Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1902-10-02
CHAPTER XIV.

t1al lDI AIN.
Alice, according to the directions given
her by Jeduthun, knocked at the door at
the termination of the passage. After
little delay, it was pushed open, and she
found herself in closet, standing face
to face with one who, as the jew had
told her, was as young and as fair as
herself.
III was told to knock at this door" said
Alice, 'by an elderly man | saw in the
shop"
1T was my grandfather who told you.
You are welcome"
BY means incomprehensible to Alice,
what she had taken to be the back of
very plainly constructed closet was made
to swing slowly back till there was an
opening sufficiently wide for ingress into
an apartment fitted up in n style Of SO
much splendor that it reminded her Of
a story she had once heard told of an
enchanted palace.
1t was not till the massive door was
closed, and drapery of Tyrian purple
embroidered with gold was drawn back
over it, that Alice had opportunity to do
more than note the general appearance
Of her hostess. When she had seated
herself on a pile of cushions at her side,
she found that her eyes, though shaded
by lashes intensely black, were gray,
overlooking and with soft and brilliant
light. Her hair, restrained from falling
over her forehead by Il jeweled band, fell
in free and flowing masses over her Shout
ders, and descended to the cushions where
she sat.
Among the few ornaments she wore
IL. 4 l.. Al
Of Alice from all others. 1t was the opal
she had lost, and when she recalled what
Silas Watkins had told her. it at once
occurred to her that it might have been
given her by Falkland. She observed that
the eye of Alice was fastened upon it.
"a birthday present. said she, "and
one that | value very highly on account
Of the donor"
''WhO must be very dear friend,
then"
1.-THE dearest ! have in the world" she
replied.
Alice watched her as she said this but
there was no faltering of the voice, nor
deepening OF the faint rose color which
tinged the pure white of her fair and
softly rounded cheeks. Unsuspcious OF
what was passing in the mind Of Alice
she said:
"WiH you not tell me your name?'
"Alice Dale"
"And mine is Abi. How glad | am that
you came here this evening! You can
not think how lonely l am"
"Have you no mother nor sisterw
'None"
Neither have L."
"Yet you cannot be so lonely as I am
with no one but Asenath to speak to, ex
cept my grandfather, and he has littl,
time which can be spared from his dali,
toll to devote to me-"
''Can it be necessary for him in tn,
evening of his days to attend so strict!
TO his daily taskY' said Alice.
"We are, as you doubtless know, o
an oppressed and despised people, an,
obliged to bury our luxuries. and ever
comforts, under a show of wretchedness
or the princes and mobiles OF the Ian,
would speedily find some pretext to wres
from us our wealth. / say we, for sine
my father died year ago, have had n
one to look to for protection except m
grandfather"
The eyes of Alice were often directe,
TO the opal, as they sat chatting together
dllcI what hDi huu lulu hu
thought she must be mistaken as TO It
being the one which had been given he
by Harleigh. But the more she examine,
it, the more convinced did She becom
that il was the same. Several time
she was on the point OF telling Abb wha
she knew of it, but finally concluded t
suffer its history, as far as she hersel
was concerned, to remain undisclosed
lest she might think that she wished il {
be restored to her. The fair Abb, hoy
ever, could not help noticing with VIII,
interest she regarded it, though she mi,
took the cause. She imagined that it wa
its rare beauty which attracted her after
ton, and she unclasped the gold chat
to which it was appended, and handed
10 her.
''Take it," said sne, $50 that you ca