The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-06-04
CRU Ell
AS
THE CRAVE
The Secret of DunraVen
Castle.
BY ANNIE ASHMORE,
Author of faithful Margaret" Etc, Etc
CHAPTER XIX.-Continued.

half unconscious, and he ventured to re-
lax his jailer grasp, and to lay her in a
more easy pos ton along the seat
He bent over her with a fierce and
dreaming ecstasy. Oh, II those blue
heavenly eyes would only unclose and
look into his with timid glance, in
which he might read dasping tender
ness! how patiently he would fan the
flame, how delicately he would defer to
her girlish caprices, how light his chain
shou d be until he had won her whole
sweet hea.t.
For without her heart he cou'd not be
content, so mighty was his love for her.
Alas! if he had only been good man
he could have taught her to adore him.
Not many minutes passed thus, the
carriage tearing along the silent coun-
try road, and Loveday lying eXhausted
then she recovered the use of her facul-
ties.
She evolved the situation, still lying
with closed eyes, the loathing recipient
OF her fierce lover rhapsodics; she re-
membered that they had entered the
carriage so hastily that the coachman
had not closed the door for them; 1t
must be still possible to open it from the
inside then
They seemed to be flying over the
ground yet il she must attempt to es-
cape-with her life If possible-but If
not
Loveday's heart cried OFT to God; she
know it might be her last prayer! she
thought then OF her own adored Au-
boron; ah never would he know how
sweetly she loved him. and OF her beau
tiful mother, whose one bright Joy she
was; and two bitter tears gushed from
under her eyelids and glittered like dia-
monds In the brilliant moonbeams.
"fou are conscious, my own love, my
wite!" murmured Accrington in her ear.
"And life brings only tears to you. wait.
shall soon teach you happiness"
She bounded, with all her gathered
strength, against the carriage door; as
she had foreseen, it yielded to her pres
sure and she fell headlong almost ross
the flashing wheels, but Accrington
caught her in time. and would have pin
Toned her against his breast, uttering
passionate entreaties that she would
yield to what was now inevitable.
But Loveday was driven to despera-
ton; she must-she would escape this
demon-man, If she lost her life in the
attempt She struggled fercely; she
seemed possessed OF supernatural
had wr, nched free the next moment; IL
he grasped her by the waist, she writhed
down between his arms and his breast;
and all the while the carriage door
swung to and fro against the wheels,
and he cou d find no moment in which
to secure it.
Long ago the crumpled paper had
fallen from his hand and lay on the
floor close by the omen door
In all her frenzy of teri or, Loveday
never forgot that paper: and when she
writhed downward she caught 1t up and
held it in death grip
Accrington had forgotten it.
"Loveday." he said at last; "there is
no use in this. will not give you up to
Auberon Crecy--no, not if | have totake
your sw ct life to prevent it,"
"You may murder me-" painted the
poor quakin2 child; | suppo you wi |;
bJt-I will not go another step with you
of my own will"
And with that she almost succeeded in
springing out of the carriage.
Having secured her once more, Ac-
crington CHANGED to glance through the
rear window. Then it was that Love-
day saw look on his face that chilled
her hearts blood.
They had talked of murder, but his
eye, in it's strange gaze, now meant it.
He drew a pistol, he grasped her firmly
he placed the cold tube against her
temple, holding her head as in wise
Loveday raised her wide frightened
eyes full to his; he pored over their
agohized entr atty, their sweet wild won.
der and anguish that, after all his love.
he could take her happy life away!
Z His hand shook-his teeth chartered;
then he rem embered that Auberon Crecy
was close behind in pursuit.; and ieal-
ousy, cruel as the grave, possessed him.
"You shall be mine, or no mans"
cried he with a burst of insane laughter:
"come to your bridal, the grave; you
first, my dear: | shall follow close"
Her agOnized eyes, riveted upon his,
and cat hing every new thought, dis
covered his last fatal intent just In time.
As his finger pressed the trigger, Love-
day dashed up her arm, the pts oil was
struck from his hand and exploded as it
fell she ba one glimpse of Accring-
toms fierce white face and maniac eyes;
then came a dreadful warning vel! from
the coachman oBtSide-the CARA
rocket from side to sde-swayed and
topped overland she flung herself to-
ward the open door.
When the appal ing tumult had died
away, the grinding crash of glass and
metal on the finty verge, the heart sick
en'ng scream of terrified horse, the
dull moan of human agony, and all was
still under the bright moonlit sky, Love-
day lifte her cared eyes to meet two
ewes full OF gentle love keeping watch
over her. and her frozen heart Logan to
beat against the warm clasp:ng arms of
Auberon Crecy.
For they two stood alone upon the
brink of the fatal abyss where her guilty
lover had gone down to his death.
~But what is this you have so con-
vulsively grasped in your hand, love?"
asked Auberon, when he could return to
the shrddering and weeping girl, from
the monrnfu duty OF dispatching some
men who were attracted to the spot, to
descend the ravine and examine the
wreck.
SO dazed was she that she had TO
smooth out the crumDled enve oDe and J