Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-03-08
CHAPTER w.
MABEL BREAKS OUR ENGAGEMENT.

CHAPTER ~.
MABEL BREAKS OUR ENGAGEMENT.
On the afternoon Of the day follow
ing the murder l made my way to De
We're Gardens. The previous evening /
had gone there full Of blissful excite
ment was going there to ask Mabel
Feuton to be my wife, and as l scarcely
.upted what bsr answer would be.
was tn the seventh heaven Of prospective
happiness. Now, the day afterward, l
entered the house absolutely detected
and broken down, for knew her broth
sr to be q murderer The police were
on his track and at any moment he
might ha arrestad 4 vorld Of trouble
was in store for my darling.
The man who opened the door eyed
me with marked curiosity. My devotion
to Mabel was too obvious to have es-
capped notice below stairs The visit OF
the police that morning to make in
quiries had naturally aroused great ex-
element in those regions, and now not
only was ! regarded as the favored
suitor of his young mistress, but l had
all the additional interest Of being
suspected murderer.
He ushered me into the drawing
room. It remained just as remember
ed 1t the previous evening. There was
the bowl Of roses from which my love
had taken the choicest bloom to fasten
In my coat, treasure which had in
wardly vowed to hoard forever, but
which had been lost in the brutal fray
lost, crushed and trodden in the mire
There was the book Mabel had been
reading when I entered, and by it's side
the paper knife with which che had toy
ed before made her hand my captive
And there was still that subtle odor OF
violets, which would linger in my mem
DRY, inseparably connected with that
soene.
But now the frou frou Of dainty
skirts told me Of my darling sapproach.
The handle turned, and Mabel stood be.
fore me.
"Mabelf"
Duncan
For one sweet moment all else but
our love was forgotten in one long, rap.
turous embrace. Not "a hours had
elapsed since I last held my dearest in
my arms, but what a world of agony
had happened in that time!
l looked into her eyes, so full Of un-
told happiness for me; kissed the lips
that spoke but of sweetest love, and for
the moment all the pending misery was
forgotten in one long, fond rapture OF
bliss
Never had Mabel looked 60 unspeak.
ably lovely Her red gold hair rippled
and shimmered in the clear sunlight
and waved and clustered round her
white forehead Her deep blue eyes
looked into mine in trustful faith. Her
pouting lips invited kisses, disclosing
pearls of rarest beauty, while the color
on her cheeks came and went in concert
with the heaving of her breast.
"Oh, Duncan, my poor boy, how
shamefully they have treated you! How
could they suspect you? How dare they
arrest your
"Their suspicion was nothing. You
did not doubt me for a moment?"
Duncan, how could II"
She started from my embrace and
held herself erect.
Though all the world we're against
you, you know could not for one mo-
ment doubt you"
drew my dear one to seat. still
holding her hand in mine.
"Tell me, Duncan," she said, with
gentle sympathy, "tell me all about it. I"
So poured into her ears all dared
tell her of my experiences after leaving
her the previous evening touched as
lightly as possible on my finding the
body Of the murdered woman, scarcely
mentioning the man who stood over her.
As told Of the fury Of the mob her lit
tie hand frightened in mine and the color
left her cheeks When spoke to her Of
the long, dreary night at the police sta
tion, her eyes betrayed her sweet COM
passion, and when ! breathed tenderly
all my thoughts Of her in the darkness
and gloom that had shrouded me she
nestled almost imperoeptibly nearer to
me, and again for a moment forgot
the coming agony. When l described
the weary waiting in the morning, the
arrival o. my friends and my ultimate
release she broke in eagerly:
"Ah, Duncan, it was go unfortunate
George was away when the police camel
know how sorry be will be that he
could not be the first to 60 to you How
indignant he will be at their suspecting
you'll
Oh, the untold irony Of her wordsi
All the time my mind was forlornly
cropping for an answer to the monoto'
nous question which | knew must come
sooner or later and which would tell
her what would give worlds that she
should know first from another.
listened as with womanly care she