Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-04-20

WI >L.~-{1 w.
IN THE MOST REMOTE CORNER WAS
HUDDLED \ SIIAPEIl.SS MASS.
Let me speak to her said. all fear
overcome by pity.
There was no reply from my com
panion. | glanced at him, ana hope
that never again shall | see in Il man =
face such awful evidence Of coutendinG
emotions as | read in his. There WAS
more than assent 10 my proposition IN
his eyes: there was absolute appeal.
He nodded.
Yes. do. for Gods sakc!" he mutter-
ed. 1T is beyond ne"
left him standing in the doorway,
and approached tho crouching figure.
Are you ill.," / asked, speaking as
gently as possible.
laid my hand softly upon the
shrinking form. The girl, feeling my
touch. raised her Bowed head and toss
ed back the weight of lustrous hair,
looking at me with two dull, mourn
full blue eyes. in whose vacancy | read
the clue to her strange actions.
NO. / am not ill.," she answered. in
soft minor key. NO. not ill., but
oh, SO dusty-so. so dusty with dainty
disgust IF | could only have n cloth
to wipe away the cobwcbs! They arr.
choking me, you know. I'd like TO
wipe my hands. too; they're all wet
with dampness-see!'
She held up two tiny palms. and. as
| stopped to warm them with my own,
l shrank back in horror they were
stained with n deep crimson.
Mr.. Chesterr' ! cried, forced TO the
appeal, "come here" lie approached
reluctantly. | suspected that 10 feared
recognition, and continued IN an aside:
you need not be afraid; she is quite
insane"
| could see that my words We're Il
great shock by the start with which he
heard them. Then personal feeling
gave way to humane Solicitude.
Alice" he said gravely as he stood
beside her. do you know me!'
Yes" she replied. nodding and smil-
ing, "of course! How do you do?
Once upon time Il spider spun cob
web and king watched it-you are
the king. Couldn't you give me a dust
er?''
We saw that any attempt upon her
intelligence was useless, but she was
somewhat from Darracott, but had ap-
parently conceived a strong confidence
in me. She was very docne with me.
and allowed me to coax her into com
pliance with my suggestion. The first
of these regarded her hands. which ] at
once proceeded to bind comfortably
with strips torn from my own hand
kerchief and that of my companion.
The wounds were neither deep nor very
painful, rather abrasions than wounds.
indeed; caused, l afterwards assured
myself, by her own assaults upon the
window against which we had seen her
leaning.
| was in the midst of this occupation
when Darracott. who had Deen stand
ing by gloomily regarding the opera
ton, suddenly and roughly interrupted
it. With an impulsive movement he
deposited the lantern upon the hooI
and, STOPPING, laid his hands impetu-
ously upon my own.
Let me do that he CALCULATED
rudely. Drop her hands. | cannot
bear to see you touch them!
/ looked at him in surprise, and the
girl gave Il wild cry and crowded up
to me as if for protection. My wo-
mans heart was stirred with pity for
her, and | threw au arm tenderly about
her shoulder. Whatever her offence
had been, her malaay had wiped it out.
She was guiltless 81 her aiiiction as a
child in its ignorance.
'Nor / returned, warming to my role
as | felt the wretched creature nestle
contidingly within my embrace. 'She
lis my charge; | will not abandon her"
You shallr' he exclaimed; and TO
my surprise / discovered that his eyes
were filled with hatred and passionate
determination. ''Ycu shall not take her
in your arms. l will not have it. You
do not know what she isr' He placed
q hand on the shoulder of each of US,
as if by main force he would draw us
apart But / held the trembling girl
safe clasped in my arms, and SO cir
cumstanced, united by the hands that
would have severed us, looked up and
put to him the first question | had ever
uttered concerning the mysteries of
those lives with which destiny had so
closely associated roe.
Then you shall tell me- ! cried,
'who is She"
A moment he hesitated, glaring
6ercely down upon us both; then lie
gave a short, dreaTy laugh, as of one
sick at heart.
"She is my wife," he said.
At that instant, | am sure the un-
balanced mind of the stricken girl tenn
pOrarily readjusted itself, and she rec
ognised him. Astonishment, and per
haps a more intimate and personal sen
satfon, had caused my clasp somewhat
to relax its hold. Before | could re
cover from the shock of this unexpect-
The girl had bounded to her feet aud
was speeding to the door gave Il
cry. II was echoed from the thres-
hold. There, barring the deserter's
further progress was a figure | knew
well-the stunted, dwarfed, dropping.
repulsive figure of Mrs. Mayberry,
A ray from the lantern falling upon
the heads of the two women disclosed
feature which they possessed in com
mon that seemed 20 denote the cxis
ence of a tie of blood between them.
That sunny, rIppling cloud OF hair that
fell like a mantle Of cloth-ofgOld about
the shoulders of the girl was but tho
counterfeit of the decorOusly y-arrHnGrd
tresses which crowned the head of the
woman. That Inherited trait betrayed
a near and unmistakable relationship.
l looked quickly, interrogatively, ut
Darracott. He nodded gloomily.
Her daughter" he muttercd. Yes.
my wife and her daughter
| transferred my gaze to the door.
Mayberry had pushed the girl from
her path and had entered the room.
Her face was white with horrible fear
and miserable uncertainty. She shook
like culprlt before a dreaded judge:
her lips twitched cOnvulsivcly. and IL
was obvious that she was wholly pos
sessed by u sense of objectionable
guiltiness. Altogether, she was
wretched, pitiable object, arousing
rather the aversion than the sympathy
of her beholder. AS she advanced into
the room she essayed to speak. but
several attempts were necessary before