The Cook County herald., 1904-01-23
CHAPTER XIII,
The. Last Guest.

The Last Guest.
With the mornings dawn, Travis
conflict with self was ended. If, in.
. deed, he had read Alright the blush
upon Florence St. Johns cheeks, the
smile of welcome upon her lip, the
light within her eyes, she loved him
Why, then, should he unveil to her a
past which would but sadden and de-
press her? In his veins flowed the
true Meredith blood, which would at
last we'd it's equal; and so, with flushed
and expectant face he stood, a few
hours later, in Miss St. Johns own
drawing room, awaiting her entrance.
The love-freighted words were not
hard to utter when she came forward,
with that glad light in her eyes he had
not read wrongly, and when he had
finished he had won from her the
promise to become his wife,
She stood alone, this girl, an
orphaned heiress, living with the aunt
whom she had asked to share her
home and give her the protection she
needed. Therefore Travis pleaded
that there might be no delay, that in
two short months the marriage cere-
mony might be solemnized.
{ Av1ce's marriage was fixed for the
following winter; therefore their own
should take place with as little delay
rs possible, that she might have sis
ter's aid in her preparations.
When did a lovers arguments not
prove unanswerable? Yet Travis was
not satisfied. The intervening days
seemed to creep; a feverish unrest
had taken possession of him he could
not define. Then, too, another mat
ter rested heavily upon him-the Sc
cret of Avice's birth.
The paper of her adoption, whose
hiding place his fathers dying breath
failed to discover to him, he had
searched for in vain. Was it not due
to Lennox to know the truth?
Only a few nights before he had
heard Lenox say, holding Avice's
hand:
+ 1T is we'll, little girl, fate did not
throw you in my path in some walk OF
life below me. How clearly the blue
blood shows in these veins! could
tear out my heart, but l could never
give the Lennox name to one who
would not bear it worthily, and whose
blood might not equally mingle in that
line as Jet unstained"
+ For the first time, then, the decep-
t1on to be practiced upon her husband
was revealed; but Avice's happiness
lay in the balance of the scale. Travis
dared not lay the feather-weight with
IN to turn it.
All this, however, made the weeks
preceding his marriage very long. Per-
haps, when Florence was his wife. he
might find courage to leave to her the
solution of this problem.
The wedding was to be very bril-
liant one. Not only the American
residents Of the city had been hidden
to the feast, but many of the French
noblesse, whom his fathers wealth
and long residence there had num-
bered among their intimate friends.
The ceremony was to be performed
In Florence's own home Strange to
say, it had been the bridegroom's own
wish
Had he feared some unbidden ghost
of a past would meet him at the
church's door? Once she was his
wife, he felt he might defy the past.
He grew pale and worn with the
suspense. His betrothed chided him
upon his sad looks
wait till you are mine. You need
then no longer complain" he an
swered, striving to shake off the op-
preston he could not fathom.
At last Time granted his PRAYER.
Bright and beautiful the day dawned.
and all presentment, all empty sad
ness; fed. Fired with wine intoxi-
Gated by woman's peerless beauty.
he had In moment of madness, with
his own hand, guided his youthful
barque among the rocks. Almost it
had been shipwrecked, yet had es-
capped destruction.
The future was before him-a new.
glorious future. He could have cried
aloud in the fullness of his Joy, as in
the early morn Lennox, unannounced,
entered his apartments with radiant
face.
'Thfs is shabby, my boy!' said Len
nox. ''The idea of your distancing me
In the race after all. But, Travis"
his voice growing serious, the goal
would have been Dead Sea fruit to me
had felt you had fallen by the way.
For years your face, as it stood that
day on the ships deck, haunted me.
1t was my accusing conscience. To-
day l feel you have redeemed your
life.''
Silently the two men grasped hands,
in clasp which said more than any
words.
II wish that ours had been double
wedding to-day" Lennox continued:
''but Avice, suppose, feels as yet she
hardly knows me, and dare not urge