Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-04-18

night previous and to-day's fatigue De-
| gan to tell upon her exhausted frame.
A strange servant opened the door IN
| answer TO her ring, but made no eHorI
to take her bag from her tired hands'
| as. murmuring Madame Glars name,
she tottered across he threshold n
sank down on a chair in the hall.
Leaving her sitting there. the man
disar reared. 10 return In a moment fol.
lowed by his mistress. The latter gave
one quick glance at the motioniess ns-
ure, draped in its heavy black, tnen'
with a little cry, sprang forwaro
.Beatrice-my dearest Beatrice! Is IL
you? All! mon enfant, ma chere en-
FAINT! what has happened?"
The retreating servant, conscious oy
his mistress effusion that, spite or the
fact that the young lady had come on
foot and carrying her own luggage. ne
had made an error of calculation con-
cerning her. zealously stepped forward
to o~ficiously lift the small bag and ask
| madame's orders concerning II.
ITO my own apartment, Eugene she
commanded, throwing her arm ABOUT
Beatrice's trembling figure and assist
ing her into the reception room, the
door of which she carefully closed.
What rare fortune, she thought, had
brought the young mistress or Grey
Oaks 10 her? Her father, she e
was dead. Perhaps his daughter had
come TO ask her to preside over her
home, and act as guide and ~chaperone
to hel youthful inexperience. Well, her
love for Beatrice-her pure, disinterest-
"a l1,a n,inht nrnnnnt har tn accent
such a post. 1t would be far less ardu-
Gus than her school. and, of course, her
future would be properly provisioned
against any emergency.
Bat her speculations were cut short
as Beatrice YEARLY threw back her
veil, and the young, haggard face, all
colorless saw for the great gray eyes,
burst upon her as a revelation, that no
such errand had brought the girl hith-
er.
MY roor child, you are ILL" she ex-
claimed. Tit is nothing contagious
the latter question inspired by a sud
den fear.
A mere ghost of a smile touched Be-
atrice's lips.
IT am not ill.," she answered, but I
have been very, very i'll. Poor papa!
You knew, madame?"
"Ah yes; / knew-so noble, so gen.
erous, so handsome a man! All, my
lear how well 1 remember the first
time / saw him. I could not believe
when / heard that he was dead. But
you came alone to-day, my dear Be
atrice! All, you impulsive American
girls-you do such strange things!"
gT n a. 80 for nrnTaatinn ma
dame. IL am homeless! Grey Oaks
is my home no longer!"
Homeless, my child? But with your
wealth, you can make a home where
you will"
This is my wealth, m~adame-all that
I have in the world. Will it buy me a
homer"
II do not understand" stam-
mered the Frenchwoman, thinking re-
gretfully of the ~effusiveness Of her well
come.
MY father died, madame, without a
will, or at least, we have been able to
discover none. Therefore my cousin,
as the next heir. succeeds to the prop
erty. / am disinherited.
Your cousin is the next heir? My
child, you do not know the law. There
is some strange mistaken"
"a mistake, indeed, madame, but not
such a one as by any stretch of mag
ination you could guess. From you I
must conceal nothing. You shall know
all, and you will understand then my
unhappy position. . All. madame, il is
not alone of my money that they would
rob me, but of my name! They are
wicked enough to say that my mother
never was, in reality. my fathers wife!
That THAT I am but the heritage Of
their dishonored shame!"
Madame Clair's grasp Of the little.
cold, gioved hand relaxed.
She threw up her own In horror, while
visions of this story getting afioat, and
the effect produced upon he public by
the knowledge that such a spot should
have blemished the reputation of her
school, fairly chilled her blood.
MY DEAR" she demonstrated, your
illness has affected your brain. Young
girls should no ever dream of the ex-
istence OF such wickedness, yet you
calmly confess yourself to be a child Of
shame."
sam I calm. mademe?" asked the
girl, YEARLY. when heaven launches
its thuEderbolts with stunning force,
and they fell to the earth their unhap-
by victim. do you call him calm be-
cause he lies where he has fallen, care
less where the next bolt may strike?
II so, then am 1 calm. But you knew
my father. You like myself. al know
that this story is a liza false, foul lie!
as false. as foul. as he whose brain
gave II Its hideous birth. 1t remains
for me. madame, to prove il so: and so
I have come to you to ask you. for q
little while, to give me home and pro-
lection, until / can expose the truth"
Madame Clair hesitated. If there
should be a mistake-if Beatrice's faith
should not be misplaced--it would serve
her well to befriend her: but IL, on the
other hand. she had no right or title
even to her anne, how could she allow
her to breathe the same atmosphere
with those young. tender lambs. con
signed TO her special care and guild
ance? For a little while longer she
must rest neutral and CLEAN all the
truth.
docs your cousin In no way sub
stantiate his assertion. Beatrice?" she