The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-04

SLOWLY, great tears rose in her eyes and
rolled heavily down her cheeks. She
MADE no demonstration to return my
embrace, but dropped her face in her
hands.
Eyes, love you-oh, I love your she
SAID, but there are other things than
love, and 1 cannot forget Them
Then L gave 1t up in earnest She
ana l. were both the victims of her
rigid training, and only wider expert
ence could come to the rescue of our
mutual love- L relinquished all fur
ther attempts to placate her and con-
tented myself with the business of prob
ing this dastardly piece of treachery to
it's depths.
OF course it was an easy matter for
me to conjecture. after Lisa mentioned
Mia Conquest, how she had obtained
the letter which induced the mother
superior to confide my daughter to her
care. My own carelessness had fur
nlshed my enemy with the implement
OF her cruel revenge. She had stolen
1t, as 1t lay open on my desk, after
had left her in sole possession of my
draWing-room.
pretty bit of vengeance she and
my precious father had Matched be-.
tween them. No wonder the germs of
such low and heartless villainy should
faint the atmosphere, and develop
foreboding in a sensitive breast Truly
had poor IsidOre spoken when he as
serted that my Wretched father had the
evil eye' for me. Through whose in
strumentality but his to whom l owed
my existence was 1 indebted for this
stroke that had afflicted me? He had
secured what golden eggs he could, and
then had satisfied a mean VindictiVe-
ness by aiming a cunning stroke at the
very heart of the foolish goose that
had supplied him.
A knock at the door, and I rose to
open it, Allan stood without, his face
full of anxiety. My heart warmed at
sight of the lad; his devotion cheered
me, and I smiled, not mirthfully, but
gratefully, as l met his worried glance.
''How is she?'' he asked and my
spirits sank again. 1t was for Lisa he
had been solicitous; of her he had come
to inquire. Truly, my value must be
pretty generally depreciating when even
he, the lad who never before had failed
me, placed a stranger before me.
Come in," [ said YEARLY, forcing
smile. "She shall answer for herself"
He entered and laid my hand upon
his arm and led him forward to where
Lisa still sat upon the sofa.
Lisa" / said, Il wish to introduce
to you a dear friend of mine. However
much L may have disappointed you, my
dear, here is one in whom you will
never find cause for criticism. Of all
these whom L might present to you,
would recommend chiefly Allan Quin-
tard.''
The boy raised my hand to his lips,
even before he had saluted Lisa and for
an instant, [ fancy, he was filed with
shame at his own detection. But 1
smiled brightly and reassuringly back
at him, and l think the words with
which he repaid my release did me
yeoman's service with Lisa.
IF I were to have chosen the lips
from. which [ was to receive such a
guarantee" he returned, looking me
affectionately in the eyes with his
bright young glance, II could not select
any purer, or loVelier, or more gener-
Gus ones than those which have done
me such unmerited honor, madame"
And then he turned to Lisa Oh, the
WondrOuS power of Prince Charming!
Who would have dreamt that where l,
beloved of years, had failed, lad Of
an hours acquaintance could succeed?
And yet, Allan uttered but few words
before the Child's color returned to her
pale cheeks, and her eyes frightened.
That expression ofshock and pain disap-
peared from her features, and, though
she said but little, she smiled at inter
walls, and even warmed somewhat in
her manner towards me. When I saw
how we'll they got on together, I eX-
cused myself a moment, and left the
room. I knew 1 should find Jean hover
ing about the corridor, and, sure
enough, there she steed in a corner,
awaiting my need of her I called her
name, and she came fastening towards
me.
Jean" I said, do you know who has
done me this evil?''
She nodded with set lips.
Yes" she replied; It saw them"
"Nita Conquest and-PicOt?'
I,o1 hi fot
never would.
Yes they brought her here and left
her. Mr.. Quintard came Immediately
after them, and 1 think he has got some
inkling of their deviltry, for he told rue
who the young lady was, and babe me
be very tender with her, as she had a
great shock"
"Ahn' I said-"and AIlan?"
ALLAN was waiting for you here in
the corridor. He gave me no oppOrtu-
nifty to do anything for Miss Mavis.
He took all the care of her at once"
She was on the point of smiling sig
nificantly when, apparently, a recollec-
ton of the scene she had witnessed IN
my dressingroOm revived in her a
memory of what I had suffered She
clencbed her small fists, and a CLEAN OF
savage hatred and resentment darken-
ed her grey eyes. [ had never deemed
she could look so dangerous.
oh she cried, what consummate
fends they must be! 1 wish that L
might come across them, either or
both"
Scarcely had she uttered this when
small slight figure advanced towards
us through the shadows which lurked
about the half-lighted place; and
voice but too familiar to my ears ac-
costed me.
II have come to congratulate madam
upon her reunion with her charming
daughter, and to receive a reward for
my service in effecting the same. I
wish also to assure madame of my
perfect discreetness. I have refrained
from mentioning to the young lady
the fact that her mother has a dis
tinguished lover-as yet"
I had no time to restrain Jean. Like
cat, with the very bound of the
feline animal, she had sprung upon
the man. 1 cried out, and the sharp
sound reaching the ears of Allan in
the dressing room. In an incredibly
brief time he had responded to it,
and was between the two small fig
ures, engaged in their desperate
struggle. They were pinned against
| the WALL and he had not time to dis
cover what the trouble was. All he
could tell was that a man and a wo-
and in such encounters it is the part
of an outsider to espouse the side of
the weaker adversary.
In the very act of thrusting his
brave young body between the two,
| horrid accident befell him. Picot
| had snatched from some place of
concealmerit about his person a small
revolver. 1t behoves the treacherous
and criminal to go armed. 1t was at