The Portland daily press., 1898-03-15
!? By JEANETTE H.WALwoRTH:
COPYRIGHT 1898, BY THE AUTHOR. \

nerseIt. The manly fellow, ever ready
to shield her, accepted the reputation
Of her child as Ellen's only hope of res
toration. to her mothers presence and
promised to care for the little one as
best he could.
"How he kept that promise you best
know" said Northcote, smiling sadly
into Jessica' s face.
She lifted misty eyes to his.
"When my father and my mother for
sock me, he took me into his tender
keeping. Did my grandmother relent?"
"She died before Ellen returned from
Mexico"
A somber silence fell between them.
Jessica broke it.
$50, then, SO far from being an or
phan, doubly orphaned by the death Of
the good man who gave me the shelter
of his name and home, I am suddenly
come into possession of father and a
mother. What am I to do with them?
I should think that poor gentle spirit up
stairs, whatever the mistakes of her
youth, might be left unmolested for the
short remnant of her days. AS for me''-
She stopped with a perplexed frown
wrinkling her forehead. care you in
Mr.. Whitney 's-in my father s-confi-
dence sufficiently to speak of his inten-
lions? l think could better stand
things from you, doctor, than from
him."
ST am sufficiently in his confidence
to believe that he will not abate one
jot or one little of what he is legally
entitled to-
''That means, said Jessica, with a
gasp, "that he can lay claim to his
daughter, to his wife and to this place,
which since Colonel Bascom's death is
the property of his sister. -
cit means all that and more" North
cotes voice was full of bitterness
"More?''
Have you forgotten Belknap?"
"No; oh, mol thought of him and
renowned him in the first stunned mo-
ments while I was trying to piece my
consciousness together so as to fully
comprehend what you were saying. OF
course that is forever out of the qUes-
tion now"
She said it with such intense quiet
ness of voice and manner that Northcote
gave her scant credit for the suffering
she was hiding behind a proud, cold ex-
terror.
"And speaking of him, doctor, would
you mind finding him and telling him
T of n0f This ,aff cy.
with him now Or indeed at any time
in the future? There is no room for dis
cussion. He is not strong enough to
stand the excitement of it. Go look for
him, please, and don't let him come to
me. I suppose later on will be able to
think. Just now can only suffer. y
Her face was so full of pain and her
efforts to bear this terrible blow were
SO pathetic that Northcote buried his
head in his arms as he stood by the
mantelpiece to shut out the sight of it.
$50, please, doctor, and thank you
for the sympathy you are showing. I
will grow used to this change, sup
pose. One more question-do you sup
pose he will insist upon seeing me to-
day?''
whitney, do you mean?''
eyes"
ST can It say. don't know. Not if I
Fan prevent it.
He seized his gloves and bolted
through the doorway, bent upon pro-
tecting her from molestation as far as
lay in his power. AS he opened the
door he found himself face to face with
Belknap. He nodded toward the study
door.
"You have left Miss-her in there?'
eyes, but she begs not to be disturb
ed"
"You have told her everything?''
81 have told her everything. -
Northcote stood with his hand on the
doorknob, barring passage. Belknap
laid one of his thin hands on the lapel
of his coat and flung him to one side
with strength born of his passion.
''Then stand aside and don't speak of
my disturbing her.
He opened the study door and closed
it behind him before DR.. Northcote had
gathered himself together again. He
stood still and listened without feeling
any of the shame Of the eavesdropper.
But the thick oal1en door held its Sc
crets well and gave no hint Of the
stormy interview passing behind it.
Belknap had gone swiftly toward the
still erectfgure sitting with face avert
ed from the door. Not even when he
leaned over the back of her chair and
called her name very tenderly did Jes-
sica show any emotion. She simply
turned cold look in his direction.
''I asked that I should not be dis
turbed today. You can have nothing to
say to me that l care to hear-aye,
nothing that can comfort you. There
cannot possibly be anything in future
in common between you and the daugh-
ter of Dennis Whitney. Go away, please,
and spare me words. I am SO tired of
them. DR.. Northcote, good man, has
been stumbling and stammering over
this miserable story for an hour"
To oo,,,o q wound II, FRONT IF hor apd