The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-05-19

! Mr.. Priestley's Devil. 5
g X
W ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS y.


| early marriage would be to him, sne
! had not hesitated to inform him that
| though 1t might have been arrant folly
| to enter into such an engagement, II
! was sheer knavery TO break it off. The
] words stung him afresh now as he
| thought of them; but he smiled family
and bowed to her. and in spite of what
might prove to be a cold reception,
sprang forward, not with joy at the
Z sight of his uncle's half-brother's wife,
| but because. in spite of prudence, in
! spite OF everything, his heart never
| failed to stir within him whenever he
saw any one who was, perhaps, able
to give him news Of Mary Maskelyne.
Mrs Philip Molesworth saw that II
| was his intention to speak to her,
started back, as If in absolute abhor-
renee of him, put her hand up as If
to defend herself from his approach
| and before ne had recovered his self
| possession, gave her coachman the sig
nal to drive on, and was gone. Ed
ward Maskelyne did not find it easy to
recover the shock of this.
1t was three years since he had done
the thing which she was so bitterly
resentng now, and even after the
storm and stress of their last interview
she had assured him that she should
| always remember that she was his
uncle's half-hrother's wife, and that
though she did not wish to see him,
she would, as a devout Catholic, strive
not 20 think unkindly of him. Why
had her indignation gathered 10 itself
such an extraordinary accession OF
strength? "How terribly unforgiVing
middle-aEed female relations can be!
Dear Mary forgave me at once" he
thought. lie was disappointed now, as
well as hurt. for he had not heard
Mary's name for more than year. He
had never been in Ireland since they
had parted and though his old aunt
wrote him a letter now and then, she
always studiously avoided naming her
niece. His answers to these letters
had been generally somewhat short;
he had little time or inclination for let
ter-writing, but whenever he thought
of Mary it was of the sweetest and
dearest woman he had ever known,
and he was sometimes even pleased to
regard himself as an object of pity for
having been obliged to give her up.
He had, however. had very little time
to think of her at all. for ever since
| he had last seen her he had been Swal-
lowed up in work. II had not been un-
| profitable work. Thanks perhaps TO
{ Mr.. priestley. he had made his way in
his professiOn-he had got into parlia-
: ! ment. and only the night before had
made a speech which had Qt was said
: electrified the house. He had made the
most brilliant speech Of the session.
| Five minutes before he had been a
happy man. and now all joy had van
shed because an ill"tempered old wo-
! man had looked on him with abhor-
= | renee. And yet, far away in a corner.
into which he had huddled it was u
{ thing which he was much too busy to
L attend to-he had a conscience. which
told him now what ii was always try
ing 10 tell him, that he had done what
: | everyone must view with adherence.
t It was true. and he knew it; but
| Mary had forgiven him, and he thought
that everyone else had. Busy men
1 have no time to go about collecting tho
t opinions of outlying members of their
= family as to their conduct, and now
t this black looking woman, who. after
all, was only his uncle's half brothers
{ | Wife
"Maskelyne. my dear fellow, what on
o earth is the matter?" exclaimed a
:, pleasant old brother NJ. p. You ought
to be almost off your head with delight.
| and there you are standing by the
!, kerb- stone as if you We're thinking that
= one plunge into the dark and Suller
G river flowing at your feet would end
! your misery"
|, IT'S all because my uncle's half
t brothers ugly old wife has just cut me
). dead" said Maskelyne, smiling Bit
n terly.
I "But why in the name of all that's
k sensible are you not at this moment
o with somebody's sweet young sister
some girl who is willing TO be your
n wife i mean? You shouldn't look like
t that, You should be thinking OF the
= girl who loves you and who at this
Il very moment is no doubt, sitting with
G her checks all afiame and eyes al
aglow. reading what every paper in the
Y country is saying of you"
t perhaps | am thinking of her."
g thinking of her! What's the use OF
t thinking of her" Go TO her and enjoy
your success with her-there's no suct
II way of enjoying il as that. BY JoVel
q what would ] not give to he able 4
o make such speech as you did? What
IL would any of us not give? Come along
{ If you are going to the club, I'll have
y the distinction of walking with you
II am going to my chambers"
Y "Not to brood over your half-unCle's
- deceased Wfe's sister--that's what she
t was, wasn't it?--passng YOU by with
l out speaking, | hope. Why did she dc
| that, ] wonder? No young woman
i would have done it,. FAREWELL
e why did she do it?" Maskelyne be-
i gan to wonder, too, for she was much
! more bitter against him now than "a
first, and she had promised, as de-
e vout Cathoic--he and al his family
Were CatholCs-to Try To think kindly
r of him. "She knows that ] am com
y paratiVeIy rich nov, / suppose, anC
I feels that it's my duty 10 go back u
Mary and ask her to be my wife, and
V after all-perhaps that's true"
= lie went to his chambers, Peoplt
. We're waiting for hm--work was wait.
: ing for him too. He got rid of the peo'
pie, but had more difficulty with tho
work, 1t had not occurred to him be-
., fore thar he was now able Ia marry
N He sat thinking for hours, and srill tbs
:, burden of his thought was, what shall
F, it profit me il L gain the whole worlC
:, and lose the one thing that would make
y life happy" A half formed resolution
had already found place in his mind
. when a letter from Ireland was put
into his hand. II had been addressed
- by a servant, and when ne opened II
:, he wished that she had penned the let
y ter too. The writing was most extra
= ordinary--it looked more like a sketcl
Of a quick-set hedge in midwinter thar
anything else. At first he could SCI
/ mn 4,