El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-02

pable and-the Hardest should have
great sympathy for that man. Fred
erick."
would youY" he said, recalling Anna
bells face with bitter aversion as he
gazed into the womanly countenance
he had hitherto sighted as uninterest-
ing. ut is the first kind word you
have ever given me. Agnes. Possibly
1t is the first / have ever deserved"
And without another word he DOTTED
his hat, saluted her and vanished down
the hillside.
She remained, remained so long that
1t was nearly o'clock when she en-
tered the family parlor. AS she came
in her mother looked up and was star.
tied at her unaccustomed pallor-
why. Agnes" cried her mother.
"what is the matter?"
Her answer was inaudible. What
was the matter? She dreaded, even
feared, to ask herself.
Meantime strange scene was taking
place in the woods toward which she
had seen Frederick go. The moon.
which was particularly bright that
night shone upon certain hollow
where a huge tree lay. Around it the
underbrush was thick and the shadow
dark. but in this especial place the
opening was large enough for the rays
to enter freely. Into this circlet of
light Frederick Sutherland had come.
Alone and without the restraint i'm
posed upon him by watching eyes he
showed countenance so wan and full
of trouble that it was we'll it could not
be seen by either of the two women
whose thoughts were at that moment
fixed upon him. To Amabel it would
have given a throb of selfish hope,
while to Agnes it would have brought
a pang of despair which might have
somewhat too suddenly interpreted to
her the mystery of her own sensations.
He had bent at once to the hollow
space made by the outspreading roots
Just mentioned and was feeling with
an air of confidence along the ground
for something he had every reason to
expect to find when the shock of a sud-
den distrust seized him. and he flung
himself down in terror. feeling and
feeling again among the fallen leaves
and broken twigs until full realiza-
ton of his misfortune reached him.
and he was obliged to acknowledge
that the place was empty.
Overwhelmed at his loss. aghast at
the consequences ii must entail upon
him. he rose in a trembling sweat.
crying out in his anger and dismay:
"She has been here, She has taken
itr' And realizing for the first time
the subtlety and strength of the an
tagonist pitted against him he forgot
his new resolutions and even that old
promise to Agatha Webb and uttered
oath after oath, cursing himself. the
woman and what she had done until
casual glance at the heavens over
head, in which the liquid moon hung
calm and beautiful, recalled him to
himself. Ceasing his vain repinings
and silencing with a fierce but de-
termined effort the fierce demon in his
breast, he turned from the unhallowed
spot and made his way with deeper
and deeper misgivings toward home
made hateful to him now by the pres
ence of the woman who was thus bent
upon his ruin.
He understood her now. He rated at
its full value both her determination
and her power, and had she been so
unfortunate as to have carried her i'm
prudence to the point of surprising him
at that moment in one of the hollows
of that midnight copse it would have
taken more than the memory of that
days resolves to have kept him from
using his strength against her. But
she was wise and did not intrude upon
him in his hour of anger. though who
could say she was not near enough to
hear the sigh which broke irresistibly
from his lips as he emerged from the
wood and approached his fathers
house.
4 lamp was still burning i'm Mr..
Sutherland's study over the front door,
and the sight of ii seemed to change
for n moment the current of Freder-
lex thoughts. Stopping with the gate
In his hand, he considered with him.
Self and then with freer countenance
and lighter step was about to pro-
coed inward when he heard the sound
of a heavy breather coming up the
hill and paused. why he hardly knew,
except that every advancing step &C.
caSioned him more or less apprehen-
sion.
The person. whoever 1t was. stopped
before reaching the brow of the hill
and painting heavily muttered an oath
which Frederick heard. Though it
was no more profane than those which
had just escaped his own lips in the
forest, it produced an effect upon Fred
erick which was only second in inten-
sity to the terror of the discovery that
the money be had so safely hidden was
gone.
Trembling in every limb, he dashed
down the hill ard confronted the per
son standing there.
You he cried. Your And for 4
rnnI,lnuf he lnnknl rs If he would like