The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-24

| ing hand she wrote those words winch
gave you into my living one She wrote
to me, asking me 20 forgive her for having
| taken you from me and telling me that
| need not bear sher malice any more-that
her life had been hell. and that she was
| dying now of poison-poison administered
| to her with devilish cunning by you-her
husband"
Great God can this be true?'
Can il be true-you know It Is true. I
have her letter still but tomorrow, unless
you give up this girl, 1 will read. it pub
| hcly as you stand at the altar. I will stop
the wedding. and I will tell them why"
Hugh Folkard when he realized the
| truth, staggered and fell into a chair.
| This, then, was the secret of his broth
ers mysterious disappearance. His broth
er had poisoned his wife and had after
wards fed terror stricken and left no trace
| behind.
But gradually he recovered himself, and
/ with an effort rose to his feet again.
"Miss-AIiss Hearne" he said, 81 am go
] ing to be perfectly honest. with
| you. Whether the unfortunate lady
| was poisoned 1 cannot say. She
may have thought she was.
| Knowing nothing of the facts l cannot
| form an opinion-she may have been under
the impression she was and that's now l
/ prefer to look at the matter. l cannot
| on the evidence of a letter written under
such circumstances believe that my broth
| er was a murderer"
"Your brotherr'
| Yes my brothern
81 expected you would be prepared with
some such story as this exclaimed Violet
| Hearne, but you have not arranged the
| details at all ceverly. When l met you
at the masked ball and called you Frank
Marden your didn't explain my mistake
theneby saying he was your brother. You
| pretended that you had never heard of
| such a person"
IT didn't know of his existence then"
Indeed, that Is strange, isn't 1t? Frank
Marden is your brother, his father was
| your father, your mother was his mother
and you suddenly remember his existence
when you are charged with being Frank
Marden yourself. And If you are brothers
| isn't it rather odd that your name isn't
| Marden, too2'
Hugh hesitated How could he trust this
woman with the buried secret of his faith
er's life-with his dead mothers honor.
She noticed his hesitation and drew her
own inference from it.
| He recovered himself a little. Miss
Hearne,' he said. II assure you that
am speaking the truth. We ourselves, my
| father and l. do not know what has be-
| come of Frank. Since my fathers return
| from India he has been advertising for
his son in the English papers You who
| are so interested In finding Frank must
| have noticed Them
"Oh, yes, I saw the advertisements, ana
1 quite understood them They were
probably inserted by you with an excellent
| object, to make me believe that Frank
Marden had disappeared or was dead.
knew better than that Frank Marden
| is here In this room now. His secret is
safe with me SO long as he does not make
another woman his wife. The girl you are
going to marry is rich. She might die,
too and leave you ricn and free again.
"Then you absolutely refuse to believe
| me- Is there no way in which can con-
vince you of your error. Will you see my
/ father-he rs here In London. I will fetch
| him If you like and you shall remain here
mo 1 don't trust you now. don't know
who you might bring to me as your father.
Some one probably quite prepared to in
| dorse every word of your little romance"
Then what will you do?"
81 have told you-nothing If you will
give that girl up. But if you marry her
| / will keep my word and place this letter
in the hands of the police"
cone word" S1n
mo, have nothing further to say
The girl gave him one glance half of
pity, half of contempt, and before Hugh
| had recovered himself sufficiently to plead
| to her again she was gone.
| Hugh Folkard sank back into a chair
and gazed vacantly at the space before
him. What was to be done. The first
! thing was TO tell his father at once. He
must decide. This woman might hesitate
| to keep her threat, but if she did keep
1t, the whole story would have to be told.
With a heavy heart he set out for the
home of the girl who tomorrow was to
be his bride.
| There were many inquiries as to the ma
! ture of the business which had detained
| MIN, but he fenced with The questions and
he said nothing till he and his father were
on their road home to his chambers.
Then he told his father all that had hap
pened Col Folkard was Mortified His
! worst fears were confirmed But on the
point of telling Madge he was firm. She
must know. She must know everything,
| horrible as it was, and he himself would
| tell her in the morning
At O'Clock the following morning the
old Colonel went to the brides house and
asked to see her. Pale and trembling,
| wondering what such a strange visit
might mean Madge came down to him.
and then with a great effort he told her
what had brought him there.
When he had finished it the young girl
looked up at him with tears in her eyes
and said. Tell Hugh he can wait for me
at the altar. 1 shall be there, at the ap-
pointed time
The people who assembled to witness
the marriage of Hugh Folkard and Madge
| Hetherington, noticed that the bridegroom
was almost as pale as the bride, and that
the bridegroom's father was strangely
/ nervous. One or two shrugged their
shoulders and whispered to each other
that the principal parties seemed anything
! but happy. When the clergyman COM
menced the marriage service Hughs heart
| almost stood still. Was the woman there
what would she say-what would she
! do?
He was not long in doubt. Hardly had
the first few words of the service been
read when a womans voice rang across
| the church. 1t only said one word, Stop
but the effect was electrical. Several
/ women gave a stifled scream, the men
started, and every eye was turned in the
direction from which the sound proceeded.
| The bride would have tainted and fallen
to the ground had not the Colonel caught
her in his arms. Hugh gripped his hands
nervously together. and with a quiverng
! lip whispered TO the clergyman.
I'VE will go into the vestry," then tax
/ inc fha hriHa from his fafharsc arn, he