The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1906-11-02

eAsrsea sylvia Gssiella hack ~ that 1t
i sle aorsh.ennntrs village wherN she lad
lived the happisst part Of ler life,
I win 80 10 MIN Crosa agaln, and I,
will be almost as II ben were with ms
all the time.s and it was This impulse that
had put her into the north express and
| had landed her at the little wasside sta.
tion at which Gerald Tenhy had aiighted
also.
/ Gerald would have followed her--he
/ hardly knew why save that fear was
pressing In upon him from all sides--only
| II was impossible for him to expose HIM
| self to too much comment. He had to no
on to the Court, TO that big old house that
once had seemed to him the only place In
| the world that was desirable, but which
tonight had no beauty In his eyes.
The butler looked at him with well-cou-
| cealed surprise. He wondered what could
be the matter with Sir Gerald. The young
man looked almost old; certainly this
gray-faced, nervous man was very much
apart from the smart. clever, wealthy Ger
aid that had been wont to pay visits to
$500 SiVsS NhitS spii AuhuIiCe WIS hllNt >
but good servants have their share of tact
the man did not let his master realize
that he noticed anything was amiss.
lie spoke to him about matters that had
occurred since Sir Gerald had been in
London, and he handed him some letters,
and with these letters the packet of pa
pers which Stanton's faithful old friend.
Sarah, had Journeeyd from London to de-
liver.
This packet was left with me to be de-
iivered TO you personally when you should
arrive, sir" he said; sit was brought by
an old woman"
BY an old womanT repeated Gerald,
hurriedly: then his memory returned. He
almost dropped the packet; it had hide
Gus significance to him, not that anything
was contained in 1t, but that its very pres
ence conjured up all that he desired to
hide forever.
The servant closed the door and he was
left alone, left to stare down at that small
square packet, which had been the excuse
for getting Sarah out of the road while
work was being done in the old tumble
down house which was her care, her Joy
and her sorrow.
London was provided with great SEN
sation the morning following Gerald Ten
by's departure to the North. Scarcely
had the news of Edward Marchmont's
death been made public than the world
was informed of new disaster that had
befallen the lot of the widow.
most extraordinary thing occurred,
something terrible and bizarre, something
that shocked people even while it struck
them as being unusual and alarming.
This was no less than a great FIRE
that had consumed the greater portion of
the house where Lady Betty had lived
and futtered away the many years of her
butterfly existence: fire so large in its
proportions that. though help was forth
coming in a very short time, the fury of
the flames was SO great that it was al
most impossible for the fremen to ap-
proach.
And life was lost also. Lady Betty
herself was rescued In a half-fainting
condition, and greater portion of the
household fortunately escaped; but one
or two of the inmates. Gagged at the top of
the house, persisted in the flames that had
sprung to life, no one knew how, and with
those two living creatures the body of Ed
ward Marchmont had been consumed also.
The news reached Antonio by means of
one of the maids in Lady Charlotte's
house.
She fell on her knees, as soon as she
was alone, and tried to pray, but the hor-
ror that had come over her as she remem-
bered Betty Marchmont paralyzed her
brain: not even a prayer could come CO.
herently: in fact, the girl was verging -
an illness. She had made enormous de-
mands upon her courage and her physical
strength, and this prostration was only
the natural outcome of such exertions. As
she sat there a message came to her from
Lady Charlotte, asking If she would go
to her at once.
Antonio found the delicate woman In q
state of great agitation. Lady Charlotte
was sitting, propped up by her cushions.
gazing at letter that she held in her
hand. Antonio went across the room to
her and sat down beside her.
"Oh, Antonio !" she said, what can !
say to you? What wrong have done!
Child, your faith should have taught me
a lesson: your love tried to lead me u
this, and / would not be led"
fTsn ha continued \