Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-05-15
The Evil Genius.
A STORY,
BY wILKIE COLLINS.

RESISTING pOWerD breaks us way through TIC
surface which exhibits a gentleman and
shows the naked nature which claims kin.
dred with our ancestor, the savage.
do you feel better, Herbertr'
He put down the empty glass, taking nc
notice of his brothers question. Randall"
he said, '''you know where Sydney is"
Randall admitted IT.
'rIive me her address. NV minds in such
Q state / can't remember 1t; write 1t down"
mo, Herbert"
"You won't write II? and you wont give
itfp
II will do neither the one nor the other.
Keep your seat, Herbert! fierce looks and
clinched fists don't brighten me. diss West
erield Is quite right IN separating herself
from you. And you are quite wrong in wish
Ing to go back to her. There are my reasons.
Try 10 understand them. And, once again,
SIT down."
He spoke sternly-with his heart aching
for his brother all the time. He was right
The one way Is the positive way, when q
man who suffers trouble is degraded by It.
The poor wretch shrank under RandaPs
frm voice N steady eye.
Don't be hard on me-" he said; II think
q man in my situation Is to be pited-es-
pecially by his brother. Pm not like you;
Pm not accustomed to live alone. Pve been
used to having a kind woman 10 talk TO me
and take care of me. You don't know what
1t Is to be used to seeing a pretty creature,
always nicely dressed, always about the
room--thinking so much Of you and so little
Of herself-and then to be left alone as l am
left out In the dark. i haven't got my wife;
she has thrown me over and taken my child
away from me. And now Sydney's taken
away from me next. I'm alone. DO you
hear thatp Alonel Take the poker there
out of the fireplace. Give me back Sydney,
or knock out my brains. / haven't courage
enough TO do II for myself. Oh, why did /
engage that governess! l was so happy,
Randall, with Catherine and little Kitty"
He laid his head YEARLY on the back Of
his chair. Randall offered him more wine;
he refused it.
I'm afraid" he said. wine maddens
me II / take too much of il. You have heard
OF men forgetting their sorrows in drink. |
tried il yesterday; IL set my brains on fire
I'm feeling that glass 1 took just 10Y No!
I'm not faint. Ii eases my head when | rest
like this. Shake hands, Randall; we have
never had any unfriendly words; we mustn't
begin now. There's something perverse
about me. l didn't know how fond l was Of
Sydney till l lost her; l didn't know how
fond 1 was OF my wife till / left her" He
paused, and put his hand TO his fevered
head. Was his mind wandering into some
other train of thought? He astonished his
brother by a new entreaty-the last imagin-
able entreaty that Randall expected TO hear.
"Dear old fellow, l want you to do me a
favor. Tell me where my wife is living
now"
Surely" Randall answered. you know
that she is no longer your wife?"
Never mind that! l have something to
say to her."
"You can't do il, Herbert"
Can you do it? viii you give her a mes
sageg"
Let me hear what it is first"
He lifted his head, and laid his hand ear
nestly on his brothers. arm. When he said
his next words he was almost like his Old
self again.
"Say that I'm lonely; say that I'm dying
for van of a little comfort-ask her to let
INT see Kitty"
His one touched Randall 70 the quick. ~
feel for you, Herbert" he said, warmly.
'fShe shall have your message; all that l can
do to persuade her shall be done"
"As soon as possibleY'
Yes; as soon as possible"
"And you won't forget? No, no; of course
you won't forget He tried to rise, and fell
back again into his chair. Let me rest a
little" he pleaded, III I'm not In the way.
I'll 20 when you tell me-"
Randall refused to let him 60 at all. "You
will stay here with me; and IL l happen to
be away there will be somebody In the house
who Is almost as fond Of you as / am" He
mentioned the name of one Of the old serv-
ants at Mount Morven, who had attached
himself TO Randall after the breakup Of the
family. And now rest" he said; and let
me put this cushion under your head" Her
bert answered: ATS like being at home
~again"-and composed bHnself to rest
CHAPTER XII.
On the next day but one Randall arranged
his departure for Sydenham, so as to arrive
at the hotel an hour before the time appoint
ed for the dinner. His prospects for success
In pleading for q favorable reception of his
brothers message were so uncertain that he
refrained-in fear of raising hopes which he
might not be able to justify-from taking
Herbert into his confidence. No one knew
on what GRAND he was bent when he left
the house. As he took his place in the car
rage the newspaper boy appeared at the
window as usual. The new number Of q
popular weekly journal had that day been
published. Randall bought it.
After reading one or two of the political
articles he arrived at the columns specially
devoted to Fashionable Intelligence" Car
Ing nothing for that sort of news, he was
turning over the pages In search of the lit
erary and dramatic articles, when q name
not unfamiliar to him caught his eye. He
read the paragraph in which 1t appeared.
THE charming widow, Mrs. Ormond, Is,
we hear, among the distinguished guests
staying at Bucks hotel. 1t is whispered that
the lady Is to be shortly united TO a retired
naval officer Of arctic fame-now better
known, perhaps, as one of our leading phi
lanthropists."
The allusion to Bennydeck was too plain
to be mistaken. Randall looked again at the
nrst words In the paragraph. 1.-THE charm.
Ing widowp Was it possible that this last
word referred 10 Catherinel To suppose her
capable Of assuming to be a widow, and-if
the child asked questions-of telling Kitty
that her father was dead, was, In Randals
estimation, to wrong her cruelty. With his
own suspicious steadily ~contradicting him,
he arrived at the hotel ~obstinately believing
that ''the charming widow" would prove to
Be . stranger.
A first disappointment was in store fos him
when he entered the house. Mrs. Ormond
and her little girl were out driving with a
friend, and were expected to return In good
time for dinner. Mrs. Presty was at home;
she was reported to be in the garden OF the
hotel.
Randall found her comfortably established
In q summer house, with her knitting In her
hands and q newspaper on her lap. She adj
vanced to meet him, oil smiles n amia-
bility. "How nice Of you to come 50 soon,"
she began. Her keen penetration discover
cd something in his face which checked the
gayety of her welcome. you don't mean
to say that you are going TO spoil our pleas
ant little dinner by bringing bad news?' she
added, looking at him s~uspiciously.
ut depends on you to decide that" Ran
dal replied.
How very complimentary 10 a poor, use
less old womanl Don't be mysterious, my
dear. / don't belong to the generation which
raises storms In teacups and calls skimishes
with savages battles. Out with ity'
Randall handed his paper to her, open at
the right place. There Is my news" he
said.
Ma Presty looked at the paragraph and