Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-10-05
CHAPTER X.

Those are they which follow the Lamb whittier.
! socver he goeth.
When DIR. Bruce and the bishop en-
tered the Sterling mansion, everything
in the usually well appointed household
I was in the greatest confusion and ter
ror The great rooms down stairs were
empty, but overhead were hurried foot
steps and confused noises One Of the
servants ran down the grand staircase
with a look Of horror on her face just
as the bishop and DR.. Bruce were start
ing to 90 mp
Miss Felicia is with Mrs. Sterling
the servant stammered in answer TO
question and then burst into a hyster-
ical cry and ran through the drawing
room and ont Of doors.
At the top of the staircase the two
men were met by Felicia.
She walked mp to DR.. Bruce at once
and put both hands in his. The bishop
laid his hand on her head, and the three
stood there moment in perfect silence
The bishop had known Felicia since
she was child. He was the first to
break silence.
1.-THE God Of all mercy be with you,
Felicia, in this dark hour. Your moth
err
The bishop hesitated. Ont of the
buried past he had during his hurried
passage from his friend $ house to this
house of death irresistihly drawn the
one tender romance of his young man
hood. Not even Bruce knew that. But
there had been time when the bishop
had offered the incense of a singularly
undivided affection upon the altar of
his youth to the beautiful Camilla
Rolfe, and she had chosen between him
and the millionaire The bishop carried
no bitterness with his memory, but it
was still a memory
For answer to the bishops unfinished
query Felicia turned and went back
into her mothers room. Sl.c> had not
said a word yet, but both men were
struck with her wonderful calm. She
returned to the hall door and beckoned
to them, and the two ministers, with a
feeling that they were about to behold
something very unusual, entered.
Rose lay with her arms outstretched
on the bed; Clara, the nurse, sat with
her head covered, sobbing in spaspls of
terror, and Mrs. Sterling, with 1.-The
light that never was on sea or land
luminous on her face, lay there so still
that even the bishop was deceived at
first Then as the great truth broke
upon him and DR.. Bruce he staggered,
and the sharp agony of the old wound
shot through him. 1t passed and left
him standing there in that chamber of
death with the eternal calmness and
strength that the children of God have
right TO possess, and right well he
used that calmness and strength in the
days that followed.
The next moment the house below
was in tumult. Almost at the same
time the doctor, who had been sent for
at once, but lived some distance away,
came in, together with police officers
who had been summoned by the fright
ened servants. With them were four or
five newspaper correspondents and sew
eral neighbors. Dr. Bruce and the
bishop met this miscellaneous crowd al
the head of the stairs and succeeded in
ence was necessary With these the two
friends learned all the facts ever known
about "the Sterling tragedy" as the
, papers in their sensational accounts
next day called it.
, Mr. Sterling had gone into his room
, that evening about O'clock and that
was the last seen of him until in hall
an hour a shot was heard and a servant
who was in the hall ran into the room
and found the owner Of the house dead
on the floor, killed by his own hand.
Felicia at the time was sitting by her
mother. Rose was reading in the Ii
brary. She ran up stairs. saw her father
, as he was being lifted upon the couch
by the servants and them ran screaming
into her mother room. where she flung
herself down on the foot Of the bed in
swoon. Mrs. Sterling had at first
tainted at the shock, then rallied with
wonderful swiftness and sent mes
senger to call DIR. Bruce. She had then
insisted on seeing her husband. In spite
, of Felicia, she had compelled Clara and
the housemaid, terrified and trembling,
w SNIPOib NliIc -liO 'ipS''t phc
hall and entered the room where her
husband lay. She bad looked upon him
} with fearless race, bad gone back into
her own room, was laid on the bed. and
as DIR. Bruce and the bishop entered the
< house she, with prayer of forgiveness
for herself and her husband on heI
quivering lips, had died, with Felicia
3 bending over her and Rose still lying
r senseless at her feet.
; So great and swift had been the en-
f trance of grim death into that palace
f of luxury that Sunday night, but the
3 full cause of his coming was not known
= until the facts in regard to Mr. Ster'
ling's business affairs were finally dis
closed
0 Then it was learned that for some
! time he had been facing financial ruiz
! owing to certain speculations that hac
l in months time swept his supposed
= wealth into complete destruction. Will
n the cunning and desperation of mar
o who battles for his very life. when he
n saw his money, which was all the life
o he ever valued, slipping from him he
Q had put off the evil day to the last mo-
: ment Sunday afternoon, however, he
A had received news that proved to hin
o beyond doubt the fact of his utter