The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-06-30

Homent, even the
Nature Of Dacre him
R6w for the lover whom
Pead, anxiety for the father
upon the couch an interven-
pmercifully hid from her view,
RIt at the duplicity Of the W era
PWretches before her, enobled the
Natural dignity OF Flora Merwyn's char.
Iacter. Like all angry queen her eyes
scanned them, like an injured woman
she held them, batfled, beaten, under the
domination of her flashing, accusing
glance of Indignation and reproach.
She drew the pocketbook from the I'M
closing fingers of the overwhelmed Da-
ere. She shuddered at the contaminat-
ing contact of his relaxing clutch, but
she steeled her heart to weakness.
Il know your plots. know you un.
masked!" she said simply. ut is you
who have brought about this trouble at
the bank. Stand aside-unlock the front
doors. l will tell those men the tr uth!"
You never SHALL"
Her intentions he readily OWNED. She
would denounce him as a thief, g swind-
Ter, as the lying hYpocritical villain he
truly was. She would restore confidence
In her honored fathers name; she would
disburse the ready cash contained in the
wallet she had secured.
This, the weak, blind.folded being
he had hoped to dazzle and win, or
brighten into becoming his wife, when
grief and despair had left her
no other alternative to save a
fathers good name and life! That por-
ton of his fabric of fraud and selfish.
ness, the irate plotter saw crumble tc
ruins. The intended victim of his
avarice had arrayed herself as a cham.
pion, q courageous, ~undaunted foe in the
battle Of wrong against right
Compromise, there was none in that
dauntless face, GROVE strangely stern
and heroic. The child had become q
woman-the victim an avenger.
"Do not touch me-stand back. mon
ster! thief!' cried Flora, with glowing
ewes, as Dacre made a movement as if to
seize her forcibly. when my father
returns"
The schemer started. In a flash the
truth dawned upon him. Flora MerwYn
did not know of the arrival OF the
banker, of the last tragic episode OF the
hour. She had, it seemed, arrived upon
the scene only in time to catch Dacre's
words relating to the wallet. He stepped
aside, he pointed to the couch.
Your father" he said, ''lies there.
They have killed him"
. With the Q%uickness OF lightning, the
girls heart took a vivid alarm at the
harsh, blunt words. Her eyes directed
towards the couch, a schock that seemed
to unhinge every nerve in her body con
vuIsed her future.
One wild shrek rang from her lips,
piercing, heart-broken, agonized. Her
face turned CHASTITY, the Mortified eyes
d%istended. She tottered forward with
outstretched arms.
Father - father! my murdered
father"
A suffocating sob checked further ut
terance. The wallet fell from her nerve
less fingers, and. her hands pressed to
her eyes as II to shut out the gorY vision
before her, Flora Merwyn reeled and
fell an inert heap to the floor.
Arnold Dacre breathed more freely at
LQe OuUllCdGlUl GudU udu OlNSl Won VuC
attention of Flora from her announced
purpose Of unmasking his villainy. As
he gazed alternately from father to
daughter, however, with bent brows, his
ilce took a deeper, more serious frown
than ever.
IN impulse seemed to come to his
mind, as ne regarded the wallet and its
scattered contents, to sieze all the avail
able funds in sight and fly precipitately.
A thought of the sure pursuit that
would follow, however, a longing glance
at the beautiful face of Flora Merwyn,
checked the impulse. Then his wonted
boldness returned to him. bringing the
color back into his face, and assurance
to his sinister eyes.
'tOnly q girl" he muttered between his
teeth. with time to cover my tracks, tc
get her to q safe retreat, / can leave at my
will with a clear record. No, l will make
no foolish run for liberty, with q howl.
ing mob after me. 1t would be a comics.
sion of guilt. I will face the music. J
will find some way to silence her lips.
Wharton"
Resolution in his face, Dacre ap.
preached the old clerk and touched him
sharply on the shoulder.
John Wharton looked up, q vacant,
dazed look in his eyes. For a min
ute or two, as he passed his trembling
hands aimlessly over his face, he resem'
bled a person just recovering from q
shock OF terror that had well.nigh un'
balanced:the mental faculties.
Come! rouse yourself and don't sci
there like q block Of stone," spoke Dacre
irritablY. "You see what has occurred.
She knows!"
'If you'd only pay the depositors,'
began Wharton, gaspingly,
mo more OF that!'ordered the cashier,
sternly. Come. man, have some grit!
Never mind gaping at those two-one Is
beyond our help or harm, the other I'll
attend to. I'll guarantee her silence,
never fear. All you have to do is your
part"
what is-my part2' faltered the old
clerk.
speedy, decisive action. want you
to leave here at once. You haven't the
nerve to face the situation without
finching. so I'll undertake that unpleas'