Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1904-11-18
CHAPTER XII.

NhAGIGK MI.
AS white and motiOnless as a statue,
Madeleine stood with bowed head before
the storm of passionate reproach.
prosper, my brother, my friend, If
you only knew"
Il know but one thing Madeleine, and
that is that you no longer love me, and
thnt l love you more madly than ever.
ON, Madeleine, heaven only knows how
l love you"
He was silent. He hoped for an an
swer. None came. But suddenly the ST.
lence was broken by stihed sob. 1t
was Madeleine's maid, who, seated in a
corner, was weeping bitterly. He turned
i'll surprise, and looked at the weeping
woman; this neatly dressed waiting maid
was Nina Gypsy.
Prosper was so startled that he became
perfectly dumb. He stood there with
ashy lips, and chilly sensation creeping
through his veins. Meanwhile Madeleine
had succeeded i'll recovering her usual
calmness. Slowly and almost unconsci-
ously she had put OH her bonnet and
shawl, lying on the sofa. Then she ap-
preached Prosper and said:
gotten nothing. But, oh! let not this
knowledge give you any hope, the future
is blank for us; but if you love me you
will live. You will not, | know, add to
my already heavy burden OF sorrow, the
agony of mourning your death For my
sake live; live the life of n good man,
and perhaps the day will come when |
can justify myself in your eyes. And
now, OH my brother, oh, my only friend,
adieu! adieu"
She pressed kiss upon his brow, and
rushed from the room, followed by Nina
Gypsy. Prosper was alone. He seemed
to be awaking from a troubled dream.
He tried to think over what had just
happened, and asked himself If he were
losing his mind. or whether he had really
spoken to Madeleine, and seen Gypsy
He was obliged to attribute all this to
the mysterious power of the strange man
whom he had seen for the first time that
very morning, and who had entered the
little parlor.
Il thank you for your past services,
monsieur" said Prosper to him, "and de-
cline them for the future, as / have no
need of them. If l attempted to defend
my honor and my life it was because l
hoped that Madeleine would be restored
to be. l have been convinced to-day that
all is at an end between us; retire from
the struggle, and care not what becomes
Of me now"
Prosper was so decided that NJ. Yer
duret seemed alarmed.
You must be mad" he finally said.
mo, unfortunately l am not. Made
leine has ceased to love me, and Of what
Importance is anything elseW
DO you suspect nothing? you did not
see what was hidden beneath her words
Perhaps it was not delicate thing to
do, but as long as the object is good we
need not look too closely at the means.
l listened, and | am glad that / did,
because now | can say to you, Take
courage, Prosper; Madeleine loves you;
she has never ceased to love you"
Like man who, feeling himself at
the point of death, puts faith in the doc
tors promises. Prosper saw ray of
hope in NJ Nerduret's positive assertions
oh" he murmured, suddenly Gained
'if could only believe"
Believe me. | am not mistaken. All,
you have not guessed, as | did, the suf
ferings of this generous girl, struggling
between her love and what she believes
to be her duty. Did not your heart bound
at her words of farewell? She is not
free. In recalling her promise to you
she obeyed superior, irresistible will.
She sacrificed Herself, for whom? We
shall soon know, and the secret of her
self sacrifice will reveal to us the secret
of the plot of which you are the victim"
ITO be continued.l
Friends OF the Dog.