Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1899-04-21
Nv.

1olallde Mervyn sits 10y the school room
ire alone. The girls are out for their af-
ternoon walk. but she has pleaded a bad
headache as an excuse for not accompany
Ing them. She looks very weary ind pale
as she sits in the lonely room; a book she
has made a pretcnsc of reading has fallen
from her hand, and lies UNDECIDED ON the
floor; her eyes are gazing wistfully into
the heart of the glowing Goals, us if at
some vision that cnthralls her.
The postman is coming slowly and leis-
urely up the gravclcd walk, and as if he
did not carry in his ugly wcathcr-worn
leathcrn bag Il score of missives that por-
tend love, or grief, or joy, or pain to those
who await his arrival. With an intensity
of eagerncss, a heart-sick longing, of
which he is perfectly unconscious, Yolande
watches his approach with straining eyes.
The girl comes along to the school room
with II packet of letters.
cat last!' she says. 'Oh, thank heaven,
thank hcavcn!"
She dallics with her happiness Il little
while longer, she gaZcs with such an ag-
ony of relief and love mt the welcome
name, she kisses with tender rapture the
still unbroken seal, and then slowly and
reverently, with lingering, loving touch,
SIT ODcLS anu ESluS lCT UtSI lOVC lCLCcr.
For. a moment the words seem to swim
before her eyes, n faint, dizzy bewilder-
ment steals over her senses. \ love letter
this-these few cold lines, these rigidly
courteous sentences?
"Oh, hcaven.!" she walls, and throws
herself down by the fire, the bright flames
of which have shown her only the broken
fabric of Il dream she has raised to be
ovcrthrown.
The vc.y violence of her of
grief brings as violent n reaction. She
springs up hastily, and dashes away the
tears from her eyes in bitter scorn of her
monentary weakness.
"And it is for this l have waited and
longed," she cries. in the depths of her
courteous cpistle, that any man might
the woman he loves. Is this how he keeps
faith with me? Why, his silence was no
greater insult than such Il pretensc of
remembrance" Then. with a gesture of
supreme scorn. of passionate disdain, she
filings the letter into the flames. II need
not trouble to answer that" she says,
ticrccly, for her pride. and tenderness, and
love have been cruelty outraged. eff alb
scncc has such an effect upon his love, he
may give it to one who will value it more
highly than l do. If Il week Of Pauline
Rays companionship can SO easily con-
sole him for my absence, let him return to
his allegiance to her. l will have all or
nothing"
/ Crossing the passage that leads to the
staircase. her eye falls upon the second
letter. which she still holds in her hand.
1t is addressed in unknown writing; but
she pauses under the lamp and opens it.
1t is an invitation from Miss Llewellyn
of Lewcllyn Park. asking her to spend
Saturday and Sunday with her, and
bring her friend Rose Bertram also. As
Yoland@ has only once met the kind oil
maiden mistress of the Hall, she is great
ly surprised ut the invitation. Her first
impulse IS to refuse it; and then her pride
steps in again md offers counsel to her
own future undoing.
why should l not enjoy myself while
I can!" she thinks. "If he can so easily
forget. | need not hesitate to try to fol-
low his example,"
That evening Yolande dispatches two
missivcs. One is to Miss Licwellyn, ac-
ccpting her invitation with many thanks,
the other to Denzil Charteris, ut Bcech-
hampton.
1t reaches him safely enough the next
day; and. after all his misery and an
guiSh. this is the reward he gets:
My Dear Dcnzil-I duly received your
letter. informing me of you arrival at
Beeclihamptin. Pray do not hurry back
here on my account; there is not the
slightest necessity. I nm perfectly we'll.
and looking forward with great pleasure
to Il visit to I.lewcl!yn Park, where l have
been invited for IL few days. 1 think, as
I shall so soon be home, it is very unnec-
tssary for you to take the trouble of the
long journey to Wales again. Doubtless
we shall meet quite soon enough. If you
see Lance Staplcton. tell him, with my
love. that l shall write from Llcwcllyn
Park i'll answer to his letter. Your affcc-
ti"nately. YOLANDE MERVYN.
With an increasing %bewildcrment that
would be ludicrous if it were not so deep
and so earnest, Dcnzil Charters reads
this cool production.
The post comes in at breakfast time,
and Pauline Ray sits opposite him mt the
table. watching with covert >intcntress
every change of his face from surprise
AMI %incredulity to shame and anger.
- this is the answer she sends to my
loving words!!" he things, as he crusnes
the letter i'll his strong grasp. cit is for
this | have hoped, and longcd, and lin
gcrcd."
He sits staring bl"nkly at his plate, un-
conscious of all other presence. stabbed to
The heart by the violence of this shocl,,
wondering dimly and drcamily to himself
whether it is possible that the same. girl
whose lips have touched his own, whose
tears have fallen on his breast, can indeed
have penned these cruel, heartlcss lines.
The beautiful, guilty woman Mt the head
of the table watches him with pitiless
calmncss. That all his fabric of happi.
ness is laid in dust and ashes at his feet
is nothing to her.
1T works WE'LL" she says, when she is
at last alone, q guilty joy in her heart, a
passionate exultation in her voice. "Now
l have but to wait a few days more and
the prize NJ mine.!
CHAPTER XVI.
Despite a Yolande's efforts and strug