The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1897-05-29

'tuuiess- liz sIlit VI mlSChltl possessed
4 allowed Miss Westerield to take a lit
tie peep at the truth. Mrs. Ormond Is not
actually in London,' ] said: she is only in
the neighborhood.' For what followed on
this IN experience of ladies ought to have
prepared me. am ashamed to say this lady
took me completely by surprise"
What did she doP'
Eel on her knees, poor dear, and said:
oh. MI. Sarrazin, be kinder to me than Won
have ever been yet; tell me where Mrs. Or
mond is! | put her back in her chair and L
took her handkerchief out of her pocket and
l wiped her eyes"
And then you told her the addressp,
II was near it, but | didn't dc it vet. l
asked what you had done in the matter.
Alas, your kind heart had led you to promise
more than yon could perform. She had
waited to hear from you ii Mrs. Ormond
consented tG see her, and had waited in vain.
Hard on her, wasn't ii? l was sorry, but 1
was still obdnrate. only felt the symptoms
which warned me that | was going to make
q fool OF myself when she let me into her ST.
cret for the first time and said plainly what
she wanted with Mrs. Onnoud. Her tears
and her entreatieS ! had resisted. The con-
lesion OF her motives overpowcred me. 1t
Is right" cried MI. SarraZin, suddenly warm
ing into enthusiasm, that these two women
should meet. Remember how that poor girl
has proved that her repentance is no shame.
l say she has a right to tell, and the lady
whom she has injured has a right to hear,
what she has done to atone for the past,
what confession she is willing to make to the
one woman i'll the world uhough she Is a di-
Norced wOman) who is most interested in
hearing what Miss Westeriield's fehas been
with that wretched brother OF yours. All,
yes, | know what the English cant may say.
Away with the English cant! 1t is the worst
obstacle to the progress of the English ma
toni"
Randal listened abSently; he was thinking.
There could be little doubtto what destina-
ton Sydney Westeriield had betaken herself
when she left the lawyers Office. AT that
moment, perhaps, she and Catherine were
together-and together alone.
Mr.. Sarrazin had noticed his friends ST.
lence. us it possible you don't agree with
me?' he asked.
Il don't feel as hopeful as you do if these
twO ladies meet
"Ah, my friend, you are not a ~sanguine
by nature. III Mrs. Ormond treats our
poor Sydney Just as a commonplace, ill-tem-
pered woman would treat her, | shall be sur
prlsed indeed. Say, if you like, that she will
be insulted-of this l am sure, she will not
return 1t; there is no eNpiation that Is too bit
ter to be endured by that r~esolute little Great
ure. Her fine nature has been tempered by
adversely. A hard life has been Sydney'S
depend upon it, in the years before you and
l mel with her. Goou heavens! What would
wife say If she heard me? The women
are nice, but they have their drawbacks. Let
lis wait till tomorrow, my dear boy; and let
us believe in Sydney without allowing our
wives-l beg your pardon, | mean mn wife
to suspect in what forbidden direction our
sympathies are leading us. Oh, for slame!n
Who could persist in feeling depressed in
the company of such 4 man as thisp Randall
went home with the influence of Mr.. Sar.
rains sangnine nature in u%ndistnrbed pos
session of him until his old servan s gloomy
face confronted him at the door.
Anything gone wrong, Malcolm?''
I'm sorry to say, sir, MIR. Herbert has left
us"
Left lis! Why?"
u don't know, sir"
where has he gomez"
HE didn't tell me-"
rs there no letter.: No messagcp"
"Ihere's a message, sir. Mr.. Herbert came
back
stop! Where had he been when he came
back"l'
HE said he felt a little lonely after YOU
went ont, and he thought it might cheer him
up If he went TO the club. l was to tell you
where he had gone ii you asked what had
become of him. He said it kindly and pleas
antly-quite like himself, sir. But, when he
came back-if you'll excuse my saying SOL
never saw a man in a worse temper. Tell
my brother | am obliged to him for his hospi-
tally and ] won't take advantage of it any
longer That was Mr.. Herbert's message.
l tried to say a word. He banged the door
and away he went"
Even Randal's patient and gentle nature
rose in revolt against his brothers treatment
of him. He entered his sitting-room in ST.
lencc. Malcolm followed and pointed to a
letter on the table. 81 think you must have
thrown it away by mistake, SIR the old man
explained, 81 found it in the waste-paper
basket" He bowed with the unfailing re.
spect of the old school and withdrew.
Randal's first resolve was to dismiss his
brother from further consideration. kind
ness is thrown away OF Herbert, - he thought;
~ shall treat him for the future as he has
treated me-"
But his brother was still in his mind. He
opened Mrs. Presty's letter-on the chance
that it might turn the current of his Thoughts
in q new direction.
In spite of Mrs. Presty, in spite of himself,
his heart softcned toward the man who had
behaved so badly to him. Instead of read
ing the letter he was now trying to discover
Il connection between his brothers visit to
the club and his brothers angry message.
IIad Herbert heard something said, among
gossiping members in the ~slnoking-room,
which might acc0un. for his conduct? II
Randall had belonged to the club he would
have gone there to make inquiries. How
could he get the information that he wanted
in some other way?
After considering for a while he remem-
bered the dinner that he had given to his
friend Sarlazin on his return from the United
States, and the departure of the lawyer to
his club with a purpose in view which inter-
estcd them both. 1t was the same club to
which Herbert belonged, Randall wrote at
once to Afr. Sarrazin, mentioning what had
happened and acknowledging the anxiety
that weighed on his mind.
Having Instructed Malcolm to take the let
ter to the lawyers house, and, if he was not
at home, to inquire where lie might be found,
Randall adopted the readiest means Of com
posing himself, in the servants absence, by
lighting his pipe.
He was envcloped in clouds Of tobacco
smoke-the only clouds which we can trust
never to prove unworthy of our confidence
in ~them-when Mrs. Presty's letter caught
his attention. If the month had been Janu-
airy instead of July, he would have thrown
it into the fire. Under present circumstances
he took it up and read it.
Il bear no malice, dear Randall, and l
write to you as affectionately as IL you nau
kept your temper on the occasion when we
last met.
You will be pleased to hear that Gather
inc was as thoroughly distressed as you could
wish her to be, when 1t became my disagree
able duty to mention what had passed be-
tween us. BY way of accounting for your alb
sence. She was quite unable to rally her
spirits, even with dear Capt. Bennydeck
present to encourage her.
~ am not receiving you as l ought she
said to him, when we began dinner, but
there Is, perhaps, some excuse for me. | have
lost the regard aud esteem of an old friend,
who has cruelty wronged me- From mo.
tlves of d~elicacy (Which l don't expect you
to understand she refrained from mention
ing your name. You still keep your place,
your unmerited place, in the captains esti-
nation. He asked 10 embarrassing ques-
sN.-. l~- .--. H. - - a.