Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1898-12-09
CHAPTER XIV

her beautiful face white with fear and
II ap9eri -. 49, sees; =. sos, Z.
\: @aniowsvdoaysou d~aresss,she. nnssvefed;
nc soa?Ss' /: viii isar LSfd sslMya. You
are mad! YOU mus. b!e driven away from
here; you are mady!:: .x,- 81 4 so {.
T., II: aaf saiiesonough.' yBeatrice Leigh.
Sane senodg h 20 know WIS: ykou..haye.st6ten
that bottle....r .HsaSe1:. Watched oyer RUPERT
S&lwysH, or xoa! MWontfd.hSS;vss,sl9ip him. You
4 had murder in youESGeayt.wleM yoN:took
it, a&ase.crud' murder! .@You hate him
becattse no stands between your. chfld,,and
sclwyn Castle. Vol hate hin because he
is the son Of the woman you tainted, and
prosecuted. and drove forth tosdeath. You
j irlte:him because. the husband you have
Won by-false. means loves him. You hate
him; and YOU have said to yourself that
he shall diev.
1T is falsc-ali falsc!" said Lady Bea-
trice. Ill, thought that medicine too
strong for him. and did not care to dis
tHurt him by; going into the room. If you
think 1 am wrong, take it back and give
it to. him."
81 will. take it back" said Mrs. Rivers;
but none the less did you mean to murder
my only son" y
..'ro murder whom:" cried my lady; and
then the two women stood, tall, erect, and
stately, looking-with scorching eyes-at
each other. ; "
"My son. repeated the clear voice.
lyon want to kill him. If he were left
in your power. you would kill him. To
save his life I do that which 1 would not
have done for. any other human object. I
claim hihf!'$ '~
You do 'wtnt?, asked my lady, with a
II claim him." was the calm reply, "for
he is minc."'
"Yours!' she cried. "In the name of
heaven, who are you:''
Can you not guess. Beatrice? Whom
did you to~rture?-whom did you perse-
cutc?-whom did you taunt day and
night? From whom did you steal the love
of husband, the esteem of friends? From
whom did you take every earthly joy. ev-
cry earthly pleasure-even the light Of
heaven itself? Answer me that"
She could not: she had grown whittier
and whiter-she had crouched lower and
lower until she knclt now-her scared
face buried in her hands.
did not the life of the mother content
yong continued the clear voice; Unjust
you take the life of the child? You-a
woman-to dream of murder!-to let hot
hate. hot anger. cruel jealousy, drive you
to this! Ask pardon from heaven, Bea-
tricc Leigh: for most assuredly, had Prov
idence not watched over my son, you
would have slain him."
"Your SON." cried Lady Beatrice, rising
suddenly and standing before her. I'm
the name of heaven, who are you?"
81 am his mother-Violante Selwyn!'
A low, mocking, scornful laugh wal the
only answer.
II repeat it, eachoed the clear voice;
II am his mother-violante Selwyn."
you are speaking falsely!" cried Lady
Beatrice. What does this %play-acting,
this absurd ranting mean? You are most
surely mad. Lady Violante Selwyn-the
low-born woman who invcigled my noble
husband into marrying hers dead. I
saw her dead: l saw her buried; she lies
far away in Florence"
NAY" interrupted the clear voice, "she
is here! Look well at me; do you not
know my face? Do you not know my
voice? Do you want further proof? .See!'
'Thcn, with calm, quiet hands that had
ceased to tremble, she removed the wild
ow's cap, the false hair that hadrso effec-
tually disguised her, and then. when Bea-
trice saw the soft golden ctlrls clustering,
short, and wavy, she uttered allow cry,
rs though she stood face to face with a
specter.
"Have you risen from tile dead?' she
asked.
1.-The dead never RETURN" was the grave
reply. do you believe now that | am
violante Selwyn?
"You did it all for this one hour OF
vengeance and of triumph" said Bea.
trice.
ut is not so! You have tried to kill nv
son, and my heart is full Of Indignation,
Of sorrow, and Of anger; but believe me,
for the disgrace I have u%nthinkingly and
unconsciously brought down upon you
head, I am sorry-sorry with my whole
soul. I would kneel to beg your forgive.
ness for it; l would do anything to atone
for it,"
"Disgrace!" cried Beatrice. "Oh, heay.
en-! that any. living woman should use
that word to met"
Her tall figure was drawn to it's utmost
height, her dark eyes flashed fire.
II have to thank the plotting, low-born
, daugpter of a country attorney that 1,
Beatrice Leigh, am disgraced!" she cried
: that l have lived for six years with the
man l lovt yet am not his wife; that /
: have borne q child who has no right to its
fathers nanes' TT is to.you 1 owe it!'
The fair head dropped before her un.
> at is all my fault SAID ry.iolaSnte meek.
! ly. Would that I could bear hespunish.
; ment Alone" a ss,X go:
: at is your fault" said BsSy&iees Isle
: drew herself up with acknowledgement
queen. She raised herAsap13VAme ARM
as though appealing to M~dshi9heBtst ri:!
bunal. "Listen!" she cried. xaYou,hat.
e outwitted me. You have triumpnedA.byes
me. / curse you! I curse the fair beauty
Of your face; I would fain trample It out
: Sleeping, waking, eating, weeping. laugh.
t ing, I curse you, Violante Selwyn. and
hate you"
) violante made no attempt to stay tn.
passionate torrent of words.
:.