The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1897-12-14

Particularly So" replied the other,
(which Is mercy, as we've had night
of it."
'Ah. it must be trying! Have you had
your breakfast yet?"
mot /. I'm only just at liberty Mr..
Browns gone down to his, and not be-
before he needs it,
"Step over to my room and have a
cup of tea; it's all ready
''Well, don't know but what I
mightn't; / can turn the key on the out
side"
ITO be sure. Alls safe enough. And
no one can't expect you to work fasting
for hours; besides, it won't take you
half a minute"
Cali right replied Mrs. Bryant, as
she turned the key in the lock and left
it on the outside of the door, prepare
tory to accepting the offer of her friend.
AS Pearl watched the two women disap-
pear together at the further end of the
corridor, a desperate resolution came
into her mind to see for herself what
mystery the locked rooms contained
She glanced down the corridor once or
twice, to make sure Mrs. Bryant was
not yet returning, and then, with a
sudden impulse, she left her hiding
place, turned the key in the lock of the
opposite door, and entered the myster-
ious chamber.
Whilst Margaret O'Reilly was thus
prying into things which, apparently,
did not concern her, Sir Frederic Flow
er and Mr.. Ruthven were closeted in the
library together.
81 have something of Importance to
tell you, Mr.. Ruthven," commenced the
baronet, "and which you must learn
without delay I should have told it
you before, but that it is a painful sub
ject to enter upon, and did not expect
your nephew to arrive quite so soon from
Rouen."
ct concerns Hamilton, them"
''It greatly concerns Carmen, and no
young man shall court her, with my
consent, without his being informed of
it. There is insanity in her family
Ruthven started with surprise.
"Impossiblev he exclaimed; "the
name of Flower is too we'll known"
Excuse me, Mr.. Ruthven, it has
family 1t is through the mothers
blood that my poor niece inherits such
fearful faint
81 am deeply grieved to hear this; but
Miss Flower exhibits no sign of such a
heritage?"
"She does not. trust she never may;
still the fact remains, and must not be
concealed. I told you some little time
since that / had lost my dear wife and
child under very painful circumstances.
They are connected with this subject,
and I am about to relate them to you.
My younger brother, George, and were
the only children of our father, and
when he died, leaving his title to me,
he bequeathed his wealth to us in two
equal portions; to go to the child or chill
dren of each, or in case of either dying
without issue, to the child or children OF
the other. We both married. Lady
Flower was a fair English girl; but
0OO1 &c, VIII AoO UOO11 u dNO1l1ASo cUA OduJ
brought home Spanish woman as his
wife-a proud, naughty and high-tem-
pered creature, whom nobody could get
on with but himself, and she made even
his life wretched with her mad jealousy
and uncomfortable passion. My wife
and she could never become friends.
Florence was as gentle and timid girl
as ever lived; harsh word frightened
her, and the manners and conversation
Of her foreign sister-in-law were alto
gether uncongenial to her nature. So,
though we lived close together, we could
never be said to be intimate. Well, the
Spanish woman had a child-this girl
Carmen-who was named after herself.
That was the first triumph for them,
for my wife seemed unlikely to bring
me family. Mrs. George Flower
knew all the conditions of the will, and
triumphed over her rival accordingly.
She became twice as offensive after the
birth of the child, speaking of it openly
as the heiress of Abbotsville, and other
wise behaving herself insolently toward
my poor little wife, who dropped under
the oppression like broken blossom.
However, our turn came to win.
IrA