Waterbury Democrat., 1901-01-03
too2y-ight. 4soo. by A N. Kellogg Newspaper Col
CHAPTER XIII.

the house or kGN- IIE. d lLlAi white carpet lay on the earth and fine feathery flakes continued to fall.
 The servants had been appraised of the astonishing event and they gath erd at the windows which look out upon the drive.
 "A very sensible thing for 'em to do,' said James. "She is the sort of mistress I want to work for. should have left the other if she hadn't gone to the bottom of the Atlantic. l haven't lived with the aristocracy for ten years without knowing a sample when see it. The good Lord has been kind 10 the major"
 Il wish she had waited awhile, just for the looks O the thing" said Katie, Blanche's favorite maid. Then she could have had swell wedding, plen ty Of presents, anG-'
 And give you all her old clothes," sneered James. who was too fat to apparel.
 II get everything want anyway" was Katie's defense. Tt is only be- cause I think sine deserves all that any rich young lady has that I object to this kind of a marriage; but if she is only happy, l won't complain
 These gossiping hirslings were at the windows when the returning carriage appeared in sight an hour later. The brides beautiful face was flushed by the contact with the wind, and she had never looked so happy CT moved with So much grace. Talley and Miss Dean had very serious faces as they came up the veranda side by side.
 "WeH, it is all over,' said the major 10 his bride when they were alone ill the luxurious company chamber, where 2 red fire glowed. He had never been such a mystery to himself as now. He felt as if he were drunken with de iicious memories of their old court l ship.
 Yes, 1 am your wife at last," she 1 said. with a smile. q am your wife, and I am going to make you happy. I feel it away down in my heart You feel it, he repeated, as if in a l dream, and he helped her to take off | her cloak He felt her warm breath on his face. He laid the cloak aside | then drew her into his arms and kissed ! her. And so do I. dear girl. And so 1 do L.
 { At that strange moment Jeanne { Goddard and all her evil plans seemed l as much removed, from his life as if { she had never entered it. It was as if 1 the old life had come back to him the life in which his love had for it's object a creature so pure and unde- l filed that 1t lifted him up and opened his eyes to spiritual possibilities.
 T was at first afraid you would not consent so soon after-after her ceath,'' he said.
 T felt that it was my right to have i you now,'' said Blanche, frankly @Sbe told me how she had deliberately beguIed you from me when she dis covered that you loved me. The night before she sailed she confessed she ! had resorted to every trick and arti flee within her power to make yor cast me aslde.'
 ''She told you that?" the major ex 1 claimed.
 Yes. and not only that, but she sait Ike had some sort of presentimen1
 that she was going to die abroad, ans
 said if anything did happen to he
 she hoped l would marry you. Oh
 I've tried to regret her 6eath-to fee
 sorry for her at being taken away il
 the midst of such sins, but I cannot
 She even tod ue-oh, I can't tell yo
 what e'se she said. It makes me al
 most hate her memory
 "Please go on," said the major.
 ''She confessed that she was un
 happy with yor-that she wanted t
 get away from you-that she marie
 you simply for your money"
 II suspected that" said the major l. eamily.
 :: It seemed so wonderful to him tha
 he could now calmly contemplat t Jeannc's shallow faithlessness witt out the bangs such thoughts had a ways caused him. Was it because h
 really loved his ward and that he ha
 never loved Jeanne-that his passio
 for her had been only base infatus
 tion which had already taken wings
 He could not answer these que!
 tions; he could only wonder at th
 strange exultation which was swel
 ing in his breast-the boundless CT . thusiasm over the thought that |
 was loved by the beautiful youn
 creature before him. He lost sight ( , the wrong he had done her. She ha , only short while to live-that tim he told himself. should constitute h
 life and hers: beyond that brief p riod he could not reckon. , You have suffered ?' he heard hin self murmuring.
 r Ever since that awful day whe you introduced me to her in the dray ing-room. I had never dreamed tn; God intended you for anyone but m l You had been my whole life, ar ' even afterwards, when I saw the ho
 she had on you, I could not keep fro $ suffering. Tlfe pain, the loss WI l with me night and day. l hated he I despised myself. I planned tho : sand times to leave, but I could n' : tear myself away, because I saw yo' v soul in danger. I saw her day by df } leading you downward instead of u :. ward, as I had dreamt of doing. 9 knew how charitable you had been b
 fore your maria iage-how many po n people you had helped, and l saw h. e drawing you away from such il g pulses by her sharp, heartless rie f cule.'
 e And now that she is no longer