Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-06-16

q Wicked Woman.
CHAPTER XIV.


CHAPTER XIV.
a Spectre u the Past.
LurNne Chadwick ,at alone IN keT
/ lLae ard silver sol1o.r Taere was a
( Disconnected look upon har beautiful
fsea wa.ch showed tza. she had not
| fouaa her new life rs mistress OF Chad
gicke Hall a thorn.ess path to tread
! She had found the ruified roseleaf, tie
| thorn amid the aowere. With all her
! intense love CT admiration and society.
Lurline Chadwicke had found herself
as Maude had predicted. socially ostra-
cized Not lady IN all the aristocrat-
/ !c circle in which the ChGfwiek8s Rad
! ever moved had called mon her or ex-
/ tcnGed her ar invitation. or any notice,
more than that bestowed upon the low
! c7t E,:elipg a. Cheav: II ucN And
I .aece was something mora now to
I bring CONSERVATION to the woman :
! heart. Sitting alone In the pretty per-
1 tuned boudoir. arrayed IN sn elegant
! dress Of pale blue velvet; With tu.quois
ornaments. LuT,ina held IL heI hand
1 f cablegram which ha7 fas,ed over
/ the ocean and reached ter that day
| "Lurllne Chadwlcke. 7 an Indebted
( 20 you. for I have found my wife.
Morris Dudley"
And he gafIled woman knew that
, aal Wicked scheme OF vengeance had
/ failed. She tossed tae dispatch aside.
and arising, began 70 pace UP and
| down the beautiful room. pauslEg oc-
gasio1ally 70 glance AZ her own superb
| face and 1gure reflected in fuil-length
mirror on the azure satin wall. a look
OF lnpaJle4ce flashed over heT beauti-
ful lace.
Il wonder II he Is ever comingi she
mutteTed, clIlchiug her white hands,
al gl.;teriug with costly jewels Time
Uss when he never kept me wait.ngl
3ut ha has changed 50 fearfully; he sell
dam comes 10 the house, and how hap
| py : was tc-nighl when / received his
note. which told NE that he would bs
with ne At eight O'Clock. Max-daI-
.ing Max. / can never cease 70 love
aim no matter how coidly lie treats
ne He Is the ore object for whom
cave fought my har4 battle with fate;
for him 1 have planned and plotted
And now. 10 think he Will be with me
soon Perhaps-DeT Aaps ths old love
a.-s ore back, as Ee cares Tor rla ae
OF Ole"
Even as she spoke there wes la1a
footstep outside tAe door, and loy
tap upon the panel. she threw 1t open
wrtn an eager hand. Max Ruthyel
stood before her. pale and sad.
Aow happy l aE2 to see youi" she
exclaimed. "Oh, Maxi why have you
deserted me so long2"
But he made her no answer. He en-
! Tered the room, ana seated himself On
the satin couch. She threw herself
! down at his side gazing up into mis-
stern face with eyes full Of love
you have come back TO mel" she
said. softly. "Oh, MaH! felt sure that
you would love me again"
His eyes met hers with q cold, hard
CLEAN
You love me. Lurllne?" ne quer-
led.
You are dearer 70 me than my own
S1AAs EaAAV peibAt1 Se EEA -
HIS eyes wore q mocking light in
their depths.
Wei listen 10 me," ne said ii
were 10 marry you. would you give up
your claim upon the Chadwicke Ior-
tuner
She stared at him. her eyes full Of
undi5guised wonder.
would I-what?" she faltered
Give up your false position here"
he cried, his dark eyes scintillating;
return 10 that poor girl the fortune
of which you have deprived her; take
nothing but your wardrobe, and jewels.
and leave this place forever; be my
wife. and we viii 20 to Europe. and
leave behind ~ ell the falgeness and
the foljr ~ the posit!on which you oc-
ccpy here-the stolen heritage. What
do you say. Lurline?"
Still she gazed at him. wild. inc-ed-
ulous
Oh. ecstacy!" she painted, at last,
do you really love me like that, Max
II so. vile as I have been. l am the
haDpiest woman In the round world .
He glanced az her with contemptu-
ous smile
Love you?" he cried harshiy. moi
a thousand times no. you treacherous
| thing. love Lesley Dinsmore, and for
her sake am willing 70 sacrifice my
! self; for l never knew. until she
taught me by her holy example, what
| pure, unsel1sh love can exis, in this
! dreary world"
All the color died out OF Lurline
| Chadwicke's face is she listened to his
reckless defiant words. She saw It all
now. She had had her chance In life.
and lost it. The new hope springing
up in her heart died q sudden and vio-
lent death. She turned upon him like
a mad creature
How dare YOU insult me thus?" she
| hissed, fercely How dare you offer
| me your hand while your heart IL Les
| ley DinsmOTe's2 Mex Rathven, I hate
youI From this hour all OF love--my
mad. unreasouing worshID-turns TO
lasting hatred. stuns TO death by your
, cruel words. From this night dedi-
| cate my life 10 your destruction. Be
ware, Max Ruthveu' Hell hath no fury
! like woman sonrnedl' Go back to
gOur Lesley you my win her yet
whoh her tears for 3ohn Ardsiey are
dried By the way." and her voice
changed suddenly to q mocking tone.
what would you give To know tho fate
OF that interesting young man? For
you ought to suspect the truth by this
time, that he is
Bhe paused abruptly. and raising her
eyes. an awful iook dashed into tho
lu5trous depths
The door Of her bOudoir had opened
softly and there before her stood a
mana tall. dark naughty looking
man. a strange smile cuf!irg his mus
tached lip as h. watched her intent
ly.
She put up both hands as though 70
drive him back.
"MercifHl Father!" she moaned, and
her voice sounded like the wall Of d
lost soul. You! Come back from the
grave to haunt me! You. Ferdinand ST.
Cyr."
lie str0de forward, ana the look upon
nls race was fairly demoniac
Yes. I, Mademo!sellc Lurline. =
wronged, betrayed deserted-I come
back from the grave. as it were. 10
find you here. the widow of another
| man, yet no one has ever had the