Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-03-07

" dSlue as IL tneY
were children? Ali God never
created any creature more cruel than
a beautiful coquette without heartl Do
not denyit! You have used every charm
you possess to make me love you, and
have succeeded You shall listen to
me now. love you'll I love you! [
love you! Nay, do not speak. [ will
not take your final answer to-day. To-
morrow l will come for it. All! if it
is Yes L swear that you shall never
regret it. If it is No. then you will
have sent one more man'to 'hellr" and
without another word Jack Armstrong
turned on his heel and left abruptly.
Hilda Phare lookedsafter his retreating
figure with vogue sense of shame.
She had Uo1 the love of the ''woman
hater, but the victory vas leaving a
sting in even her hardened coouette
conscience, though she tried to feel
herself aggrieved at his outburst.
CAS- if L can help men falling in love
with me. cannot marry them all. l
certainly do like Captain Armstrong.
but don't like matrimony, [ want
to keep my freedom little longer first.
a pretty girl can at any time easily get
engaged, but it requires an ugly girl
to easils get disengaged, so that even
beauty has its drawbacks" she con-
cluded, with little soft laugh. Then,
with the rnconfessed desire to drive
the recent interview from her mind.
she took up society paper and soon
forgot all the crumpled rose leaves of
her happy. careless life in the pleas
ure of reading description of the
dress the beautiful Miss Phare wore
at the Queep's ball, where, as.the belle
of the season, she was the cynosure of
all eyes.
My dear Hilda, have You heard the
dreadful news?" The girl look up
from the comfortable wicker chair
where she was reclining lazily under
the shade of the old oak on the lawn.
No, what news?" she asked, indif-
ferently, for her portly aunt's face
looked more important than Mortified,
as she stood ty her niece's side, hold
ing large white and green lined sun
bAAttNO ONtI lltl BlIG ubut.
Mrs. Chester shot her husband
and that pretty Miss Dene yesterday
afternoon, and then killed herself"
'Oh, how dreadful What made
her do it?" exclaimed Hilda, thor
ou8hly reused now, as she sat bolt
upright in her chair.
'Well, it appears that she caught
him kissing this Miss Dene, to whom
he had been engaged before he mar
ried his wife for her money. Fancy
shooting both of them like thatr'
What wicked, cruel woman, Mrs.
Chester must have been. 1t was only
yesterday morning rode over to Hill
Hall to see her new Paris dress. 1t is
quite horrible to think that / have
touched the hand of mufderess, " and
the girl gave shudder.
s4s Yes, it is, indeed! I am so yer,
sorry for their poor little daughter, but
OF course, | can never allow Jessie and
Pussie to play with her again. must
go now, for | want to write and tel
your Aunt Mary all about it. She
will be so terested--shocked |
mean, )" and she returned to the house
with that feeling of pleasurable impor.
tance we all experience when we are
the first to tell the news of some
calamity that has befallen our friends,
Left to herself Hilda sank back il
wicker chair and tried by reading
to distract her thoughts once more
but this time from thinking of the
tragedy at Hill Hall. The heat, how
ever, made her drowsy, and the paper
soon dropped on the grass from the
nerveless fingers, and the lids soon
dropped over the beautiful eyes.
Suddenly choking sensation
caught the sleeper's throat She triet
to move, but could not. Was she dy
ing-dying out there alone on thu
lawn? She felt her breath coming
quicker and quicker, her strength
ebbing faster and faster. Then sh,
seemed to lose all consciousness.
''Where was she now? Who wer