Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1900-10-18

had returned to it. at the. very instant
when the thread might part and let 1t
fall upon her unprotected head
Yet, q wild joy mingled with her
fears. Once more she was near Har-
vey! The old, jealous distrust had
sprung into life since, she had bade him
farewell. The thought Of again being
near. him, hearing the sound Of his
voice, feeling the touch of his hand, all.
NOSE reconciled her to any consequence
Of her return. But for this; she would
have. sailed alone, and let her husband
return without her. This alone was the
motor which had brought her back.
''Your father has asked for YOU ,Har-
ry," said Grace. 1.-THE physicians, beg
thatyyou will come at once"
:. As the girl spoke, she looked into the
face Of him whom she addressed.
Where was its shadw. of guilt, and
fear3 "A shadow of grief and anxiety
rested upon 1.-THE shadow so natural
at such moment-but otherwise the
eyes met hers as frankly, as fearlessly,
'as. when first they had won the loving
trust -of a little child.
Dear old. father!" he answered, while
his eyes dimmed., "of course I'll go to
hint" ..:f ~
Helen turned and looked into Grace's
eyes,.
What has happened?" she asked.
Something has gone wrong since yes
terday'more than the illness Of the mas
ter of the house, -
Would her question, she wondered,
cut the thread by which the sword
hung? Possibly it might; but her sus-
,pense was too unbearable to be longer
borne. She must know if the know.
ledge of the forged check had come to
Grace.
Nothing that need trouble you; Hell
en-. DEAR" answered the girl tenderly.
what brought on this attack?" per-
sisted the questioner. cit was too sud
den to be without cause. Has-has any
knowledge cocerning Harry reached his
fathers ears?"
"None, dear-none! Nor must it. at
any cost. 1t would be his death blow.
I think the attack was inevitable; only
some little business perplexities hast
ened it. II had rather overdrawn my
account. You see, know so little about
my own money!" and she tried to
laugh. u
The note had been. presented, then,
thought Helen, and Grace had taken it
up. She would keep the secret. The
danger was past. Grace was shielding
the husbands wrong even from her,
his. wife. Harvey had been cleverer
than she had dared hope.
She drew a long, deep breath, as
though throwing off a burden we'll
nigh. too heavy to be borne. She had
now only the spectre of her past with
which to deal.
Involuntarily her hand clinched, and
her teeth met together. a-.'aet
There was within her hard despera-
ton, which was coming nearer and
nearer the surface with every fresh
draught upon it.
It would not do to try her too far,
was her self-conscious thought.
II guess; I'll go at once to my room,''
she said,. aloud. -F'''
=: But as her foot fell on the stair, Grace
spoke spoke her name. Its utterances
arrested her.
There was. something more to hear--
something, she had not yet been told!
She paused, and looked backward
over her shoulder, down on the young, I
fair face, with the light streaming
from above showed bathed in a deep
crimson tide. Only a minute before,
she had been pale as death. i
"Well?" answered the older woman.
And in the one word rang a note Of
hars1fness, a seeming gathering of her
forces to meet some. blow about to fall.
Afterward it seemed to her that in
the Simple utterances Of her name she
had learned all the after-story. IN
Something else had happened, Hell
,en,s continued Grace. II wanted to
tell you tonight, and to ask you to tell
Harry, and to ask him not to speak of
it to me; but suppose you both must
,khow.ra
''Madst know! What? What must
we kHow?"
"TKat have promised to marry
Harvey Barclay"
They. were simple words, quietly,
sadly. spoken, but they wrested from
Heleps, Reynolds face the mask as
though, they had held the force of a
whirlWind. n
GRACE stood transfixed at the fear
full change. upon which her eyes were
rivetea. "A
Thass beautiful woman Of a minute
ago seemed transformed into fiend.
Her features We're convulsed with
passion; her eyes flashed fire; her
white,'teeth were firmly clenched to-
gether between her haif-parted lips.
Involuntarily Grace recoiled, as one
recoitk, from a serpent about to make
its Maeous dart tor inject. it's death
dealing poison;
"Y5n--you are to marry Harvey Bar
clayN. at last: came kissing forth from
between those closely-shut teeth, :'You
littls &raitress! YOU"
She. paused.
What had she said? Into what fatal
error had her passion led her?
Yet: looking down upon this girl, she
could have murdered her. All the
long smoldering fire of her hate and
envy burst into flame, and carried be-.
fore them prudence and. caution.
Why should all--all have fallen to
Grace. Hawthorne's lot and only, bar
rem emptiness been her portion? Yet
had not Harvey promised never to full
fill the pledge? Might she trust him,
when such a prize stood ready to fall