The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-07-12

there 10 enjoy the hospitality that
would be so readily youchsafed 90 q
nephew Of the great Sir Daniel Brack-
ley?
But little time was lost IN efocting
what was deemed requisite, and the
stranger, who had been the mystery
OF Brackley village for nc least seven
days came shyly TO The house Of the
Asburys, ana found himself onsconccd
there, TO be welcomed by a profusion
Of smiles and apologies by Mrs. AS
bury herself; a naive. gentle hand
shake on the part Of Lily; bolsterous,
hearty slap on the back on the part OF
Tom Asbury her brother, and n bluff
but somewhat bucollc greeting from
Uncle Asbury, who declared he quite
liked antiquarian fellows.
He made himself extremely agreea-
bic. ala Theodore Crossley. He could
play, he could sing, and IN this latter
particular Lily Asbury found his voice
of Woudrous charm. in his antigua
rian researches, and on his botanical
expeditions. he was not wont to go
alone. Uncle Asbury would sometimes
join him. talking garrulously all tho
time of big shoots and what he had
done in his army days IN India; or
there would be with him Tom Asbury,
who talked lcarncdly Of London and
his love of it's life, but more frequent
ly there would be Lily Asbury, who
under the subtle influence of this
suave and smiling, but always shy and
modest stranger, felt for the first time
in her life a feeling Of affection for a
man.
She scarcely knew how the time
passed, though the hours went into
days and the days went into week.
1t seemed that he had been there
months, or years, and his personality
had grown to be part Of hers, and
when there came to her the thought
that he would leave her she put it
away with a dread and a chill at her
heart. And when eventually he de-
clared his love for her, surely no hap
pier maiden lived.
It was the night before he was to
leave for London, and she was strange
ly restless The little clock had chimed
the midnight hour, but she could not
sleep. She heard the rustic of the au-
tumn breeze in the ivy on the house
the chirp-chirp Of a cricket and the
sough Of the wind in the tree tops
But to her acute ears there came an
other sound; the creak of a stealthy
footstep on the landing outside hel
door, and the just perceptible sound OF
some one breathing hard. She could
| indistinctly hear the footsteps recede
! Then, urged by some strange impulse
she threw on her dressing gown, softly
opened her bedroom door, and looked
without. All was dark, save where
down on the next landing, a pencil o.
light stole out into the passage. l
came from the door Of what wa
known as her fathers Office, and will
soft, light footsteps she crept dow
the few stairs to the chink of light ant
gazed in through the doorway.
She saw enough to make her hear
stand still with fright, and to caus
her brain to reel for moment. Theo
dore Crossley was there, his pale, intel
lectual face drawn into a smile, hi
brow puckered rs it were in perplez
ity, meanwhile that he was hastily eE
aiming and hastily selecting paper
from her fathers desk. He foun
what he evidently wanted for he vi
tered a chuckle of satisfaction an
thrust the paper in his pocket even a
the hand of Lily Asbury fell upon hi
shoulder and caused him to fall bac
in dlsmay. The look on her face wa
enough, and he could not speak.
"Robberp she said, quietly. "Rol
Der, have discovered your
He recovered himself and faced he
resolutely.
"Lily?' he said. "You here? Whi
-W
81 heard YOU" she said quietly.
followed you. What have you stolen
Calm and unbroken as was her vote
vet she felt as If her heart were breaI
ing, for in such brief space of tim
| had there been shattered at her feC
the idol of her life. His face, pale
it habitually was, seemed asheG IL Il
+ cold glare Of the lamp.
: 81 would prefer not to say, Lily"
8 She sprang to the bell rope and la
l. her hand upon it. Tell me" she sal
a cor I ring for assistance"
+ He faced her.