Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-03-03

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her lips. But. ut the approach of his
started up. and Sprang to the corner
of the cabin. where she stood like Il
young leopardess at bay. her face
CHASTITY. her eyes dilated. her very hair
bristling up With mingled amazemcut,
horror and defiance.
The captain dill not attempt to pur-
sue her. but sank into the chair from
which she had fled. where he remained,
studying he" With curiosity.
Who are you. ,nan%' she at length
broke forth; who are you. that dare
insult me thus? Who are you, ask?'
our slave. pretty one. if you will;
your master, whether you will or no.
"lnsclent! You are the captain Of
this ship, suppose?"
Aye-and Of you. my DEAR
Wretch! do YOU suppose that you
can insult me with impunity. Where
is my husband"
Your husband. girl? In the moon.
perhaps. certainly, not on earth. You
never had husband. my girl. Young
women of your peculiar color seldom
reach the dignity of marriage" said
the captain. coolly crossing one leg
over the other, while he took from his
pocket Il cigar. lighted it and COM
menced smoking away.
bastard. how dare you speak to me
in that style! But rest assured it shall
not go UNPUBLISHED. Colonel Greville
will hold you to a stern account for
these outrages offered to his Wife, ex-
claimed Astrea, Indignantly.
"Ha. ha! ha! was the only COM
ment
and since you are the captain OF
this ship. sir, l command you to tell
me how l was conveyed hiIher? That
was brought here through foul felony
l begin to be aware"
Come, come. Fora. enough of this
raving! said the captain, coolly puff
fing away at his c:Gar.
''Zora-?" slowly repeated the vic
tim, in amazement.
Certainly. Fora! that is your name,
is it not? or have you really forgotten
that, as we'll as your position in the
world?"
'Zora. my name is Astrea! l am
the wife of Colonel Greville, as, no
doubt, you know full well!'
MY poor girl what pity it is that
ore so young and pretty as yourself
should be the victim of such mono
mania! Try to shake it off. Zora.'
Il tell you l am not Fora! l am AS
trea de Glacie, wife Of Colonel Fulke
Greviile"'
liza ha! ha. oh. doubtless. And
tomorrow you may fancy yourself the
widow of General Napoleon Bona
parte. Try to shake off this haunting
monomania. 1t is tie remnant of your
brain fever! you were only the cham
bermaid in the steamboat that brought
Colonel and Mrs. Fulke Greville to the
island where they We're to spend their
honeymoon. Thinking the position Of
chambermaid in a steamboat unworthy
of so beautiful a girl as yourself. 1
purchased you for eight hundred dol
lars from your master. You took the
transfer rather hard. and had brain
fever, from which you are only now
recovering. In your dcliriun, you fan
cied yourself Mrs. Fulke Greyille, as
you might have fancicd yourself Mrs
Pontius PLATE, or Mrs. Julius Caesar
But 1 will help you to revover your
reason by bringing to your memory
one significant fact. Mrs. Fulke Gre
vile l came down in the same boat
with and had ample opportunity Of
Knowing. Mrs. Fulke Greville. then.
was the fairest among fair women,
with sno w complexion, golden hair
and blue eyes! And you are as dark
as Il Spaniard, With an olive skin and
jet-black hair. Come, does that bring
YOU to reaSon:"
"Oh, l know. know. some evil art
has been practiced to darken me.
can see that. For what purpose 1 do
not know. Oh. heaven. but this is
maddening! l must try to preserve
INV x~r
distjnctness the circumstances attend
Ing my loss Of consciousness! try to
bring my understanding to judge Of
these things! try to summon courage
to bear this misfortune. until l strug-
gle out of it, God helping me-" ex-
claimed Astrea clasping her temples
between her hands.
Eyes; endeavor to recover your rea-
son. my good girl. 1t is the best thing
that you can possibly do" said the cap
tain. as he arose and went on deck.
When relieved of the captains hate
fui presence, even amid the anguish
of her heart. Astrea chopped her head
upon her hands. closed her eyes, and
gave up her mind to intense thought.
Two things puzzled her-the manner
and motive Of her abduction. First,
by the severest effort of memory, she
recovered some Knowledge Of the man
ner. She now recollected distinctly
the events of that fatal night The
presertiment of evil that had over
Swallowed her mind while sitting alone
in her chamber-the dark .obed figure
that had advanced upon her from be-
hind, and that she now knew to have
been reality: her own sudden start.
and srnothered shrek: the instantane-
GUS application of the sponge filled
with chloroform to her mouth and nos
trils; her feeble resistance, that so
soon yielded to the ovcrpowering
agent: and even the silvery ringing In
her brain before she fell into insensi-
bility. All this she now remembered
with sufficient assurance to have justi-
fed her in giving testimony as to the
facts before q court. She studied out
| also, the mystery Of her sudden change
| Of complexion. She remembered that
there were certain chemical agents
that would dye the hair and stain the
skin. and knew that it must have been
through these the change was effected.
SO far. the manner of her abduction
and the means of her disguise were
perfectly clear to her. But the motive
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