Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-07-18
CHAPTER ".

panied her niece to her chambeE. She
dismissed the drowsy maid. and herself
undressed the girl and sat beside her
bed for some moments. Her own
nervousness seemed to have taken u
little flight into the realm OF gratiffed
vanity over having aided famous de-
tective in a most important inveStiga.
ton. When Dorothy seemed quie1er
she rose and went softly 10 her own
room.
Dorothy found herself alone. There
was an awful solemnity about the ar.
tistic chamber with its high ceiling dee
GRATED with figures that seemed TO rise
from their somber background nand
peer at her through the subdued light.
The passage of vehicles on the street
below was now markedly infrequent.
The girl judged that it was about three
o'clock. The moonlight. chill and
ghostlike. fell in through a window.
''It is no USE" cried the girl. Il can
see no hope for him. Oh. God help
mel"
She rose, and, drawing on a wrapper.
and thrusting her feet into slippers,
she went to her writing desk in corner
aud sat down. For moment she
leaned her head on her folded arms and
her lips moved mutely. Then she
opened the desk, and from secret
drawer took out a package OF letters
and began to peruse them. She was
searching for evidence with which to
subdue the horrible fear that was TAX
ing root in her consciousness. AS she
laid each note aside voiceless convic-
ton cried out in her heart. One OF the
letters she held before her long and
steadily, while her beautiful eyes dis
tended and her breath almost ceased.
1t contained some passages which had
suddenly risen before her minds eye
during the talk in the drawing-room.
They ran as follows:
'"Then there are times. darling. when ra :.
! tionality seems to desert me, leaving me
little more than a man with the furious In
stincts of goaded animal. It IS almost
more than can bear--to think feel. know,
| that your whole soul Is mine and yet that
/ we must part because it would beggar you
| to link your fate with mine. In the face OF
| all this, when / meet the mantle human
| barrier to our happiness-I become YER
| table savage.
"The other night at Harley's stag din
| ner a man rose and drank to you and him,
| and offered congratulations Caruthers
| was manly enough to admit that there was
no positive engagement. but he said It was
! tacitly the same thing. Then fellow
| spoke up and said: OF course, It's settled
| Caruthers. The woman never has been
| born who could refuse to marry man at q
| sacrifice Of ten millions In hard cash.
"The whole party. excepting myself,
drank-drank to you and him. While they
were getting up left the room. l thought
1 was unnnoticed, but he had his malicious
eye on me and grinned knowingly. AS !
looked back and saw his haunting face
horrible idea crept into my brain. Knowing
that you dcspise him, and that they Will
eventually bend your spirit to the ordeal
of marriage to him, it flashed into my
head that if he were to fall dead where he
stood you would be free-we would be lil,-
| Grated. Later another thought came-that
| if he were to fall by my hand, and even +
had to give up my life In consequence, you
| would secure your inheritance and in the
| end would find happiness. Pardon me, dar-
| ling, but I am beside myself to-day. Ban
| tinni hates him as cordially as do. can
detect that in his constant illusions to the
| will. And / am sorry for Bantinni, be-
| cause he is suffering also. l have never
| liked him before, but love to hear him de-
nounce my rival. 1t is sweet music to my
| ear, and the count sees the injustice to me
| in it ALL"
The girl did not finish the letter. She
| was convinced now of her lovers guilt.
| Again her head dropped downward till
| It rested on her cold arms. She told
herself that Indirectly she was to blame
for it all. She had really intended to
| throw the inheritance to the winds
rather than cruelty the purest yearn-
| ing of her soul and drag the man she
adored down into the dregs of despair,
and she bitterly reproached herself for
not at once acquainting him with that
secret resolve. She had refrained only
at the earnest request Of her solicitors.
who begged for time to investigate the
| legal status of the matter before she
acted, and she had allowed them and
her aunt to overpersuade her, and
| now
She tried to sob out the awful agony
pent up within her, but her eyes re-
manned dry, her torture became more
| and more severe. She rose, and with
her hands clasped behind her neck and
her head drawn downward she began
to pace to and fro. Near the door she
walked into the arms of Mrs. Winfret.
ooh, darlng!" cried that lady. II
thought you were asleep"
"For Gods sake don't talk to met"
The girl ground the words between her
teeth.
Mrs. Winfret put her hands on the
girls shoulders, and turned her rigid
face to the light. 1t was as if Mrs. Win
fret were afraid that single word from
! her would evoke another outburst, for
she said not word.
''Oh, aunt" escaped the girls white
lips, 81 cannot bear tt simply can
| not!"
The elderly lady released her niece
and sat down.
"You believe Arthur Gielow did It,"
she said, slowly and distinctly. "Well,
am afraid so. too. Poor fellow! be
must have been out of his senses, but it
Is a disgrace to bring your name before
the world in such an outrageous man