The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1907-09-13
BY EFFIE "A. ROWLANDS

And thus, despite MarshalPs longing
to keep the helpless, hapless child. waA
the matter arranged. Constance never
asked after her baby, and when she was
told b. her faithful maid what had bson
done with It. she made no agn, either
by werd Or look. Ths doctor who attend
cd hei had been taken into confidence By
Roderick, and he pitied the p>or young
mother from the bottom Of his heart, for
he saw that = blow had been struck
which could never be healed.
Constance was scarcely convalescent
before she received q visit from her faith
er. Who was In state Of much psrturba-
tien.
Knew how It would be-" he said, when
no first saw the girls white facs. Boxed
mp here with dying old woua1-enouxh
to kill yeu In reality. And whe could
have put this into the papers7 Anstruth-
or sRys 1t must have been some sNcious
person In the village who thought zen
were III, and must needs kill you"
Constance took the newspaper fPsm her
fathers land, and read the announce
msnt of ker own death In q short para
graph. She was silent for moment,
and then, as she handed It back, she said,
with a faint smile:
1T is pity you have to contradict
It, father"
"Eh: What nonsense! Now, Con, I
shan't let you stop here any longer. I
never saw such change In any girl !
Pack up your trunks at once and come
away! Why, you look fortyl''
How little did poor Constance think,
AZ she journeyed to London With her
father. that at that very time Frank
Anstruther was reading the account Of
her death. not only in a newspaper, but
in loving tenderly indited letter from
his brother Roderick, who had hit on this
idea Of separating Frank from his wife
as being the best. If he had limited at
anything else, Frank would have rushed
back to England at, once, but with Con-
stance dead and buried, what was there
to bring him back?
Roderick's shrewdness was verified :;
Frank never came home. And when the
London season was at its height, and
Constance Gascoigne was winning fresh
laurels for her beauty and wit, the news
srrived of an outbreak of fever In Bur-
NAH, and Frank Anstruther's name war
among the dead. They called him hero :.
they sent home accounts Of his, courage
self-sacrifice, and bravery, and Con.
stances heart turned with a despairing
yearning agony to the man she had loved
SC we'll, and she longed to be buried with
him, shut out Of the world forever. She
saw Roderick as little AZ she could. It
was from his lips that she learned of her
child's death; the woman who had taken
1t had reported always how delicate it
was, and the end, always expected, had
come at last.
Then 1t was that Roderick spoke; that
he showed himself In his colors. 81.
pleaded for her love; he told her how he
had adored her ever since their child
hoods days; how he had given place to
Frank against his longing, and entreat-
ed her 10 forget all and become his wife,
When he left her that day Roderick
knew his plan had failed; come what
might, Constance would never be his wife.
To lend aid to his final coup he had lied
to her about her child. He knew that
1t lived, although If neglect and poverty
could have killed 1t the poor little thing
had its share. Stung to the quick with
the bitter words that came from Con-
stances lips at his Offering of love, he
determined she should never be told the
truth. He had one interview with tho
woman who had charge of the child, and
after giving her a large sum Of money
and sworn her to secrecy, he went out Of
England, and was lost TO the world that
knew him forever. He had lived for one
thing only during the space of four years,
and when he knew he had lost his tri-
umph, he cast the dust off his shoes and
vanished.
Then came the time of George Fraser's
wooing. the miserable hopeless time when
Constance learned that her hand was the
price Of silence over her fathers dig
honor and dishonesty. The rest we know
up to the day that Audrey came to Din
glewood ar maid to Sheila Fraser,
CHAPTER TX.
f'And you are my motherf" They
were the only words Audrey could utter.
She was bewildered, amazed; her heart
was beating with a nervous excitement
in which pride and Joy mingled largely.
Sho felt as though she were In some
sort of dream, or waking trance; every
now and then she passed her hand over
her eyes ~ though to clear away tho con-
fusion that existed.
She was kneeiins beside Constancs
Fraser's slender figure. the pretty, white
hands were clasping hers, the soft, masi-
cal voice was ringing in hsr ears. And
this was her mother Shs-Audrcy
Maxse-the waif and stray, the namslsss
nobody, shs was this delicate aristocrat's
child
"Yeu are my child. my darling. Ny
own, my very own~
Audrey gave a little cry and nestled
close to her new-found mother.
1T Is too beautiful, too beautiful to
be real" was all she could say; and
then, as she felt the soft, tender lips
pressed to her brow and cheeks, she be-
gan to wake from her dream.