Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-03-02
CHAPTER XVIII.
A CLEW.


The letter which Lola had sent back
10 her husband to explain her fight
was to him quite unintelligible, and
the more he read it the less could be
understand her motives in writing it:
Ny DEAREsT-would to God that could
still put "busbandl' But, my dearest ever and
always and everywhere. what will you say.
what will you think, when you read this anc
know that We are never more to meet on thle
earthp As ! write you have Just left me
Your kisses are still burning on my lips, your
love arming my desolale reart, your touch
lingering on my face and IN, hair, your truth
keeping me strcng in resolve 10 right you,
your words Of love singing in my ears. But
that was our last careSs. Now our love Is
nothing but a memory, and this act OF mine
may even blot out yours. You will never see
me again, Jaifray, and ! pray you never to
seek me. Between us there is a bar that moth
ing can break down, and, though am not al
together guilty toward you, am not altogeth'
er innocent would sooner have died than
have done this. It would have been so easy
lust to die in your arms, but could not take
my shame away with me, and think have
done what alone can cure some part OF the
evil that have wrought. ! cannot tell you
what it Is. pray you may never know. To
day when lay in your arms nearly told you
all, nearly opened the food gates Of all the
SORROW and the pain and the distracting trou'
bic, and lust let it all come out, but some
thing happened, word you said or a tone
thought heard, and stopped, and all was
blackness and gloom again. There Is no way
but this and no end for me but death, though
that may not be yet. One thing l ask-try
not to think i'll Of me. Never believe have
not loved you with my whole beart Never
doubt that in any wild stories which may
ever reach you either as to the past or the fu
ture. am driven to what may look like
evil and wrong and crime, remember it is only
for your sake and because there is no other
way. And now goodby, goodbyl can hard
" write for the tears which scald my eyes
All, mel The last word l shall ever say to
you'll Think, Jaffray, the last word! My heart
is as broken as my life But ! must say it
goodbyl LOLA.
The writing of the last few lines of
the letter was bleared and .blotted and
irregular where Lola had not been able
to keep her tears from running on to
the paper or to hold her hand steady as
she had penned the words.
Sir Jaffray's eyes were dim enough
as he read the letter and tried to find
some reason for what had been done.
What could it mean?
The letter was the plant Of broken
heart, and every word and syllable OF 1t
spoke to the love with which Lola loved
him.
And yet she had left him.
He sat alone battling with the prob
lem for time and trying to think what
was best to do, and when he could see
no CLEAN Of light he went out to 60 to
his mothers room, carrying the letter
in his hand.
As he was crossing the hall it &C.
Cured to him that he must give some
reason to the servants for Lola g absence,
and, ringing for her maid, he said that
she had been detained at Leycester Court
and would not be home
Then Mrs. De Witt, hearing him.
came out of the drawing room.
"Do you know I'm all alone, Magog"
she said in a bantering voice, and then,
changing her tone at sight of his face,
she asked: What is the matter? What
has happened?''
Nothing is the matter in which you
can help, thank you," he answered de-
iberately. II am sorry you are alone,
but Lola has been kept at Leycestel
Court and will not be home tonight.
am probably going over there myself.
Will you wait for few minutes in the
drawing room and I will see you pres,
ently?'
There was something in his manner
which shook all the frivolity out Of Mrs.
De Witt, and without word she went
back into the room, feeling grave and
troubled
Then Sir Jaffray went on to his
mothers room.
Mother, there is trouble. Help mt
what to think and what to do. Lola
seems to have been driven by some cause
which l cannot in the least understand
to take the desperate step of leaving tht
manor. Listen to this" And he reat
the letter.
She sat and listened in the deepes
pain and not without some twinges O.
self reproach as she read between thu
words of the letter the evidence OF
heart battling with an overwhelming
sorrow and driven in upon itself TO
lack of the helping counsel of womanl.
sympathy.
The reading of the letter left he
aol