The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1898-05-06
CHAPTER u.-u,oxr,x,,rn

S00A uuSUauu. i give you my prom
lse. Now beginw
Clara hesitated painfully. 81 don't
know how to begin!" she exclaimed
with a burst of despair. "The words
won't come to me-"
Then must help you. DO you feel
Ill tonight? Do you feel as you felt
that day when you were with my sister
and me in the garden?"
ooh, no"
"You are not i'll, you are not really
affected by the heat-and yet you turn
as pale as ashes, and you are obliged
to leave the quadrille! There must be
some reason for this"
There is reason. Captain Held
ing"
Captain Helding! What in the name
Of wonder has the Captain to do with
IT,"
HE told you something about the
Atalanta. He said the 'Atalanta' was
expected back from Africa Immediate
ly."
We'll, what of that? Is there any
body in whom you are interested COM
Ing home in the ship?"
Somebody whom I am afraid of is
coming home in the ship"
Mrs. Crayford's magnificent black
eyes opened wide in amazement.
MY dear Clara! do you mean what
you say?"
wait a little, Lucy, and you shall
Judge for yourself. We must go back
If am to make you understand me
to the year before we knew each 9TH
er; to the last year of my fathers life.
Did l ever tell you that my father
moved southwark, for the sake of his
health, to house in Kent that was
lent to him by a friend?"
mo, my dear. don't remember ever
hearing of the house in Kent. Tell
me about it,
There is nothing to tell except this.
The new house was near fine country
seat standing in it's own park. The
owner Of the place was a gentleman
named Wardour. He, too, was one of
my fathers Kentish friends. He had
an only son."
She paused, and played rervously
with her fan. Mrs. Crawford looked at
her attentively. Clara's eyes remained
fixed on her fan-Clara said no more.
What was the sons name?" asked
Mrs. Crawford, quietly.
Richard"
Am 1 right, Clara, in sus2ecting
that Mr.. Richard Wardour admired
you?"
The question produced it's intended
effect. The question helped Clara to
go on. Il hardly knew at first" she
said, whether he admired me or not
He was very strange in his ways
headstrong, terribly headstrorg and
passionate; but generous and affection
ate in spite of his faults of temper.
Can you understand such a character -"
"Such characters exist by thousands,
I have my faults of temper. 1 begin
to like Richard already. Go on"
THE days went by, Lucy. and the
weeks went by. We were thrown very
much together. began, little by little.
to have some suspicion of the truth.
"And Richard helped to confirm your
suspicious, of course?"
"No. He was not-unhappily for me
he was not that sort of man. He
never spoke of the feeling with which
he regarded me. 1t was I who saw
1t. couldn't help seeing it. I did all
could to show that was willing to
be sister to him, and that 1 could
never be anything else. He did not un-
derstand me, or he would mott cant
say which"
'''Would not is the most likely. nv
dear. Go on"
cit might have been as you saw.
There was strange rough bashfulness
about him. He confused and puzzled
me. He never spoke out. He seemed
to treat me as if our future lives had
been provided for while we were chill
dren. What could 1 do, Lucy?"
do? You could have asked vour
father to end the difficulty for you,
Impossible! You forget what T have
Just told you. My father was suffer-
&c time under the illness which
g. onward caused his death. He was
quite unfit to interfere"
"Was there no one else who co,ld
help you?"
"No one"
mo lady in whom you could con-
dde?"
II had no acquaintances among the
ladies in the neighborhood. I had mn
friends"
What did you do, then?"
Nothing. I hesitated; I put off
coming to an explanation with him
unfortunately until it was too late"
What do you mean by too late?"
You shall hear. 1 ought to have
told you that Richard Wardour is in
the navy"
Indeed? am more interested in
I him than ever. Well?"
One spring day Richard came to the
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