The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-02
Old Love, True Love


in: his lordship's valet was doing be-
side the fire; she thought of leaving
the letter there, but the mans pres
ence deferred her. Retracing her steps
she reached hr husbands room; IL was
tenantless,as she expected. Placing the
sealed envelope conspicuously upon his
dressing case she turned to leave the
place. but stopped short, chilled by
sudden thought. MY purse" She
had forgotten that adjunct indispens-
able to sinner or saint, and return for
1t now was out of the question. Money
she never lacked. A few words would
she knew, bring thousands from her
banker tomorrow, but at that precise
moment she was poorer than the shiv-
erng flower girls in the square below
plodding home with their meagre earn
ings.
How absurd" she muttered. To go
thus was unthinkable-a crime she
might commit-a betise never! She
glanced at her watch. Time had taken
wings within the last quarter of an
hour. Whatever she would do must be
done at once, but what to do?
She looked round desperately. Close
beside the case stood a small ivory
casket-a pretty, curiously worked In
| dian toy. She knew Lord Lyndhurst
frequently kept letters of consequence
| in such a receptacle; why not money
| for current expenses also? Her cheeks
| flushed.
Two Malay krises, mementos of for
| eign travel, lay near. She caught up
one, her face ablaze with scarlet
shame; she was about to wrong the
man she had sworn to love, but were
there deeper depths still?
Lady Lyndhurst, you will perceive,
! was very inexperienced indeed.
| For a moment she wavered; them
| growing hot and cold by turns, she in
| serted one of the dagger points be-
| tween the Casket lids. 1t was not quite
| easy to pry asunder, the ivory being
| strengthened by steel bands within,
! but eXerting all her force, she did sue
ceed in wrenching the cover aside.
What to her eyes was a confused mass
of papers lay atop; beneath, however,
she saw the CLEAN Of gold,
She hastily took the money, some
score of sovereigns, and then was about
to rush from the room when an ire
sistible impulse made her carry the
casket to the rosy circle of light cast
upon the table from the low-shaded
lamp. She scarcely admitted 1t, but
her heart was throbbing with a mad
hope that hidden here might be some
document proof of past or present folly
on her husbands part which might
palliate in her own eyes the step she
meditated, because she still needed the
salve of justification, bling yet in
leading strings to sin.
1t is not necessary to dilate upon the
feelings with which she prosecuted
her search, since modern education is
rendering the woman of today less and
less liable to the painful virtue that
gives them birth. An hour past II
| seemed heroic to brave society's wrath
in the dramatic name of love, and II
her fault was great, at least she great
| ly dared the penalty; it had not en-
tered into her calculations that first
she should sink to the level Of thief and
spy. "If mother could only see me
now!" she thought, and in her agony
she blessed the bitter fact that the
| gracious face which had been to her
adoring eyes the loveliest on earth
was hidden away beneath the yews OF
a Sussex Churchyard-her heart al
least would not bleed tonight for i
daughters infamy
The case did not contain much af.
ter all, only some blue, official look
ing papers, five or six letters addressed
in august handwriting, two morocco
covered little boxes and what she al
first mistoOk for a roll of hank notes
tied by scrap of faded ribbon. A
light leaped into her eyes, her mouth
growing hard as she united the latter
Two more letters, on bearing a for.
eign postmark rewarded her efforts
this last fell face downward. but its
seal had a familiar look. She snatch.
ed 1t up. tore away the cover. and be.
tween the folds of the inclosed paper
found a tress Of gold-shot hair Sh,
perused the note breathlessly, the
handwriting was her own! 1t com
menced, Dear Ralph" and ended or
the same page; even now she felt It.
curtness. 1t was dated some sis
months back from a French waterinl
place. Still, the hair-the hair? TIL,
| room began to swim, she reeled, but ar
arm supported her, and, looking up
she found herself in the presence O.
Lord Lyndhurst.
He did not speak.
She drew away and faced him des
perately holding out the lock of hair
Whose is thls?" she demanded hoarse.
ly.