Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1902-10-16

you came here with the knowledge tina
a young girl under the protection Of
lady by the name of EIlist0n, whom
suppose to be your mother, found refug,
here last night from a crew of despera
does?"
Am l SO fortunate? [ had consumed
the whole day in vain efforts to trace her
and was returning home, thoroughly dis
cOuraged, when, on hearing the cries OF
the lad, | entered"
Il am already so much a debtor to YOU
BOTH" said the Jew. who had thus fal
stood silently by, that I can hardly ven
ture to ask Of o anything more; yet, il
you could he persuaded to remain here
till daybreak, we should feel comparative
ly safe. Will you permit me to send
word to Abb, my granddaughter, and the
young damsel who is with her, that !
will bring with me two gentlemen, who
have shown themselves to be our friends
in the hour of need, to spend an hour or
two in their company
1t was a proposition which neither of
them felt in a humor to decline, and Har-
leigh, having no suspicion that the
young damsel," who had several times
been alluded to by the Jew under that
appellatiOn, was Alice Dale, was not de-
tered from giving his consent on account
Of the promise exacted by Mr.. Walworth.
When the door was thrown open, which
disclosed an apartment such as, in splen-
dor, might have been supposed to COM
pare with those Of Aladdin's palace, they
were both surprised. Harleigh, who was
in advance of Elliston, stepped back,
that he might enter before him.
The meeting of friends should precede
that of strangers" said he.
Elliston, not knowing exactly how to
construe this, hesitated a moment, but
hndlnS that Harleigh still held back, he
entered the room, saying, as he did so,
something about the greater pleasure be-
ing reserved for the last, the meaning of
which was, of course, enigmatical to Har-
leigh.
Alice, the moment Edward Elliston
stepped inside the door, rose and went
forward to meet him.
After all my fears. then, to the con-
trary,' said she, 'your mother received
the billet I sen her this morning?"
NO; we hadn't received a single word
Of intelligence in any shape whatever.
My finding you here was entirely mex
pected."
Harleigh was so surprised at seeing
her, whom he thought SO far distant, and
IN the midst Of a scene Of SO much mag
%nificence, that he was almost inclined to
doubt the evidence Of his own senses, all
the doubts and misgivings which Mildred
Dacres and Falkland had succeeded in
inspiring him, as respected the cOnstancy
Of Alice, were, for the time being, for
gotten.
AS he stood behind Edward Elliston,
Alice did not at first see him. and when,
as If suddenly reused from a dream, he
stepped forward, she, too, forgot that the
Vaccinations Of Falkland and Mildred
must have given him cause to distrust
her. Her heartfelt JOY at seeing him
went far to remove many Of those doubts
he had been unable to overcome.
When the surprise and excitement of
the meeting between her and Harleigh
had somewhat subsidized, the thoughts of
Alice reverted to the opal. Possibly.
Harleigh might not know that she had
lost it. At any rate, she felt determined
to seek an opportunity to tell him all she
herself knew respecting its loss. While
these thoughts were yet in her mind, the
Jew, taking it from a small casket, hand
it to Harleigh.
Your motive in calling this evening"
said he, was to examine it. You may
not find a better opportunity than the
present"
AS Harleigh took it, he could not for |
bear looking towards Alice, but though
her color heightened, her eyes, which for |
a moment met his, did not droop. Hav-
ing examined it. Harleigh returned it
without speaking.
You find it to be the same once in your
possession?' said the Jew.
Yes"
Alice, who had been attentivdy watch
ing him, saw that a shadow was resting
Harleigh's brow. Rising precipitately |
from the divan, where she was sitting by
the side of Abb, she approached him.
You knew that l had lost that opal
you came here this evening-did
you not?" she inquired.
Il knew that you had parted with it,"
he replied, gravely.
You couldn't think that l gave it to
Falkland?"
He said so, and publicly, too"
"And you believed himT"
Her voice faltered, for in confirmation
Of her words, the expression Of his coun-
tenance every moment grew graver and
more stern. She paused a short time to
herself, and then with an earnest
ness and directness that made every word
tell, she related those incidents connected
with the loss of the opal, as far as they
were known to herself. Her voice, her
countenance, her name all %conspired to
give what she said the stamp of truth.
Are you satisfedT" said she, with a
smile, when she had finished.
She hardly would have ventured to ask
question, had she not seen by the
clearing away Of the clouds that had
darkened his brow, the import Of what
she might expect for an answer.
Il am not only satisfied" he replied,
''but am heartily ashamed Of having
wronged you by paying the slightest heed
to those who attempted to deceive me. 1
have only to ask your forgiveness"
(Which is quite unnecessary, as you
that / am not one Of those who
hold malice. And now / have a request
to make" |
Before you name it, l promise that