Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-10-05


you should come here upon such an err
rand? ! refuse TO make any communi-
cation lc you. Let him come himself if
he wishes 70 know anything This is
my house, and | will not endure Acur
presence in it,"
Suppose l insist upon remaining until
you answer my questions?"
Il shall have you expelled by a con-
stable, and sworn over to keep the peace
towards me"
1T would scarcely be agreeable TO my
father. outcast as | am. to have his
name branded in a police court, even to
secure your safety
He spoke in a voice of cold irony; hut
the blood was singing in his ears. and
seething in his veins with passion.
What have the dead to 10 with the
petty yanities of earthly fame?" she
asked, sternly.
THE dend" he whispered; the hot
blood changed to a stream of ice, and
rushed back upon his heart, and he
stared at her. pale and aghast.
The deadn' she reiterated, in the
same tone She looked steadily III his
face, as though doubling the truth of
his astonishment. 1t was too terribly
real TO be doubted even by her But
it could not excite one touch of pity in
her stony heart; for she added, iii
voice of bitter irony, "A terrible com
mentary upon your life, Edward Mo
rant. Your father has been dead three
| months and you 90 not know ii >
He had sunk into chair, and was
staring into vacancy. repeating the weird
Dead" over and over again. Sudden
" he asked, in a low. anxious tone,
Did he ask for me? Did he wish to see
me before he died?
"He had broken with all earthly ties
months before be died; his thoughts and
words were given to heaven alone"
Eagerly the man waited for the cruel
| answer; and when it came, he covered
his face with his hands and sobbed until
the tears dropped between MS fingers on
to the ground.
| Still cold and pitiless rs an iron statue
the woman looked down upon him with
| out a shadow of sympathy in her rigid
| face. After minutes pause. she said,
| 1T is useless To prolong this scene.
| You can now see that all ties are brok-
| en- between us. | trust | shall never
look upon your face again. AS for SiIas
! Carston il he wishes to know 2+.s ,niEg,
| | repeat he must come to me himself. |
take no interest in him. l simply desire
to do a duty which l have pledged
myself to perform"
why, then, was he sent to such
place as Tabernacle House" he de-
| manded Kept in ignorance of his par
ents-put to menial work? Do you know
into what keeping you consigned him?
| This man-this Rev. Mr.. Porter, as he
calls himself" he went on-"I remcm-
Der as a vagabond-a companion of
mine. You will say he is a converted
| sinner. tell you this man is the vilest
| of hypocrites; a trader upon cant whom
tomorrow | will expose in the midst of
| his congregation, and drive out of the
! town. His daughter was once for two
years clairvoyant in travelling mes
merism show. What do you think now
of the guardian of your precious
| charger
Leave this house, and never darken
| it lth your presence again"
| The weapons had pierced deep, and
| her voice was faint and husky.
Although YOU may never see me
again. you shall feel me-" he went on,
with momentary increasing passion.
| Listen, woman, to the last words you
may ever hear me speak, | have never
| injured. nor sought to injure you. From
the moment you first saw me, you h1Ied
! me because l would not cant and whine
and because 1 passed a few boyish tests
upon your doctrines, you vowed my de-
struction; YOU turned my fathers heart
against me. and had me expelled from
my home turned adrift upon the world
| That act fell back upon yourself in
| terrible retributioD; but while its conse-
oucnces glanced off your steel heart and
left no lasting wound. they handed me
owe! body and soul to Satan himself!
| When. homeless and starving, l have
written to my father for money to tuy
| bread the letters were returned unopened
not by his hands, but by yours: and
even on his deathbed you embitered his
, heart with enmity against his only Child,
! FOR the sake of one dear memory. have
borne all this. But there is limit to
all human endurance, and that limit is
| passed with nae. 1t seems YOU have
one being still in whom yen take some
| interest-that you have one vulnerable
| point. and through that I'll strike YOU
There is no revenge. however fiendish,
that | will pause at. ! will never cross
| your threshold again, but my shadow
| shall be upon you to the last hour of
your life,''
As he spoke, he drew close to her,
! foanlng with passion, and wildly gesticu-
lating. as though he would strike her.
! But not one step did She move, but
looked him full and feariessly in the face,
Though her own grew shade paler. The
solemn servant. attracted by the noise,
stood terror-stricSen iii the doorway. AS
he spoke the last words. he pushed her
aside. and rushed out OF the house. with
Madame Rerne's voice ringing in his
ears. Beware what on do, lest the Ven
geance TALL upon your own head
Left alone, her nerve gave way, and
she sank back trembling, and almost
faintin2. upon the sofa.
An hour afterwards. she was on her
way 70 Gray's Inn. When She arrived.
the Office was closed. Early on Monday
morning she sought it again. But The
time lost was fatal
CHAPTER Xxx
On Sunday. the Rev. Mr. Porter had
| just sat down to his early dinner, when
the sour. puritanical looking servant who
! had succeeded Martha came into the din
| ing room to announce that a gentleman
wished to sec him. Thinking that this
sit related. perhaps. to the advertise
! ment he had inserted. and supposinc for
a moment that it might be Silas him
self frightened into returning. he eagerly