Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1902-05-03

sSSSoSocoooecS
, explicit instructions on some theme Of
deep interest To her mind.
| In the afternoon Jerome disappeared
! IL was late in the evening when l was
! lying on divan in a little reading room
oft from the main drawing room. This
! apartment opened into side corridor
that went out and down into the garden
II had begun raining about dusk, and
! the guests had dismal evening of 1t.
save when relieved from the monot0ny by
Miss Hopes fine singing. had sought
/ this solitude in something of n huif.'
Miss Hope had been radiantly attentive
to Sir Wilfrid. and. it seemed to me.
markedly evasvc of myself. SO I had
sought solitude to NOPE. so Influenced by
the neglect of the young lady that was
glad that Paula did not notice me, as
many times during an hour she passed
through the reading room and anxiously.
| thought. went along the corridor aud
looked out into the dark, dripping gar
den as though expecting some one.
was In the midst Of waking dream.
with closed eyes, when abruptly there
was clattcr. then crash. and. ringing
high above the double conimotion, the
shrill scream Of a woman's voice.
| i sprang up from the divan, and with
a few quick strides had reached the cor
rlor. There was jerome and Paula.
lie had tottcrcd backward, and losing
his balance on the slippery and polished
floor, had fallen heavily, striking his head
with a crashing thud.
The noise Of the fall and the cry of
alarm from Paula's lips brought every
one trooping out from the drawing room.
II met him just coming In. very wet
and strange looking" exclaimed Paula
innoccntly.
Even us she spoke Jerome opened his
eyes.
"The-lcttcr!" he suffered in a Thick.
| unnatural voice. "Whcrc is"
'Te.l us what 1t was You saw that
startled you so.' Again Paula spoke out
sharply.
THANK you.' faltered Jerome. 81.
my head IL very queer, but remember
1t was close outside the housc--only n
few yards down the avenue. I'D been
walking fast. and stopped for a minute
to take breath. Suddenly l smclt some.
thing strange and pungent. 1t was like
the odor in the tiger house ut the Zoo
more than anything else. kept still. for
] heard something breathing close to me,
short and hard. and when looked round
l could sec n thing, darker than the dark.
ness. moving close by among the trees ut
the end Of the avenue, and l stared
straight into n pair Of eyes that glOwed
like two rcd.hot Goals. ! gave a shout,
and whether that kept II away from me
l can't tell, for I hadn't time to think
again before l was inside the house, COM
ing In through that little door ut the end
OF the long passage there which opens
on the lawn and slamming It after me.
That's all, cxccpt-cxccpt the letter, Miss
' Wynne. and i"
Il don't think poor Mr.. jerome half
knows what he Is talking about" ejacu-
lated Paula. You want to he taken 10
your room, and have cooling bandagcs
put on your head. I'm sure. don't your"
"Ycs--oh. yes. My head Is very bad.
have II feeling rs though something had
snapped-insidc.'
Forthwith he was assisted to his feet
by two stnlwart fOotmen, almost twice
his size, and 40. supported firmly under
each dropping arm. he was borne away
In the midst Of u little procession.
| As they moved him. a folded sheet ~
paper huttcrcd from his coat TO the floor,
and !. being nearest TO the spot. stopped
and picked 1t M. So doing, without
the, slightest intention OF reading words
not intended for my eyes, part Of sen
tcncc, written In u large, bold, clerkly
hand. seemed suddenly to separate itself
from those surrounding 1t on the page
which was uppermost and print itself up
ON my consciousness: II have been able
to ascertain that the woman now pass
ing under the name OF ConsuelO Hope Is
-"
My blood lcaped with cOntending emo.
tions; anger against Paula and jerome,
surprise and disgust, rs Hood Of en-
lightenment regarding the errand on
which the secretary had been sent poured
into my mind, and above all an Ovcrween-
ing desire to turn the page and read the
remainder Of the sentence.
Isn't that the letter which poor Mr..
jerome appeared to be NO anxious
about? 2" Paula inquired. AT least. he
has dropped It. and as am going to my
own room ! will get my maid to leave 1t
at his door,
Without u word l gave her the letter,
and she hurried away with 1t at once. !
hesitated mOmcntarily; hut, deciding that
II would be impossible for me to play the
hypOcrite. and 90 to inquire civilly after
Jerome's state Of health, l slowly follow
cd the others into the pretty music room.
II was just going to find YOU" spoke
Lady Towers voice inside the door. "Im
sure the poor little secretary will be bet
ter presently. Sir Thomas has sent three
or four men skirmishing with guns all
over the place, In case that dreadful
beast may still be lingering about; and
another man rs gone to Barnes, the per-
son from whom the thing escaped. You
know there really Is wild, wild beast Mt
liberty. You see. he's menagcrie pro-
prietor, and keeps his animals on his own
place sometimes"
As we moved nearer, Miss Hope look
ed up and met my eyes, the pink-shaded
candles on the piano illuminating her
face. She smiled family, and began soft
~ playing, without notes. some plaintive
little melody which ! had never heard
before.
This woman--angcl or devil-had had
the power to teach me new meaning in
life-the meaning Of love.
was bound to marry my cousin, Paula
Wynne, but ! loved this other with all
my heart and soul and mind. And a
week ago had been ignorant Of her ex.
istence.
] was reused from long reveric, half
n l.