The morning news., 1897-03-14


hands on, including all that my lady-love
| possessed, gave up everything and start
ed for Paris, where for some years led
life of riot and dissipation. | took to
| gambling, and in ten years lost all that
| might have enabled me to live In luxury
during a long life. Since then have be-
come wandering vagabond, most of the
| succeeding years having been spent in
prison, or in a mad-house, and only few
days ago l escaped froms an asylum in
the South of England, and got some mon
| ey (no matter how'd, and have been drink
ing heavily ever since.
| Il got into this train in order to go to
| Liverpool with no settled purpose except
to escape from my pursuers; but shall
never reach there now, as my wicked race
| is nearly over, and at most few weeks
in gaol OF mad-house, will soon kill me.
| 1 thank you again, sir, for having pre-
vented me from having killed or injured
the young lady, but she reminded me so
strikingly of her l loved in Spain, that
sudden uncomfortable impulse prompted
me to do the deed which you so timely
averted.
"Would you mind letting me have an
other drink, as my tongue is parched from
so much talking?"
Was it mere curiosity that prompted
Ralph to inquire the name of the young
lady he had robbed in Spain? Who knows?
But in reply to the question the man an
swered.
"You may as well know all. Her name
was Inez Fontanilla, and If she had only
listened to my suit 1 should not have so
| cruelty revenged myself upon her, nor
should have been the miserable, hopeless
wretch whom you now see before you.
| That young lady whom you saved from
my mad impulse is her living image, al
| though l have never seen nor heard of her
| since"
During this painful recital the young lady
| n ~ hy and
exhaustion, had peacefully fallen asleep
and was still slumbering quietly when the
narration ceased
The train was now fast approaching Rug
by, and Ralph unfastened the wrists and
ankles of his unfortunate fellow -passen-
ger, who Immediately fell on his knees and
besought him mot to be too hard upon
him, as his punishment was more than he
could bear"
The vehemence of his utterances at
length woke the young lady, and he begged
her to, to forgive him for his temporary
madness. When the train stopped. Ralph
called the guard, and whispered something
to him, when he went away, but soon re-
turned with two porters and a policeman,
who took the nerveless drink -dazed cul-
prit into custody, and Ralph followed
them to a waiting-room where, he legally
charged him. and handed his own card to
the police officer, who said the mans de-
scription had already been sent to the po-
. lice office as that of an escaped lunatic.
Ralph managed to secure the reservation
of the carriage in which he had travelled,
and having procured some refres hment for
his fair fellow-traveler, in whom he was
deeply interested, the train sped away to-
, wards the end of its journey.
, CHAPTER II
Ralph's travelling companion thanked
? him in a few well chosen words for his
? great kindness to her yet so quietly and
withal so timidly did she express herself
that Ralph blushed like school boy and
felt so irresistibly drawn towards her that
! he, there and then, felt prompted to ask
her to allow him to be her protector
, through life. Reason, however, withheld
! him from being so impulsive. and they
: soon settled down to the enjoyment of
general conversation, and gradually be-
came more or less confidential as they
were hurried on.
Ralph found that his interesting, but so
far anonymous ''compagnon de voyage, -
had also booked through to Carnforth sta
= ton, but his surprise may be imagined
when she told him the object of her visit
was to deliver a message from her dead
mother to a cruel uncle. by degrees she
{ unfolded her past history, dwelling ten
| derly upon the untimely death of her
father, her dear mothers subsequent
/ struggle to live, and then with tears in
her bonnie brown eyes she told him of the
{ cruel fate which had recently left her an
orphan, and so far as she knew, without
: a friend in the world. She narrated the
circumstances of her poor mothers eff
! forts to communicate with her only male
relative-and that by marriage-her un-
Gle, who had never even acknowledged the
receipt of the many letters addressed to
him, and finally said that her present
journey was in pursuance of her mother s
, last request viz, "to deliver into his
) hands, if possible, the letter 1 bear"
: Ralph was deeply touched by her pa
, thetic narrative and ventured to inquire
| the name of the relative to whom she was
, Fastening, stating that he formerly lived
, near Carnforth and used to know every
body in the neighborhood. When the name
of Vernon trembled from her lips he be-
came so eager and excited that he scarce
, ly knew what he was saying or doing, and
? so quickly piled her with questions that
, he almost frightened her. A great light
! was breaking in upon him and a feeling
of rapture such as he had never known
filled his hearth with unspeakable Joy.
"Your fathers name was Meridth Ver-
non and some twenty years ago he mar
ried your mother in Spain, where she was
an opera singerY
''Yes. yesY' she relied eagerly. but how
do you know all this?'
Before I reply" said Ralph, may 1
ask you what your Christian name is?"
"I have two" said the wondering girl,
zone after my dear mother, and the other
after>my dear father; my full name is
"Inez Meredith Vernon"
"And 1, dear, am your cousin Ralph,
whom you have never seen!'
"Can 1t be posisble?" said Inez. II am
so glad to meet you"
Are you. dear Inez? And I, too, am de-
lighted to make your acquaintance to-day,
, however strangely. You said just now,
that so fare as you knew, you had not a
friend in the world but you can say so
. no longer as at least shall be your de-
voted friend so long as i've"
Tears of JOY stood I'm Inez's beautiful
, eyes. and as Ralph took hold of her small
, hand one Of these triclSled down her joy
flushed cheek and fell upon his hand.
DRY your eyes, dear child" said Ralph,
''for so long as I can prevent It you shall
never shed another tear"
"Oh, / am so happyf' rep.ie6 Inez, "and
my tears were those Of real happiness
the first / believe l ever shed, for during
the past few years have had little cause
for JOY"
"The future is before us both. dear Inez
: God alone knows what Fate may have In