Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-08-19
VALERIE;
Oh
Halt q Truth.
NJ ..rfsn DUCHESS"

OnkTdUClul -uCCcltlull bu0 bdlu,
through her teeth. you have deceived
me wickedly. Valerie. You told me that
you did not care for Louis Charters, that
you never had cared for him, and l some-
times hoped that You did care for Colonel
Beauregard more thar you chose to admit,
and that price or caprice made o obdur.
ate; but In your heart you are clinging to
that old folly; and you regret ever having
thrown over young Charteris-regret 1t the
more now because your own folly has hard
ened Max Beauregard against you. l un
uerstand you-you can go your own way,
wash my hands Of your
She flung the girls hand from her, and
turned away, walking stormily to the other
side OF the room. Valerie had stood per-
tectly still, not b%lenching at the cruel
words that burned her like fire, though she
grew as white as the gown she wore. She
was-even relieved by the accusation which
spared her the dreaded charge of the truth.
Ungrateful, deceitful, chagrined by fail
ure, and falling back on a love spurned
when ambition was in the ~ascendant-was
this itf A half smile fitted over the girls
lips. Well, better so; better all the world
should think this Of her than that the wo-
man who falsely accused her should say,
You love Max Beauregard, and because
you love him, you hide your heart from
him, and go back into exilep
Valerie turned toward the door without
a word; as she laid her hand on the handle,
Mrs. Langley spoke once more:
You have no answers" she said, sternly;
"You do not contradict meg''
MOP Valerie said; 81 have no answers"
She opened the door, and went out, going
straight to her W apartments. There,
twenty minutes later, Angela Musgrave
came up to her. They were all going for
a ride, would Valerie come also? But Va
lerie felt this was impossible, and excused
herself; she was busy, she said, and Angela
went away, secretly not displeased. Her
pleasure was short-lived, for, on returning
with Valerie's message, she heard that
Colonel Beauregard was not going.
II had letters to write, he said," said
Travers. $50 we must do without two Of
oar partyr'
II shall try and persuade him to comet"
exclaimed Angela, and she ran to Beauro.
CARDS study, which was near the library,
and being admitted, tried her persuasive
powers, but in vain.
81 am sorry" he said. "but indeed I can't
come this morning, Angela"
valerie isn't coming, eithery' pouted
Angela.
Isn't she" said the soldier, Indifferent
ly, though his heart gave O sudden bound.
How do you knowf"
~ asked her five minutes ago, and she
said she was busy. You won'tcome, Maxi"
81 prefer to say can't"
And with that answer Angela had to de-
part.
Beauregard, alone once more, covered his
face.
IL will not go to-day" he muttered, 'be-
cause l could not endure to be with her,
knowing how soon we must part; and now
that fate puts In my hands the chance Of
seeing her alone, l am ready to meet the
temptation. Yes! Ii may be madness, il Is
madness; but if | can see her-if but for
one minute alone-I will, I muStp'
CHAPTER XLvH.-THE WHOLE TRUTH.
Valerie paced up and down her room for
half an hour after the ~riding-party had de-
parted. She felt as If the world had dis
solved around her; even her uncle, she
knew, would be vexed, If not angry with
her, for having so made shipwreck of her
life. But the die was cast-there was no
uClN- llOilCs HGE lI1Dltuldle Uteu WIS 10
school face and mien to meet the others at
the luncheon-table without betraying that
she was In any trouble. The mask must
still be worn, however bitter the suffering
that it hid!
Perhaps / had better have gone with
theml'' she said. lone cannot, when
alone, keep from thinking. But | could
not be with him-no, | could not! l must
read-anything to lessen this mad beating
in my brain, this sickening pain at my
heart-or l shall go madv'
She left the room. and went down to the
library. She would be safe from intrusion
there; she knew Lady Elinor and Mrs.
Langley never went to the library, and
everyone else was out.
The great house seemed very silent as
the girl fitted down the broad stairs; but
that was better than merry laughter and
cheerful voices. She passed into the IL
brary, a room that B~eauregard loved, and
which she would have loved for that rea-
SOL alone, If there had been none other.
This would BE- her last visit here, she
said to herself, rs she moved slowly round
the room, touching the books tenderly now
and then. She would see it again often, In
her waking thoughts and in her dreams,
but never as now.
The burning tears that gathered in her
eyes warned her, she took up q book at
random, and went and sat down in a low
chair, laying the book on her knee, and
opening it mechanically. What was iti
A copy of Schiller's "Piccolomini." Va
lerie turned to the fy-lcaf, and saw, in
Beauregard's free, bold hand, the name,
MAX Eustace B~eauregard." She looked
down at that name till it became blurred
and dim; then she kissed it reverently, and
began with trembling fingers to turn the
pages. 1t was something to touch what he
a often touched.
Ali What was that2 Who was that3
The girl started like a guilty thing, hear
ing the d~oor-handle move. One Of the SER
wants, perhaps, flashed across her as she
looked toward the door, or had Mrs. Lang
ley been speaking to Lady Elinor, and Lady
Elinor-
But Valerie got no farther than that, for
the door opened, and she saw the tall fg-
ure of Max Beauregard.
The girl drew one breath and stopped;
her heart seemed to cease beating. II one
word would nave snatched her from the
presence so inefTably dreaded she could
not utter it. She was for a moment para
lyzed.
Beauregard closed the door, and came
forward, and as he did so Valerie rallied.
What strength came to her she never
knew; it must have been the sheer terror
of self-betrayal, yet her voice did not sound
to her like her own; she looked at him, but
not at his face.
Col. Beauregard!' she said; 81 thought
you were out with the othersv'
NO" he said, pausing. II told them I
could not go; but l thought then that you
were going. Angela told me >afterward
that you had stayed at home"
Something suppressed and constrained
I'm his voica pooda Va1aria,o baort t,,rn o;oL