Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-03-07
CHAPTER II.-lConegued.l

serving you DctNeA IAah II UAd d lev
minutes ago" he sneered. "You have not
FORGOTTEN our family tTspi TO Perth, see,
and how you, Anss 1laeixintyre, your
poverness, Eustaee and myself were ove.
taken by heavy thunder storm in the
glen of Lantalloeh, and were compelled
to seek the shener"of shepherds cot
on the hillside. Rfhe old dame-her name
was Grahame, Il beieve-was more thar
inouisitive; she was what we considered
impertinently curious, and so we gave hor
all sorts OF random answers to the ques-
lions she put. Noticing your mother
wedding rang upon your finger, sine said
that yoU were 'o'er young to be q bride,
and THEN Etfstace came forward with 'his
usual auaacity, and declared you were his
wife, and YOU with laugh eOTFgbnfated
his statement. Have L stated ssIe facts
correcEly4h
She buried her face in her hands, and
his dark eyes flashed triunphsBtly.
-You now see why you can never
marry the Earl of Langladef q he con-
ainued.
Yet" she replied. trying 10 find one
gleam ,of hope amidst the surrounding
gloom, yet you proposed nlsTriage to me
yourself just now. If could not marry
the Earl of Langdale, l certainly could
not marry you.'
ooh that is a different matter entire
Nv, my dear Minnie Nobody knows of
this marriage but ourselves. Eustace has
most likely never given the affair a see
.ond thought, neither has Miss MaclIin
tyre. Both looked upon it as an innocent
bit of fun. So did / myself, | must con-
'fess, until the other day | came across
the report of a similar case in one of the
papers, and then my memory carried me
back to that evening IN Che glen of Ian.
tulloch. Be but mime, Minnie. and none
need ever know"
She looked at hiun width horror depicted
an every feature.
"And can it bc possible Rodcricll Crow
ther, that | have sank so low in the esti-
nation of such vile wretch as you that
YOU dare make me sr,ch a propositionEN
she cried, her To3de ringing with the in
effabe scorn she was ut no trouble to
conceal. No thank gu. sir; if, by sOhe
unfortunate mistake, j have inadvcr-
tently become he wife of my cousin
Eustace, / certainly decline to become
your mistress Miserable, loathsome rep
tile that you are, theFe is the gate, and
if you do not ]eave this place instantly,
I will seek Out HTy father and tell him
the whole of y0TUr yillainy, and if | know
anything of him, he will assist you piI
The grounds with IiIis hiding crop. Col"
Il obey youT bidding, Mrs. Crowthcr,"
he said malicjously, not exhibiting the
slightest humiliation at her scathing
words. Il cog ROW, but let me tell you,
shall be at tlse church tomorrow, if you
dare to proceed with THE ceremony after
e. III rNr,9'
Raising his HIATT he made her a stiff,
ceremonious bow, and THE next moment
she caught q glimpse cof his back as he
passed through the wicket.
Then she sank back ION the scat, ard,
covering her face with her hands, tried 10
think as to The best course to pursue.
But it was NIL of no use. Her
thoughts chased one another through he:
brain in such Eapid succession that they
became so blurred and confused and mud
died that she felt, unless she did some
thing and at once. she must go mad.
If this Terrible thing Frederick had told
her was true, how o0uh she ever fare
Walter again? Mhat would he say and
think? Might he not believe she had
known it all along, and that she had
trusted in Eustaoe never returning from
the war to expose her perfdy? No, he
must never mis- Judge her like that. If
she was really the wife of Eustace, the
carl must never know ItR Better for her
to learn the best on the worst, and then
she would know how TO act. There were
plenty of lawyers I'm Chester, and no
doubt one of them would know some
thing of Scotch law. She would catch the
next train, and seek cart the one she
wanted.
Having come to this resolution, she
delayed not n moment IN putting it into
execution. fastening to the house she
let herself in by the side door to escape
the keen eyes of her father, and, seeking
out her own chamber, which was crowded
win boxes, portmanteaux and travelling
trunks, she selected dark costume, with
q small toque to match and having
dressed in less time than it had ever
taken her before, she opened one of the
ieWel drawers of her dressing table, and
BOOK out a small roll of notes represent
5Bg.a hundred pounds, one OF the wedding
2LlGs OF her doting father, given her
scIeSs the breakfast table that morning.
Ion, as the proud old man had said it id
gs9f look we'll for a bride, as soon as the
asdding ring was on her finger, to begin
dipping her hands into her husbands
loeS7at
Taese she slipped into the bosop of
her hailor-made gown, and, leaving the
house as quietly as she had entered it,
she tool, her way along the stile road to
the railway station, which was barely
half mile distant
Forf@ae favored her here, for as size
vas taking her ticket, the Chester train
steamed into the station, and so she
escaped she prying eyes and awkward
questions of several ncighbors whom she
recognized or the platform, and who She
knew were, like most country people, not
over deiieate in the matter of learning
the business and private concerns of one
another
At Chester she was equally fortunate,
Tor, although 5he first lawyer she called
upon knew nothing of Scotch law, he
lad friend who lived few yards awai,
and who had practised in the Scotch
aw courts. and he at once wrote her our
letter Of introduction to Mr.. Loekhart.
But now fortune ceased to smile upon
her, for Mr.. Lockhart. a kindly hearted
'ard-headed Scotchman, hesitated not