Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1899-11-17
shall but draw us the more closely to.

nor race.
"Gladic plotting against us; it cannot
possibly be. She loves me, Cyril"
Then the A'cry bravery of despair came
to the unhappy woman whose passions
had wrecked her own life.
Nay. / do not love you, Lenore. I
have never loved you. l have hated you
always, because you We're more beloved
IMAM L. have been our enemy always,
never your friend. | have loved your
husband. though. with all the strength of
my soul. and nave hated YOU for taking
him from me-"
Hush, Glade; those are dreadful
WORDS said Lenore.
ways; his love has been the crown. the
bane. the evil, the joy, the curse and the
blessing of my life. LII he would have
loved me. l should have been as good,
nay. better than Others arc; he might
have made an angel of nc; ! am 4 demon
now. lie scorned me-"
Something of the old sistcrly love seem
ed to rise in IGNORES heart and plead for
pity for this unhappy woman.
He could not love us both she said,
gently. "and he always loved me-"
The words, meant To soothe, irritatcd
her. She laughed Il terrible laugh.
"1our love has tost something she
said, with the reckless frankncss that
was at times one of her strongest charms.
II chose you. Now listen what that
choice has cost c-you-himself-and
that poor dead man.
She stopped for one minute in the h,ir-
ried passion of her words. and they never
forgot her as she looked then; it was as
if some evil spirit OF passion had entered
and taken possession OF her.
II never knew what my vengeance
would he, what shape ii would assume. l
dreamed of it in every form. 1t came TO
mo at last. / will not tell you what l
suffered. My oMr came. Your husband
came back to England. to his home here.
in disguise. l knew him. He came I"
sec you. to watch you. to feast his eyes
once more on your fair face: and ! penc~
trated the disguise. ! spoke to him; I
i told him again how well and how
truly l loved him. Again he scorned mo.
This is how poor Austin's death came
about. l asked that man tn let me see
him once more. He told me he was going
back into exile. prayed to him as Il
lost soul would pray TO heaven. to lot me
see him once more. lila, was on the day
of Austip's death. l saw him in the
morning, %Icarly. He did not promise. but
he did not refuse. and he never told me
that hc WAS going away ut noon. | pray
cd him no meet me; and that night l
meant 10 kill him. | had q small toy
nistol-thcrc it lics-that had belonged to
him. l went ont lookin. everywhere for
him. No one. no warning, told INT that
he had gone ! waited in the roads and
the lanes. saw in tho thick. soft gloom
Il man seated on the wooden garden chair
that had been placed on the cliff road.
L never dreamed hut that it was he; it
was the same figure. the same height; |
thought he was there waiting for mc. l
stole behind him in the soft. thick gloom;
1 did not see his face. l was quite close
to him. | could hear him breathe even
then | tired. Shot him through the
heart. and he fell dead on his face
She stopped. for Il cry of horror came
from I.rnnrc. and Sir Cyril caught her
in his arms.
."Shc has more to hear" said Glade;
'~'fainting will not save her from it,"
Il am not fainting." said Lenorc; .'but
your story is so horrible it almost kills
me-.
II was sorry that l had slain him. yet
| never asked heaven to forgive me; ii
seemed to me that already l was lost. !
have never even thought of a prayer
since continued Glade. "You know all
that happened afterward-Cyril Leslie
Vernon came home. and married you: my
Vengeance only slept; the time came when
! could crafty it, and l did so. l poison.
cd your mind. Lcnorc: ] took away the
pockctbook. with its diary of love. and ]
placed. where ! knew YOU must find them
these records Of guilt" She turned sud.
| 1,,.lx- ..tI.". So. l,- 49,
share in this ! do not know-I do no,
hide my guilt. Won might nave made INT
an angcl-you have made me Il dcmcn.'
Then l.cnorc stretched out her tende,
arms in loving duplication.
Oh. Glade. do not harden Your heart
YOU Tighten me. Let me help yor-l
will
''lIush.." she cried: II will hear M
words from you. Cyril Leslie Vernon.
wait your Judgment. l I'M guilty OF the
murder of Austin Chandos-will you give
me mp to justice or shall | go free!'
Go Free he answered: and without (:
word. without Il look, she turned from
them.
Holding his wifc's hand. they wen
back to the room. Sir Cyril took tn,
scarf and the brooch.
Come with me. my darling, and sec
mo burn thcm," he said.
They stood side by side while the hot
red flames dcvourcd them, then Sir Cyri
turned to his wife.
Now tell mo, darling. where you have
been, and what you have done since
lost YOU"
When she had told him they went tt
see little Audley. whose delight knew nj
bounds. and there was great delight CIV
crywhcrc when Lady Vernon took he
place once more in her husbands home.
OF that terrible time they never spoke
Silence was better than words, and the.
never discussed it.
They never heard more of Glade, whel
she vanished from their sight in TIL,
gloom of that terrible night it was t.
them as though she had gone to anothe,
world. But n few years afterward al
Europe raved of the dark beauty of
passionate. gifted woman, who was pro
nounced queen Of the stage. The worl'
went mad about her: the papers We're fill
cd with anecdotes of her queenly gener
osity and reckless life. She ruined ever,