Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-03-06
TlG Evil Genius.
A 4 STORY.
BY wILKIIs COLLINS.

By w1LKIE COLLINS.
she let this pass without IA rSr'~. ''rhe
doctor secs no harm she went ca. ain NV
being away for y few hu' is. Mrs. -. a. Ed
win has offered TO send me- here IN the even
Ing, so that ! can sleep in Kitty's ROOM"
You don't look well, Sydney. You are
pale and wom-yOu are not happy"
She began TO tremb q. For the second time
she turned away to take mp her cloak. For
the second time he stopped her.
Not just yet" he said. you don't know
how il distresses me to see you so sadly
changed. l remember the time when it was
such a 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
ful to think of your young life, that ought to
be so bright, wasting and. whitening among
strangers" He said those words with in
c~reaslng agitation; his eyes rested on her
eagerly with Il wild look in them. She made
a resolute effort to speak to him %coldly-she
called him "Mr. Linley"-she babe him good
by.
1t was useless. He stood between her and
the door: he disregarded what She had said
as If he had not heard ii. Hardly a day
passes" he owned to her, that | don't think
of you"
'You shouldn't tell me that!'
How can ! see you again-and not tell
you?'
She burst out with a last entreaty. 'For
Gods sake, let us say goOd-by.'
His manner became mdisguisedly tender;
his language changed in the one way of ali
Others that was most peTilouS To her-he ap.
pealed to her pity. "Oh! Sydney, it's so
hard 10 part with your
Spare me!' she cried. pasSionately. "yOu
don't know how | suffer-"
"Oh, l know tho words can say how /
feel for you! Are you sorry for me, Sydney?
Have you thought OF me since we parted?'
She had Striyen against herself and against
him, till her last effort at resistance was ex-
hausted. In reckless despair she let the
truth escape her at last.
When do | ever think Of anything else! |
am a 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 me-be brutal to
me. Have some mercy on a miserable Great
IRE whose life is one long, hopeless effort TO
forget your Her voice, her look, madden.
ed him. He drew her to his bosom; he held
her IN his arms: she struggled yainly To get
away from him. "Oh," she murmuled, chow
crtel you are! Remember, my dear one, lie.
member how weak | am. Oh, Herbert, I'm
dying-dying-dying!" Her voice grew
fainter and fainter: her head sank ON his
breast. He lifted her face TO him with wills
pcred words of love. He kissed her again
and again.
The curtains over the library entrance
moved nOiseleSsly when they were parted.
The footsteps of Catherine Iinley were in.
audible as She passed through and entered
tie room.
She stood still for moment in silent hor-
rOr.
Not d sound warned them when she adj
vanccd. After hesitating for 4 moment she
raised her hand toward her husband, as if 10
tell him of her presence by a touch, drew il
back, suddenly recOiling from her W first
intention, and touched Sydney instead.
Then, and then only, they knew what had
happened.
Face 10 face, those three perSons-with
every Tie that had once united them snapped
asunder in an instant-looked at each other.
The man owed duty 10 the lost creature
whose weakness had appealed to his mercy
In vain. The man broke the silence.
''Catherinc-'
With unreasonable contempt looking
brightly out Of her steady eyes his wife stop
ped him.
Not a wOrdr'
He refused TO be silent. at is IT, he said;
III only who am to blame
spare yourself the trouble of making eX-
cuSes, she answered; they are needless.
Herbert Linley, the woman who was once
your wife despises you
Her eyes turned from him and rested on
Sydney WeSterfield.
Il have a last word 10 say 10 lIDlt. Look at
me, if you can. Listen to ne, if you can"
Sydney lifted her head. She looked va
cantly at the outraged woman before her as
II She saw Il woman in a dream.
With the same terrible selt-pOsseSsiOn
which she had preserved from the first
standing between her husband and her gov
erness-Mrs. Linley spoke.
Miss Westerield, you have saved my
child's life" She paused-seiZed the girl by
the ARMAND put her in the place which she
had thus far occupied herself. Deadly pale,
she pointed to her husband, and said TO sgd.
ney: Take him!'
Slowly she passed out of the room-and
left them together,
XXI.
The autumn holiday time had come TO an
end, and the tourists had left Scotland to the
Scotch.
In the dull season a solitary traveller from
the north arrived at the nearest post town to
Mount MOrven. A sketch-bOok and a color.
box formed part OF his luggage and declared
him TO be an artist. Falling into talk over
his dinner with the waiter al the hotel, he
made inquiries about Il picturesque home in
the neighborlIood, which showed that Mount
Moryen was well known to him by reputa.
ton. When he proposed paying u visit to
the old border fortress the next day, the
waiter said: 'You can't see the house,
When the traveller asked why, this man OF
few words merely added: "Shut up"
The landlord made his appearance with a
bottle of wine, and proved to be a more COM
municatlve person in his relations with
strangers. Presented in an abridged form,
and in the English language, these (as he re-
lated them were the circumstances mde
which Mount Moryen had been closed TO the
public:
A complete dispersion Of The family had
taken place not long since. For miles round
everybody was sorry for il. Rich and poor
alike felt the SAINT sympathy with the good
lady Of the house. She had been most shame
fully treated by her husband and Dy a good
for-nothlng girl employed as goyerness. TO
put 1t plainly, the two had run away togeth.
er; one report said they had gone abroad,
and another declared that they were living
in London. Mr.. Linley's conduct was per.
fectly incomprehensible. He had always
borne the highest character good landlord,
a kind father, a devoted husband. And yet,
after more than eight years of exemplary
married life, he had disgraced himself. The
minister of the parish, preaching on the sub
1ect, had attributed this extraordinary out
break OF vice on the part of an otherwise
vlrtuol5 man to a possession Of the devil.
Assuming "the devil" IN this case to be only
a discreet and clerical way of alluding from
the pulpit to a woman, the landlord was in
cllned to agree with the minister. After what
had happened it was, of course, impossible
that Mrs. I.inley could remain in her hus-
bands house. She and her little girl and her
mother were supposed 20 be living in retire
ment. They kept the place Of their retreat q
secret from everybody but Mrs. Linley's
legal adviser. who was instructed to forward