Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-05-07

from the hall, and, turning, held it
aside for her to pass under. As he
thus let the streaming daylight upon
her, he saw more than in the darkened
study he had been able to notice. She
was not only pallid, heavy Of eye,
leaden of foot; the excitement Of the
last few minutes having already in
great measure subsidized, she was rap
idly becoming lethargic, and while
she stared before her in an distracted
manner, her lips moved, as if she was
rereating something mechanically to
herself. Frank felt suddenly cold as
he looked at her, and was struck with
pity and horror. He took one of her
hands, the palm Of which was hot and
dry, and said, in low voice, bending
over her with a kindly yearning to
save a reckless creature from the
threatening ruin her own fault had
brought about:
Lady Kildonan, listen to me. l am
not your enemy, as you think. | would
save you if l could. 1 can even now
if you are ready to save yourself. But
you must work against yourself, and
let the good self conquer the evil now.
at cnce. or it will be too late. One
more step in the wrong direction, and
no power on earth can save you. Try,
I implore you; I conjure you, try"
He INSISTED out these words with al
most fiery earnestness close to her in
different ear. When he had finished,
she drew back her head and looked at
him with languid recklessness, which
had a most unhappy fascination.
Il am not in the mood for great ef-
forts, doctor; neither am I in the
mood to be detained while you whis-
per sweet nothings in my ear. Your
patients must be waitingI have come
to see you off. Pray let me have that
pleasure"
She leaned back against a carved
cabinet, just as she had leaned once
before for an exciting little tete-a-tete
with him. Whether her Indifference
was real or feigned, or the result OF
seemed to have at the moment no OBJ
jects in life more serious than his
departure and her consequent free
dom to 90 and rest. With one long,
hopeless, fascinated look at her,
Frank, attracted and repealed, plying
and yet profoundly disguised, bowed,
left her, and crossed the hall to the
COR. Just before he closed it behind
him he gave one glance back, saw her
throw her arms wide as if to shake off
some benumbing, unwelcome in
fuence, and disappear behind the cur
tains which hung before the entrance
to the staircase.
Frank got through his professional
work that day with credit to himself,
only by means of the strongest resoIu-.
ton to Danish from his mind for
fixed number of hours the fascinating
subject Of The Crags and it's mystery.
A mystery it still was to him in one
important point, and in one only; what
became Of the money Crosmont
pinched his household and ground
the tenants to save? When the days
round of visits was over, Frank, who
had lunched at an inn to make up for
lost time, and sent message home to
that effect by a BRIDESMAIDS cart, al
lowed his thoughts to return again to
the absorbing subject, and considered
at all points a shrewd conjecture
which had shot into his mind as he
lifted the hall curtains tor Lady Kill
donan that morning. If he had been
able to see the papers DR.. Peele had
left for him, they would certainly have
solved this question; but the auto
cratic widow Lad not yet restored
them. ard Frank felt so certain that
he should soon know the whole truth
without them, that he had not re-
opened the discussion with her.
There had been more of the tradi-
tional characteristics of the canny
Scot about Lord Kildonan at this last
than the young doctor had
ever observed in him before; traces
of caution, reticence, and unbending
sternness in displeasure, which were
entirely foreign to his usual good
natured, easy-going manner. Frank
for the first time saw him as a Judge,
and shuddered at the thought of the
he might mete out to the
woman and the man who had betrayed
his trust But the young man did not
thrink from the fact that it was he
who had first, by his own investiga-
lions, given a serious bent to Lord
Kildonan's vague suspicious. Nothing
but harm to themselves, and to a
wholly innocent man and woman,
could result from the guilty partner
ship between Crosmont and Lady
Kildonan. He would give them both
another warning to stop while there
was yet time, and if they failed again
to take heed, he knew that the germ
of suspicion in Lord Kildonan's mind
would net long remain undeveloped.
To be continued.