The Cook County herald., 1901-03-16
BY By EAN w ARNER.


], it is well! The curse Of the dying is
/ beginning to work. Weary and old, an6
broken; but It's not enough. Hem mus
be sEamed, dishonored, crushed! The
end is near-the end is near! The
end is near!'' 80
'sCcme home with me, Rizpah : said
the doctor, soothingly. sYou are Iih
/ yourself. This weather is too frosty
for such old blood as yours "A.
"Cold, cold!' she repeated. a"You
know sne-the old blood is boiling with
fever heat in my veins. Imusts stay
See, there is already cleaning, blood
that brought me it's message Of evil
fve-and-tWenty years ago. The red
| star Of ill-omen to the Olives. gHark,
ha1kv' E sl
doctor, sdoctor!,' cried an excited
voice behind them, and one Of the SER
wants from the Towers ran UP, breath:
lessly. Conae-quick, doctor, quick : :
the masters struck! - ss%s 4.
ssStruck! How p When ~ asked the
doctor, excitedly. 81 left him not half
an hour ago!' .a.z ~
| "Aye, aye, sir! But the stroke came
on him just afterwards. They told me
to come quick, and I might catch you.
| For Gods sake, hurry, sir, for he's "
ing like one dead in the study, and
Miss Fannie is going on like one mad.
| Lord knows twill be the dark night
at Give Towers unless you bring him
| to-" W ""., r - 80.
"Aye, a dark night!' cried the shrill
voice Of old Rizpah, as the doctor hur-
ried away with the man-s'a dark
night, indeed! But no darker than
another night five-and-twenty years
ago, when the blood-red star was tell
ing Of death and dishonor to the Gives.
Aye, tremble, tremble, tremble, Robert
Clive!-for tremble now, you may.
Your day has been long and sunny,
but the night has come at last-a dark,
dark night, that is lit only by the
blood-red starr a. =. %'f
1t was, indeed, dark night at Give
Towers. Mute and helpless,its master
lay Oh the cushioned lounge in his
study, while DR.. Bond and two of his
collfreres, hastily su1n1nc ned from the
city, labored skilfully and earnestly to
bring back the life-tide to it's accus-
toned flow.
But the channels seemed clogged; the
breath came in heavy, stertorous
gasps; the swollen veins, the sluggish
pulse-all seemed to make the doctors
efforts vain. @ #.i
Shut in her own room, whittier DR..
Bonds friendly firmnesss had banished
her, Fannie passed the dragging hours
! or that Wretched night! Alone, alone
SO utterly alone! .s.@~s@}
| Oh, for Herbert's strong. and loving
arm to lean on in this hour of trial
for Fenton's cheering whisper-for
| j-ss-i5 s. bi1 terde1 s. N pa =:
| All had left her, a I'd the hot-house
flower, that had been sheltered from
every blast, must bow its beautiful
head to the storm of winter, and
breast the keen wind Of adversely
alone-all alone! v
The wing that had guarded her SO
tenderly was broken, the strength that
had shielded her so faithfully laid low,
and, sobbing in her darkened chamber
| through the weary hours of that aW-
full night, Fannie felt that she was,
| indeed, an orphan. H..
f. 1t was nearly day when DIR. Bond
tapped at her door and summoned her
to her fathers bedside.
He is conscious, we think, my
dear" said the old doctor, kindly; but
there seems something on his mind
/ taht he cannot speak. Perhaps you
may understand what he wishes to
say"
Trembling in every limb, Fannie was
led into her fathers chamber, whittier
| IN hnon
I The White curtains Of his bed We're
looped aside, end, supported in an al
most upright p-sition, amid the pill
! lows, his features rigid and unna tural,
his lips livid and tremulous, his eyes
blocdshot and CLASSY, wandering from
| side to side in a despairing unrest
was the stately master Of Give Tow
| ers-thee stern naughty. eindonlitable
| Robert Give.
His right hand kept straying ever
and anon to his breast, as if he would
make an effort to reach something
| there that panied him, and, when the
| effort failed, he would gaze around
again with such pleading agony that
even the physic cians, accustonled to
painful scenes of every description
felt indescribab " moved. s@
| lIetIe&4lS TEStI:.plIllllsssa#I IDaJ8 lrOuGIeS
him, my dear said DR.. Bond, in a
low voice, to. Fannie. .Iry and un-
derstard, my child socnethingS your
father, wishes to- say s@~
Papa, papa! the poor girl burst
forth, piteously-:'oh, papa, can you
not speak, and tsll me what you wish
| me to do 30 .z5.. sas- 5ssgs...ss
Oh, the dumb appeal Of those quiyer.
ing. lips, those wandering eyes-the de-
spairing energy With which the trem-
bling hand tore at the uncovered
breast---the agony Of remorse that
forced at length the husky whisper:
Herbert, in Gods name do justice
justicen'
Even as the words passed his livid
lips Robert Give fell back on his pill
lows, and, with a last despairing ges-
ture, as if he would tear a veil from
his heart, the master of Give Towers
lay a corpse. 81
CHAPTER xxxIv.
It was late onesWinter evening, that