The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1897-03-06
The Evil Genius
A DOMESTIC STORY.
by wILKIE COLLINS.

Silc iNt iilG, IaSr Nt.-EVlU AZ I'ft z. "lIln
doctor secs no laf,iG she vent %, lin ,ny.
being AVA fog 4 lew iaslrs. Airs. s,..,.elsd-
win has offered 10 send mo .iere in the even
ing, so that | can sieep in kittS's room.',
You don't look we'll, Sydney. You are
pale and wora--you are not happy
She began to tremb'e. For the second time
she turned away to take up her cloak. For
the second time he stopped i,cr.
Not just yet lie said. You don't know
how it distresses me to see you so sadly
changed. j remember the time when it was
such q pleasure to see you happy. Do you
remember that timer
Don't ask mel' was all she could say.
lie sighed as he looked at her. Its dread
FIJI to think of your Young life, that ought to
be so bright, wasting and whitening among
| strangers" He said those words with. in
| creaSing agitation. his eyes rested on her
eagerly with II wild look in them. She made
a resolute effort to speak 20 him coldly-she
! called him ''Mr. LinleyH--ahe babe him good
BIZ.
1t was useless. He stood between her and
the door: lie disregarded what she had said
AS if he had not heard it. Hardy a day
passes" he owned to her. "that | don't think
o: YOU .
"You shouldn't tell me that.'
How can l see YOU again-and not tell
your
She burst out with Il last entreaty. For
Gods sake, let us say good-by!"
His manner became undisguisedly tender;
his language changed in the one way Of all
Others that was most perilous to her-he APP,
pealed to her pity. oh! sydney, its SO
hard to part with your
Spare me!' she cried, passionateiy. "You
don't know how ] suffer"
"Oh, | know it-no words can say how !
feel for yon! Are you sorry for me, Sydney.
Have you thought of Inc since we parted?'
She had striyen against herself, and against
him, till her last effort at resistance was ex.
hsnsted. In reckless despair she let the
truth escape her at last.
When do | ever think of anything else.
am q wretch unworthy OF all the kindness
that has been shown to me. | don't deserve
your interest | don't even deserve your pity,
Send me away-be hard on mc-be brutal IL
me. Have some mercy ON Il miserable Great
IRE whose life is one long, hopeless effort tt
forget your Her voice. her look. madden
ed him. He drew her to his bosom; he helC
her in his arms: she struggled vainly to ge
away from him. "Oh," she murmured, "how
cruel You are! Remember, my dear one, re
member how weak | am. Oh, Herbert, Tn
Observation-Disclosures Her voice grew
fainter and fainter; her head sank on hi!
breast. lie lifted her face to him With wills
pered words of we. He kissed her agaii
and again.
The curtains over the library entranc,
moved nOiselessly when they We're parted
The footsteps O. Catherine Linley We're in
audible as she passed through and entered
the room.
She stood still for q moment in silent nor
ror.
Not It sound warned them when she ad
vanced. After hesitating for Il moment sh,
raised her hand toward her husband, as if IL
tell him of her presence by a touch, drew i
back, suddenly recoiling from her own iirs
intention, and touched sydney instead.
Then, and then only, they knew what ha,
happened.
Face TO face, those three pcrsons-witi
every tie that had once united them snapped
asnnder in an inSiant-looked at each other
The man owed 4 duty TO the lost creatur
whose weakness had appealed to his mere,
In vain. The man broke the silence.
''Gatherine-'
With Unreasonable contempt lookin
brightly ont fher steady eyes his wife stol
ped him.
Not n word!.'
He refused TO be silent. ut is l." he said
II only whoam to blame.N
Spare yourself the trouble of making cy
cuses," she answered; they are needless
Herbert Liniey, the woman who was one
your wife despises YOU
Her eyes turned from him and rested o
Sydney Westeriield.
Il have a lust word to say to you. Look 4
me, if you can. Listen to me, if you can"
sydney lifted her head. She booked va
cailtly at the outraged woman before her a
If she saw n woman i'll Il dream.
With the same terrible Self-posseSsio
which She had preserved from the first
standing between her husband and her go,
elness-Mrs. Linley spoke.
Miss Westeriield, you have saved IN
child's life" She pauscd-seized the girl b
the armand put her in the place which sh
had titus far occupied herself. Deadly pale
she pointed TO her husband, and said to Syt
ney: Take him!'
Slowly She passed out of the room-an
left them together,
The autumn holiday time h:s;.. come 10 Il
end, and the tourists had left Scotland to I'll
Scotch. +
In the dull season a solitary traveller irol
the Forth arrived at the nearest post town
Mount Morven. A. sk~ctcl-book and IL colo
box formed part OF his luggage and declare
him to be an artist. Failing nto talk ov,
his dinner with the waiter at the hotel, i
made inquiries about Il picturesque home
the neighborhood, which showed that Moui
Morven was well known to him BY reput,
ton. When lie proposed paying a visit
the old border fortress the next day, ii
waiter said: you can't see the house,
When the traveller asked why, this man I,
few words merely added: s'Slut up
The landlord made his appearance with
bottle of wine, and proved to be 4 more con
municative person in his relations wi,
strangers. Presented in am abridged forr
and in the English language, these (as he r
lated them were the circumstances und,
which Mount Morven had been closed to ii
public:
a complete dispersion of The family Ina
taken place not long since. For miles :our
everybody was sorry for il Rich and po,
alike felt the same sympat y with the goc
lady OF the house. She had been mostsham
fully treated by her husband and by n goo,
for-nothing girl employed us governess. 7
put it plainly, the two had run away toget
er; one report said they had gone abroa
and another declared that they We're livir
In London. Mr.. Linley's conduct was pc
fcctly incomprehensible. He had alwa,
borne the higheste character goodlandlor,
a kind father, a devoted husband. And We
after more than eight years OF cxemplal
married life, he had disgraced himself. II
ministero OF the parish, preaching on the sl
1ect. had attributed this extraordinary on
break of vice on the part of an otherwi.
virtllou3 man to a possession Of the dew
Assuming stle devii' in this case to be on
adiscreet and clerical way of alluding fro
the pulpit to a woman. the landlord was i
cllned to agree with the minister. After VIII
had happened it was, of course, impossib
that Mrs. linley could remain in her hu
bands house. She and her little girl and h
mother were supposed 70 be living in retir
mcnt. They kept the place Of their retreat
secret from everybody but Mrs. Linley
legal adviser. who was instructed to forwal
letters. But one other member of the fami
remained to be accounted for. This was NJ
Linley's younger brother-known at prescl
to be travelling on the continent Two trms