Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-04-09

There had been no time to arrange :
settled plan Of campaign with my ward,
but saw in her large, child-like eyes
that she believed in me, and was ready
to follow my lead with the quickness
of feminine intuition; therefore ven
tured upon bold experiment.
Feigning forgetfulness of the watch
dog, or a confidence in his simulated
sleep which I was far from feeling, /
leant towards the girl, beginning a
softly-spoken question with the words
Little sister"
AS if an electric telegraph communi-
Gated between our brains, she caught
my motive, and, putting up tiny fin
ger to her lip, with roguish look full
into my eyes, she whispered back: "Sh!
he mayn't be asleep; and just now we
don't want anyone to know"
1 She could not have done bettr. Her
little touch of mystery had added veri-
similitude to my beginning.
|
at Edinburgh; yet the night was young,
| and l did not mean to wait till next
day before I took my first step on the
road towards the discovery of "Mr.
Smith" More than likely as it was
1 that he had given me mythical ad-
dress for securing the second half of
my bride, I hoped something from my
only positive clue.
! We drove to a small hotel near
, for my sister, myself, and valet, the
| latter being next my own, and having
a communication door. l also took a
private drawing-room, close to, though
not adjoining, my sisters" bedcham-
I Der.
Dinner was ordered to be sent, as
soon as it could be got ready, to the
| sitting room, and supper in his own
quarters for Colgate
| waited until I had heard his meal
come up, and then pushed open the
door, already left half ajar, between my
room and his. The tray which had
been brought looked satisfactory, even
to the bottle of ale; and giving the fell
low some papers and magazines l had
bought for the journey, announced my
intention of locking him in once more.
Of course, could not prevent his rous-
! ing the hotel during my absence, if he
: chose, but could prevent IS sneaKing
out unknown to me, and-he had only
/ received five pounds out of the promised
/ eighty yet.
Il hope you don't doubt my integ-
rity, SIR he whi1ed, as | proceeded to
carry out my warning. But | elected
/ to be deaf, and in a second more the
! locked door was between us.
| AS l FASTENED towards the sitting
room where my new sister and dinner
awaited me, l suddenly became wildly
conscious of the increased lightness or
my heart. At this time yesterday, and
| later, l had been utterly reckless, ut
terly hopeless, with only bitter memo
ries to look back upon in the past only
a dull grey blank to look forward to
in the future. Always, too, here had
been the cold ache in my breast which
| had come with Marjorie Tessetts
scorn. l had had to fight against my
! thoughts of her. and had striven to
break the stately image of her beauty
once reflected in the depths of my soul,
as a face from above is reflected far
down on the dark surface of the water
in well.
Now, strange to say, l had not
thought of myself, or, at least, of my
own troubles. | felt alert. full of
keenest interest in hours present and
TO come; and even as the memory of
Marjorie came fleetly back. for this
once it did not bring the old sick pang.
There seemed no time to indulge my
own pain, or any sort of introspection.
| was before the little stranger girl.
But presently she made her appear
ance, looking wondrously fresh and
radiant for one who had undergone
such experiences as hers in the past
four and-twenty hours.
so We are sister and brother?" she
said; and they were the first words
that we had spoken unchaperoned since
leaving the Elsinore Hotel at Glas-
gov.
Forgive me; l did it for the best.
Circumstances have forced me upon
you for the present. and
circumstances have been kind at
last-to me. Again you did right. I'm
sure you really knew l thought so; you
only wanted to be told. Are you hun
gry?"
| laughed for the first time without
some bitter affectation of mirth. in
many a long day. Now that you re-
mind me of it. l believe | am. And
your"
Il should have been starved without
the sandwiches and wine you had put in
the little portmanteau for me. l was
quite glad there was nobody by to see