Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-05-22

actually in London, ! said; she Is only IN
the neighborhood.' For what followed OH
this my experience of ladies ought to have
prepared me. | an ashamed TO say this lady
took me completely by surprise"
What did she do?'
Fell on her knees, poor dear, and said:
oh. Mr.. SairaZin, be kinder To me than YOU
have ever been yet; tell he where Mrs. Or
mono is! | put her back in her chair and L
tool her handkerchief out OF her pocket and
1 wiped her eyes"
And then you told her the address,"
IL was near it, but | didn't do il yet. /
asked what you had done in the matter.
Alas, your kind heart had led you to promise
more than you could perform. She had
waited to hear from you ii Mrs. Ormond
consented to see her, and had waited In vain.
Hard on her, wasn't il? | was sorry, but 1
was still Obdurate. ] only felt the symptoms
which warned me that | was going to make
a fool OF myself when she let me into her Sc
cret for the first time and said plainly what
she wanted with Mrs. Ormond. Her tears
and her entreaties | had resisted. The con-
fession OF her motives oyerpowered me. 1t
is right" cried Mr.. Sarrazin, suddenly warm
ing into enthusiasm, that these two women
should meet. Remember how that poor girl
has proved that her repentance is no shame.
i say she has q right to tell, and the lady
whom she has injured has Il right 10 hear,
what she has done to atone for the past,
what confession she is willing to make 10 the
one woman in the world Though she Is a di-
Norced wOman) who Is most interested in
hearing what Miss Westeriield's life has been
with that wretched brother OF yours. All,
yes, | know what the English cant may say.
Away with the English cant! 1t is the worst
obstacle to the progress of the English ma
ton -
Randall listened absently; he was thinking.
There could be little doubt TO what destina-
ton Sydney Westertield had betaken herself
when she left the lawyers Office. At that
moment, perhaps, she and Catherine were
together-and together alone.
Mr.. Sarrazln had noticed his friends ST.
lence. rs IL possible you don't agree with
me?' he asked.
Il don't feel rs hopeful as you do if these
.wo ladies meet"
"Ah, my friend, YOU are not a ~yanguine
man by nature. If Mrs. Ormond treats CIR
poor Sydney just as n commonplace, ill-tem.
pered woman would treat her, | shall be sur
prised indeed. Say, II you like, that she will
be insulted-Of this | am sure, she will not
return II; there is no eXpiation that Is too BIT
ter to be endured by that ~resolute little Great
ure. Her fine nature has been tempered by
adversely. A hard life has been Sydney'S
depend upon il, IN the years before you and
l met with her. Good heavens! What would
my wife say il she heard meP The women
are nice, but they have their drawbacks. Let
us wait till tomorrow, my dear boy; and let
us believe In Sydney without allowing our
wives-l beg YOU pardon, | mean nlV wife
to suspect In what forbidden direction our
sympathies are leading us. Oh, for shame. ~
Who could persist in feeling depressed in
the company of such a man as this? Randall
went home with the influence of Mr.. Sar.
rains sangu!nc nature in undiStnrbcd pos
session of him until his old servan IS gloomy
face confronted him at the door.
Anything gOn wrong, MalcOlm?'
'lm sorry to say, sir, Mr.. Herbert has LETT
us"
Left us! Why?"
Il don't know, sir"
'Where has he gone?'
"He didn't tell me-"
ais there no letter? No messenger"
There's a message, sir. Mr.. Herbert came
back
stop! Where had he been when he came
back":
ale said he felt a little lonely after you
went out, and he thought il might cheer him
up ii he Went to the club. l was to tell you
where he had gone II you asked what had
become of him. He said il kindly and pleas
antly-quite like himself, sir. But, when he
came back-if you'll excuse my saying sol
.nNFAIs IN IA a ma I'm A NlnVga amman wall
my brother | am obliged to him for his hospi.
tally and | won't take advantage of il any
longer That was Mr.. Herbert'S message.
| tried TO say a word. He banged the door
and away he went"
Even Randal'S patient and gentle nature
rose in revolt against his brothers treatment
of him. He entered his sitting-rOOm in 81.
lence. Malcolm followed and pointed to Q
letter Oh the table. II think you must have
thrown il away by mistake, SIR the old mar
explained, Il found it in the waste-papeI
basket" He bowed with the unfailing re.
spect of the old school and withdrew.
Randal's first resolve was TO dismiss his
brother from further consideration. "Kind.
ness Is thrown away on Herbert" he thought,
81 shall treat him for the future as he has
treated me-"
But his brother was still in his mind. He
opened Mrs. Presty's letter-on the chance
that it might turn the current of his thoughts
in a new direction.
In spite Of Mrs. Presty, in spite Of himself,
his heart softened toward the man who had
behaved so badly to him. Instead of read.
ing the letter he was now trying TO discover
a connection between his brothers visit to
the club and his brothers angry message.
Had Herbert heard something said, among
gossiping members In the s~moking-room,
which might accOun. for his conduct? IL
Randall had belonged to the club he would
have gone there to make inquiries. How
could he get the information that he wanted
in some other way?
After considering for a while he remem
bered the dinner that he had given to his
friend Sarrazin on his return from the United
States, and the departure of the lawyer IL
his club with a purpose in view which inter,
ested them both. 1t was the same club to
which Herbert belonged, Randall wrote al
once to Mr.. Salrazin, mentioning what had
happened and acknowledging the anxiety
that weighed on his mind.
Having instructed Malcolm to take the let.
tci w lHt lawyer y HOuot, anu, III lie WAS IO|
at home, to inquire where he might be found
Randall adopted the readiest means OF com.
posing himself, in the servants absence, by
lighting his pipe.
He was enveloped in clouds Of tobacco
snloke-the only clouds which we can trust
never to prove unworthy OF our confidence
In them-when Mrs. Presty's letter caught
his attention. If the month had been jam.
airy instead Of July, he would have thrown
it into the fire. Under present circumstance
he took it up and read il.
II bear no malice. dear Randall, and ]
write to you as affectionately as IL you nau
kept your temper on the occasion when we
last met.
You will be pleased to hear that Gather,
inc was as thoroughly distressed as you could
wish her TO be, when it became my disagree.
able duty to mention what had passed be
tween us. by way Of accounting for your alb
sence. She was quite unable To rally hel
spirits, even with dear Capt. Bennydecb
! present to encourage her.
- am not receiving you as l ought she
said TO him, when we began dinner, but
there Is, perhaps, some excuse for me. l have
lost the regard M esteem of an old friend
who has cruelty wr0nged me- From mo
tlyes OF delicacy (Which / don't expect y0t
to nnderstand) she refrained from mention
ing your name. You still keep your place
your unmerited place, In the captains esti
nation. lie asked no embarrassing ques
tons; he was too exquisitely polite to at
\ tpmnt IN ipgipnafa hitnaaIf into Natharina,,