The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1903-12-31
CHAPTER xxvI--contInued.

Iy resolute face, from whose death.
like whiteness her great eyes flashed
and glittered like star sof azure flame.
"He was successful-this honorable
gentleman" and now her full tones
echoed down the long room clarion
clear In their fierce, fine scorn-"suc-
cessful In hunting down, by blacklist
falsehood and most Infamous persecu-
ton. helpless girl-successful In
driving her, homeless, friendless, PEN
niless, adrift In London.
well, for awhile she fought against
fate: she strove, resisted. struggled
for awhile! Then she surrendered,
and turned her back on the great city,
one thought ,one hope, one impulse
urging her on.
Weary. desolate. desperate. she
went forth to seek, not charity, not re-
venge, not even justice-only peace
at her fathers grave! But ere she
could reach 1t that haven of rest, the
blindness of Illness darkened her sight,
and she fell at your gates"
There was a sincere and simple elo-
quence in the words which moved her
hearers strangely.
My lady half rose from her seat,
faint glow creeping into her face. but
she sank back at the sound OF Cuth-
bert Bracken's voice.
"That was very prettily and plausi-
bly, told. But 1t was an extremely
idealistic view of very common case.
This is essentially the same story.
shorn Of its veneer of sentiment and
inaccuracy!"
There was q silence almost painful
among the small circle of auditors,
who held their breath to listen
ION board the Dolphin. bound for
America, there were among others,
my stepfather's granddaughter-La
renee Lisle-that woman and myself"
at Is false!" Laurie cried out, We.
hemently. TT"
pardon mel ! did not interrupt
you; ! will not be interrupted by you!
Well" resnming his recital, "the ship
went down, and the last face saw
against that background OF flame was
the face OF Laurence Isle. In the
same boat with me. and rescued by the
same vessel, was the young girl OF
whom | have spoken, an intimate
friend and companion she Of Miss
Lisie. The dead child had oonhded to
her every incident connected with her
past and concerning her future.
KNOWING this, and knowing, too.
how frequently of late were frauds rel
alive TO identity perpetrated, | re-
solved, on my return to England. to
warn Mr. .Atherton's solicitor. ImJne-
diateIy on landing carried out my In
tention. and soon after was shocked
to learn OF the death of my dear STEP
father, who loved me as his own son.
Nov said to myself. since that
famous Tichbourne trial. bogus claim
ants are numerous. My legal friends
would do well to remember my warn
ing. may be doing the girl an in
Justice, but instinctively mistrust
her.
"My suapicions proved correct Well
stocked with family information, she
did present herself as Laurence Lisle,
met deservedly with no recognition.
This was the cruelty against which
yonder lady SO dramatically protests!"
Silence.
Involuntarily, and with a swift re-
vulsion of feeling against the accused,
they remembered her intense secrecy
and reserve while at Blackcastle-the
name she had given when she could
have had no reason for concealing that
other which she now claimed.
More than all-and 1t required to
their minds with a startling and per-
emptory sense of conviction-the
strange terror and dismay she had
manifested at the sound of Cuthbert
pracken's name, and the deadly faint
ness which had overwhelmed her.
But they could not move, or stir. or
speak, If life depended on sound or
action, so completely had they been
paralyzed by this queer and most pain
Nful scene.
aThis is my story, realistically told!"
ut is a llel" the girl flashed out,
desperately most wicked and cow
ardly liei wait--you shall hear me
out!" and now strength superb, how
ever short-lived, seemed to animate
and revivify her. II was the only wom-
an on board the Dolphin, with the ex-
ception of my friend and companion,
Mrs. Gray. She died on the vessel
which bore us back to London-died
from exhaustion and exposure. This
and more win prove. The ship was
the Neptune. Its captain and crew can
testify to the fact that while with
them. on our backward voyage, the
sailors of the Dolphin spoke Of me-
you addressed meas Miss Lisie.
Their testimony shall vindicate mel"
He laughed out. jeeringly.
ct may-Awhen you get Il! The
Neptune and its crew weat down In
rale. three weeks later"
'sMy God! Is nature herself against
her she cried despairingly,
III A wave Of exultatIcn swept over
Bracken's sinister face: but as he not
IA the drawing irresolution In my
1Sdy's countenance he crossed quick
~ to where she sat, and, with his
/ lb1andest smiles, bent above her.
Il 4 ~Nv dear adv Carrinsfon. ressek