The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1907-02-01
CHAPTER xxx.

once more In couple, took up the tral
Of the fugitive here and there, lost i
here and there, found it again; and
having once arrived at the fact tha
one man was wandering about France
with one aspect and many names, ad
dresses, and accents, they had littlt
difficulty in arriving at least at the
conclusion that for one reason or othel
that person desired to evade pursuit
Apart from that one device Alexis hat
adopted no precaution, and when II
was detected the device itself served
to expose his track. They came upor
him, but they came day too late. He
had passed out of human jurisdiction
and there was nothing left but to OBJ
serve the last formalities of the law
to take, possession Of the. valuables the
dead man had left behind him, and tC
go once more in pursuit Of their sep
arate business and desires. The news
was known in England long before the
trial Of Aloysius.
|, The. freed man, relieved at last OF
the incubus. which had weighed SO
long upon him, could scarcely suffer
further, The disgrace he had endeav.
ored to avert had fallen, but no man
or woman coupled him with it. and he
went back to his country house and
dwelt there in slowly growing peace.
Little by little the dead past buried
Its dead, the minutes falling !. like
grains of sand, until the sorrows
which had been were obliterated. At
times. q gust Of memory blew the
CHASTITY thing bare again, but the hand
of time gently rearranged the burial
mound, and the gusts grew rarer and
more rare. q ~ tt31 81 { s@1
When, in the afternoon Of that new
ersto.beiorgotten day on which Alloy
sills was liberated, Belle had been ur-
gently summoned by her husband to
take charge OF Lillian and to convey
her home, the two women wept in
each others arms, and the younger
said enough to convince her friend that
she looked on the man whose ad-
dresses she had declined with pas
sion Of regret that she had lent him
an extra load to carry, in addition to
the burden of sorrow he had borne.
The thought of the man to whom she
had promised to ally herself was
dreadful to her. The murderous hand
had fouled hers; the treacherous, ly
Ing lips had touched her own. There
was q deep pollution in these memo
ries. And 1t was for him-for him!-
that she had declined the man who
now seemed to her godhke in his self
abnegation and in the strength in
which he had endured.
Lillian had retired to rest, worn out
with weeping, and lay still holding
Bellies hand in her own long after she
had fallen into the slumber of exhaus-
tion. She still sobbed in her sleep
like child that has been frightened
Or chidden undeservedly, and the
faithful little Irish lady sat there hour
after hour, whilst the autumn dark
ness gathered and the chill of the au-
tumn night came UP with the mist that
loated from the river.
At last she heard the whistle of the
train, and, gently detach-
ng her hand, stole silently downstairs
10 await. her husband, to bring the
drowsy fire to a cheerful brightness,
10 warm Billery's slippers. and to set
his favorite armchair. pipe and an
ample jar Of tobacco near at hand.
When all was ready she stood listen
ing for bis footstep, and was at the
door when he was yet score of yards
sway Biilery kissed her dutifully on
arrival. and when he had adjusted the
Of the door went along the
little hall with her. with an arm about
her waist And when Billery had lit
the midnight pipe and had poured out
the Sowing midnight bowl of cocoa,
be suffered bis proud wife to kneel be-
lore him to unlace his boots, and to
draw them from his feet, and to sub
Btitute for them q pair of slippers
foasted to . turn.
Al this being done, Belle skipped be-
hind his chair, and resting on the
back OF It. contemplating the bald SPOT
n top of Billery's head. she began to
talk to him.
Hamilton" she said, i've heard We
1eclare often that every good woman
3 . matchmaker"
Il hope" said Billery, in return,
that you've heard me say one or two
much more original things than that"
eBut ye have said It," Belle retorted,
and ye believe 1t, don't ye"
n have said It," replied Billery, "and
. believe IT."
Hamilton" began Belle, with more
hesitation Of manner than she com
nonly showed. there's things wife
nay say to her husband she couldn't
say to anybody else"
Lots OF 'em," Billery answered,
lightly, blowing the fragrant cloud
rom before him and waving it with
if hand.
The poor darlin' gyurl that's lying
lsleep upstairs" !" said Belle, has found
ler heert At last. It's broken, me dear,
ut it'e mendable, and I'm goin' to try
~ 49,. - ,eancSA ~ - No.