Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-06-07
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Rv John STRANGE WINTER.

few months Wnen ne seI Out oh 9ae
Arikhama's last i'll fated voyage, it will
easily be understood that his anxiety to
have news Of his wife was overpower-
ing. The captain and crew of the Live
ly Jeanie, however, were not able to
satisfy him on this point. but they sail
ed the following day for Melbourne, and
Captain Conway will set sail for home
Immediately on arrival at that port.
So she knew the worst, and worse
than the worst could not be- So all her
new found happiness had fallen about
her ears like house Of cards All was
at an end.
She sat there, still holding the paper,
staring with wild eyes round the luxu-
rious room. So her happiness had all
come to an end. Her radiant life was
over. She who had been for three bless
ed years Alan Stacey's honored and de-
voted wife must be outcast-outcastl
She repeated the word over and over
again to herself. as if to try by repeti
tion to din its meaning into her bewil-
dered brain Could it be trueS Yes
That heading still stared at her-"Sur-
vivors of the Arikhama. She had read
the account There was Edward Con-
ways name. 1t was all true-tco true.
And up stairs. i'll and PROSTATE, lay the
man who had come to be all the world
to her. the man who had taken her.
Door and alone as she was. and made
her the mistress of his heart and Of his
home. And he was ignorant She would
have to tell him-to tell him that she
was not his wife. to tell him that she
was the wife and not the widow of the
man who had bought her with a price,
who had outraged her, who had struck
her.
And he had told that story of how he
had been only few months married to
young wife She wondered bitterly
whether he had told them that he had
so far forgotten his marriage VOWS that
be had struck the young wife in those
early days of their marriagef Three
years-three years-three wholly bless
ed years without one sad thought, with
out one harsh word, without one regret,
three years of pure and unalloyed hap
piness. Well, she would always have
that to look back to. Perhaps she ought
not to grumble or to be surprised that
fate had been minded to bring her hap
piness to an end. 1t was like the regis
tration of sunshine in London. Some
people got little happiness filtered out
in driblets over long.life of great dull
ness. She had had three blessed years
of glory. and now the time would be all
gray, like London fog. She had regis
tered three years of sunshine, and, like
poor London, she must put in the aver
age of mist and fog.
She sat for some little time longer.
indeed until John came to clear the ia
BILE. Then, from some woman's instinct
of hiding the tragedy through which
she was passing, she rose and carried
the paper to the fire and stood there
reading an account of the fancy dress
ball given by the lady mayoress of Lon
don-aye, and reading it attentively.
They had been present thereat. Her
dress was described-her dress and
Alan s-almost side by side with the
words which told of the rescue Of the
survivors of the Arikhama.
Then John betook himself away, and
she was once more left alone. She form
ed no plans, her dazed brain refused to
take in anything more than the stern
and bare facts. Edward Conway was
alive-on his way home-eager and
anxious to find her And she was here.
in the old Fulham house, masquerade
ing to the world as Alan Stacey's hon
ored wifel
And Alan would have to be told He
would have to see the papers; he would
have to decide where she was to go
what she was to do, how she could best
hide herself from the monster who had
legal right over her.
She was still sitting there. when II
strokes of the clock warned her that the
morning was passing - when they
should have warned her. for Mary did
not move from her place beside the fire
Then smart housemaid came in with
q message.
"Please, ma am. master is much bet
ter, and if you have quite done with
the paper he would be glad if you would
send it up stairs to him.