Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1906-05-18

But Hilda was not in a frame of
mind in which she would acquiesce in
being thus cavalierly put off,
You do know something" she cried,
furiously, land you shall tell me, Anne
La
Il shan't," said Amelia Evershed,
pursuing up her lips, with determined
air.
you shall-you shall. I say" ejac-
ulated Hilda, more and more furious.
My dear child, do keep calm. l abb
solutely decline to say any more about
the matter. More especially as l have
promised, but there" she broke off,
hastily, with some slight appearance
Of confusion, as though she had been
almost betrayed into making an un-
guarded admission, 'let us consider the
subject finally closed"
But Hilda's keen perception, rem
dered keener by Tabid jealousy, had
not missed Amelia Evershed's hastily
checked slip of the tongue, with it's
attendant signs of confusion, and
with eyes blazing and cheeks aflame
she was down on it like a thousand
of bricks.
Mink! Traitressl l see how 1t is.
Reggie has-has-been making love to
you."
"Pshaw! What has put such fool
ish notion into your head?" replied
Amelia, with affected amusement at
the absurd imputation
But she avoided looking Hilda in
the face as she said it, and Hilda was
not slow to mark the omission.
1T is true. can see it is true she
cried, in furious accents. Deny it,
madam, if you cam
Il am not going to stop here to be
insulted in this way by any such ride
ulous accusations" retorted Amelia
Evershed, evidently glad of an excuse
for terminating the interview. Good
by, Hilda. When next | meet you, 1
hope you'll be in your right mind
again."
And she took her departure.
Hilda went up to her bedroom and
cried for two hours and three-quarters
But the tears brought her no relief.
Tears of anger never do. Besides,
while brooding thus alone, her jeal-
GUS suspicious had magnified them
selves to an astonishing extent.
She saw a secret understanding be-
tween her Reggie and Amelia She
saw herself betrayed, in her tenderest
affections, by one whom she had sup
posed her most faithful and devoted
friend. She saw her lovers heart stol-
en- away from her, and her whole life
laid waste and desolate by the SER
pentine wiles of that diabolical mink.
All this she saw, and a hundred other
things besides
When Hilda came down to tea she
found her brother Philip just returned
from business. He saw at once by her
red and swollen eyes,. that something
was the matter. He asked her what
it was. Then out it all came. "All,"
do | say? Yes, far more than all. :
Philip, who was a good brother,
was greatly aroused and perturbed by
the tale of his sisters wrongs.
Something going on between Smart
Shryke and Amelia Evershed," he ex-
claimed "Tut-tuti lit is too out
rageous. -can-hardly believe it
either of him or of her.
But it is truel" cried out Hiida,
clenching her hands excitedly, "she as
good as confessed it to me. l don't
blame Reggie so much-disloyal and
peridious as he has been. 1t is more
that snake AmeIias fault than his. She
has beguiled him to his downfall, like
her congenial prototype in the Garden
of Eden
After tea, Philip put on his hat, and,
with determined air, sailed forth.
Hilda had no doubt from his manner
that he had gone to demand an explain
alton from Reginald Smart Shryke.
1t was three good hours before he
came back. Hilda looked up at him
anxiously.
4Well?" she inquired.
1T is all right" answered her broth
er, smiling.
What do you mean by all right? :"
II mean it is as I half suspected
from the first. There has been an
egregious mistake. Amelia Evershed
doesn't care twopence for Smart
Shryke, and there has never been any
thing between them"
Reggie has told you this?a