this young man, but l could not
do il.
Doctor have a very serious question
not ask 1t now"
What is it?'' I asked sharply. rudely.
He looked at me so strangely
Il want your permission to pay my ad-
dresses to your daughter"
II cannot discuss, that subject with
phasts on the personal pronoun.
Mr.. Chesters turned pale.
May ask why?" he asked, in earnest
mo, It is a matter I cannot explain.
! rang my table bell. and the maid ap-
peared. Mr.; Chesters rose, and frankly
offered his hand l took 1t and trembled.
was on the point of breaking down com
pletely.
Your daughter has confessed to me
rightly or wrongly. that her life's happi.
ness IS bound up in mine. Are you sure
your are doing right in taking step
which Will mar that happiness?"
There was tremendous force in the
question. l reeled under its weight NV
lips were sealed.
AT least, may l have the sorrowful sat
isfaction of seeing her before I go?''
~ on may-on the one condition that YOU
do not. ask her to do anything you know
TO be in opposition to my wishes"
Il think you know sufficient of me to
trust me that far without asking me to
give you a definite pledge"
When he had left the room threw nv
self on the sofa, and, old man though
was, / burst into tearS-Wild, passionate
unavailing tears As 1 lay upon the sofa
in stupehed state | felt a gentle touch
upon my shoulder. / thought it was my
daughter. / could not bear to look into
her lovely eyes. and buried my head in
Then something which cannot explain
took place 1 heard a gentle voice. Oh
some of my readers viii laugh, and think
/ am an old fool, but they would not
laugh if they had heard that voice which
spoke to my soul rather than to my ears.
You did not poison me, dear old Jim
never took your physic. That mans
ghost killed me-"
/ looked up. / was alone in the room.
and the gathering darkness was flood
ing the surgery. How long I had been
in that state of semi-trance 1 do not
know. At first l was very much inclined
to scott, and think l was going stark mad
but an indefinable something prevented
me from going to this extremity.
/ rang the bell, and the maid appeared
alas Mr.. Chesters left the house?'
mo, sir"
s"Please ask him if he will step this way
for a moment"
Yes, sir"
A moment later Mr.. Chesters Swallowed
the doorway. Brave fellow though he
was he could not hide the tear stains
which marked his cheeks. Oh, don't laugh
at those tear stains. They showed the
nobility of the man.
WAS / rude to you2" I asked.
mo; you were apparently under strong
conviction upon the question l asked you,
and l was, and am, prepared to respect
those convictions.
by the way, what has become of that
old coachman of your fathers?"
Jackson"
yes"
when father died he said that he had