The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1907-08-01
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I THE CHARITY GHnl 4
BY EFFlE a. ROWLANDS
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connected with him; but there was moth
ing else to do, and even the old woman,
in common justice, admitted that BOD
erick was acting with more than broth
er's love to the unfortunate girl.
she refuses to see the child" War
shall said, land when urge her. all she
says is, Let it die! Let it dier We
can't do that, you know, sir. What are
we to do?'
Roderick had already foreseen this con-
tingency and was prepared.
The child must be removed. I know
woman who will take it and be thank
ful for the money. The mother will
never ask for it, never wish to see it,"
And thus, despite MarshaIrs longing
to keep the helpless hapless child, was
the matter arranged. Constance never
asked after her baby, and when she was
told by her faithful maid what had been
done with it, she made no sign. either
| hy word or look. The doctor who attend
| cd heI had been taken into confidence by
koderick, and he pitied the poor young
mother from the bottom Of his heart, for
he saw that a blow had been struck
| which could never be healed
Constance was scarcely convalescen Mt
| before she received visit from her faith
er. who was in a state of much perturba-
tion.
Knew how il would be-" he said, when
| he first saw the girls white face. Boxed
| ~ here with n dying old woman-cnough
| to kill you in reality. And who could
| have put this into the papers? Anstruth-
| er says II must have been some officious
| person In the village who thought you
were III. and must needs kill you"
] Constance took the newspaper from her
| fathers hand, and read the announce
| mcnt Of Der own death in short para
| graph. She was silent for moment
| and then, an she handed 1t back, she said,
with a faint smile:
1T is a 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 a change in any girl
Pack up your trunks at once and come
away. Why, you look forty.'
How little did poor Constance think,
as 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 indted letter from
his brother Roderick, who had hit on this
idea of separating Frank from his wife
as being the best. II he 1l,d hinted 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?
Rodcrick'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
| arrived of an outbreak of fever In Bur
nah, and Frank Anstruther's name was
among the dead. They called him a hero
they sent home accounts of his courage
sclf-sacrifice. and brave.y, and Con.
| stances heart turned with ~-sparing
yearping agony to the man she had lovec
SO well. and she longcd to be buried with
him, Shut ont of the world forever. She
saw Roderick as little as she could. It
was from his. lips that she learned of her
child's death; the woman who had taken
it had reported always how delicate it
was, and the end, always expected, hal
come at last.
Then 1t was that Roderick spoke; that
he showed himself in his colors. III.
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 to forget all and become his wife.
When he eft her fhat 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 hnr about her ohiG; Ie k~o-v th~t t
it lived, ulthuugH II '.r.,+.; and poverty
could have Killed il 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 tre
woman who had charge of the child, and
after giving her large sIm of money
and sworn her to secrecy, he went OUT Of
England, and was lost 20 the world that
knew him forever. lie had lived for one
thing only during the space of four years,
and when he knew he had lost his tri-
umph, he east 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 owe: her fathers Dis
honor ard dishonesty. The rest we know
up to the day that Audrey came TO Din
g!ewood as maid 20 Sheila Fraser.
CHAPTER IX. m..
And you are ~ notherT They
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