Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1900-06-28

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Or Under a Spell.
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CHAPTER xxxu. Continued,

CHAPTER AVAIL. (lOnt1nueu.)
'"T;s the drug working now" whiS-
pered the listening woman To herself.
sit can loosen even his proud. still
tongue
In dreamy tone. her master con-
ued:
Il was watching at his bpdside-I.
his nephew, his heir. Aye, had not
Basil Give always taught me to be-
lieve myself his heir: Had he not tao
lilly accepted me as such. again and
again? Grasping aid greedy to all the
rest of the world. he had been gcncr-
Gus and lavish to me alone-to me
alone.
''And, with the sunshine of fortune
gliding my future. l asked Agnes Dean
to be my wife. Her proud family
would have scOrned the pennileSS law
yer. but they smiled on the rich man 5
heir We were betro1hed. and my first
and only dream Of happiness begun.
Il was thinking Of her as | watched
by the dying mans pillow-thnkin.
of her grace. her sweetness. her bright
gladstone beauty. | was planning.
even then. our future-the future col
piness and hope.
n
f1oated before my enchanted eyes. the
dying mans hoarSe whisper called Ill"
close TO his bedside ana | heard from
his trembling lips that he WAS await
ing his son--thc son whom he had new
er recognized or cared for-tne son OF a
claEdestine and unhappy marriage
Ia. unknown sou. Hl.o VA, L. sup
plant me, hi: acknowledged heir. I
,,ifr hi. I ~
justice I must ruin all my life. blight
all my happiness. iarken all my flu
ture. for the sake of a rude, uncultlred
stranger. The old man raved. aye, he
only raved. With the thought of AZ
nes in my heart. l could face the pas
sionate mailman. who forced himself
into the dying mans chamber; with
that thought in my heart l could hear
my uncle breathe his last blessing to
the son he had never known. and then.
with his last breath. Ii M do justice.
I could listen calmly TO the wild up
braiding Of the mDoSler who called
himself Basil Give.
..He d .fied ne over his fathers
CORPSE; he demanded the justice that
was his fathers dying Legacy to him.
With his hand on the dead mans
breast. he >wnrr a fearful oath Of hate
and revenge 10 me. 10 mine forever. if
that Justice We're denied.
"Justice-ha. ha.-illStice. justice.
The word has been rIhCing in my ears
ever since. Justice, that would have
robbed he Of nv fortune. of my bride
Justice. TO an unknown. beggarly OUT
cast. who could NOT even get lawyer
to rake up his claim. Justice. justice.
when'-,hn speaker eyes flashed With
unnatural fire. and he rose. ga>ping
from his chair-"whnn the proof. the
only proof of my rncle's marriage
when the certificat" he gave me on his
dying bed, the paper that. armed with
q scorpions sting. has been hidden in
my breast for c-and-twenty years
when old Basil Olives marriage certif-
icare was here
And. striking his hand On his breast.
as il he would have crushed some
monster clinging there. the master of
Give Towers, with Il moan Of pain.
fell forward. SenSel">S. on his own
hearthstGEr.
And Mrs. Wyilis. >tillnS the cry Of
terror that roS" to her lips. stopped
down and. slipping her slender hand
into the bosom Of Robert Give. drew
forth the thin oil-skin packet concealed
there. and thrust it into her own
dress
Then, ringing, with a deadly pale
countenancp. trembling limbs ana
cleaning eyes she shrieiZed loudly for
help.