Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-12-01
CHAPTER VII. ccontlnued.)

feeling that she must control herself
at any cost and learn the worst at
once. And, though she could find no
words wherewith TO answer Toms
well meant approximations, one look of
her dazed eyes silenced him as effect
ually as the most eloquent utt rance.
At length, after what seemed to Grac
an interminable time. the doctor said,
in a hushed and sympathetic voice:
81 will not conceal from you that
there Is danger here-the gravest and
the greatest; but / think that-at
least, for the ~present-we m~ay-hope.'
An overpower,ng silence followed
the announcement. the words, however,
falling like a death-knell on at least
one listeners ears. Then the stiffness
was broken by a light, rustlinG sound,
and. turning. they saw thar Grace had
slipped gently to the ground and lay
there in a swoon.
Tom Carlton. who was nearest.
would have raised her, but Vincent
pushed him almost savagely aside and
gathered her in his own strong arms.
"Poor thing, the shock has been too
much for herr the doctor murnured,
with suave sympathy. "Well, such
cases are always terrible, and the pa
tient is, perhaps. the young lady's-'
mo, no" Tom interrupted, rudely.
and certainly not knowing what he
contradicted. THE lady is Mrs. Erie"
The doctor smiled and settled his
glasses, with the air of a nan who is
never offended and rarely surprised by
anything he either sees or hears.
a. E
And IL he should liver Ruth asked,
looking away from her sister.
"My duty is to him." Grace replied,
in her quiet, steadfast fash on; bat the
face Ruth could not now endure to
look upon grew dark with cruel pain.
Three weeks had passed since the
night of Herbert Sankey's reappear-
ance. He lay lowering between life
and death, speechless, and con cious
apparently only of pain, nnrsed with
absolute devotion by the wife who had
%innocently wronged him, but 10 whom
his return meant ruin and shame.
There had been no wed Ing, to Mrs.
Leger's infinite and angry disgust.
Ruth had insisted that the Whole trag-
ic story should be tcld to Lady Caro-
line, without softer ing or amendm NJ,
and had resisted her lovers c~ntreaties
TO let a private union take the place of
the public celebration to which the
whole neighb5rhood he'd previously
been hidden. All festivities Were, of
course, out Of the question.
81 will not leave Grace row. | " II
not desert her even for YOU" she told
her lover. "%If-you care for me Wien
all this agony is past
"If I care for your the young man
exclaimed, almost beside himself with
disappointment and pain. "You are
cruel, Ruth; but'-with a great gulp
and with reluctant submission-"per-
haps you are right!'
A smile like sunshine was the re-
ward of this admission, and the girl
raised her sweet lips to receive her low
er's ardent kiss.
at am right, Tom,' she Whispered.
softly. s.Grace has only me, and |
could not leave her now. But you VII
tell Lady Caroline, and let me know
what she says!'
With n heavy sigh her lover prom
ised to fulfill her wish, although his
heart misgave him as the result OF TIE
commission. He knew his mothers
violent prejudices and quiet, immova-
BILE pride, and although she had never
told him, in so many words that his
present choice was d~isagreeable to
her. her silence had left him very little
doubt ON that point. If she had OBJ
jccted to Ruth Leger simply because
she was q nobody. bow much more
would her opposition strengthen when
a d~lsagreeable notor.ety attached TO
one Of her family?
Oppressed by thoughts like these,
Tom rode gloomily homeward. His
own purpose was fixed and unaltera-
BILE: his love Cor his spirited little
sweetheart was only strengthened by
the pity and tender reverence h a
mingled with it now. But, at the same
time, he was an affectlonate son. and
he shrank, with a dull, forebodlng pa n
from the conflict he foresaw.
she will be cold and disagrceable;
then my little Ruth's pride will be up
In arms. and / shall be fairly torn In
two between them he thought, de-
spondently. as he dismountel at the
gates of the Hall; then he prccee led
TO his mothers room. with the des err
nte courage of a man lcaIing a f~erlorn
hope.
Lady Caroline was quick TO notice
the trouble in her sons usually CHEEKY
face, and. coupling IL with the lateness
of his return. jumped TO the conclusiCn
that something IA wrong ut RIVE
View. The thought softened her. ard
she gree,eG him with much more than
her ordinary warmth of manner.
"My dear Tom; il is past midnight.
I was growing quite uneasy about
your
She smiled. but there was a question
ing look in her eyes: and, meeting their
keen glance, Mr.. Carlton seated him
self on the stool at her feet, as he had
been wont to do In the days of his boy
fish troubles, and said, much in the
same as he had tEen:
Don't scold, MOTHER anu too
wretcLcd TO defend myself tonight
"wrotched.r IIer ladyship echoed
the word with an incredul0us laugh.
brushing the fair hair hack from h +
sons frank face. MY boy, you must
be dr0aming-or Is Ruth Ill.,
If iherc was a tirge Of sarcasm in
the last words, Tom Carlton did not
heed 1t, and no answered, hurriedly:
"No--Ruth Is well: but there is sore
trouble at River View. and there will