The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1907-05-17
CHAPTER XXL.-lCoxrINunp.,

4 tiIhe was very udppy- lie was hlhu
to me, and / loved him sol We lived
n a little vine-Wreathed cottage, on the
banks of the Seine. and / had my Tiny
aower-garden, my books, my birds, my
faithful dog Leo-and Paul! Every
pleasant night he used to take me out
bore my name on its side. | lived in a
sort of blissful waking trance. that left
me nothing 10 desire, nothing to ask
for. Fool that ] was! | thought it
was TO last always. After a while
Paul wearied OF me. Perhaps | was too
lavish OF my caresses and words of love;
1t might tire him TO be loved so In
tensely. But such was my nature. He
grew cold and distant at times posi-
lively ill-natured. Once he struck me;
but | forgave him the blow, because he
had taken too much wine. He laughed
me to scorn, and called me by a foul
name that I cannot repeat, That night
he asked me to go out boating with
him. I prepared myself with alacrlty,
for I thought he was getting pleased
with mo and perhaps would comply
with my request. Are you weary oil
my story. Louise"
mo. no. Go on. am listening to
you, Arahel."
1T was a lovely night. The stars
cleaning like drops of molten gold, and
the moon looked down, pure and serene
and holy. Paul was unusually silent,
and / was quiet. waiting for him TO
speak. Suddenly, when we reached the
middle of the river, he dropped the oars,
and we drifted with the current. He
sprang up, his motion nearly capslzlng
the frail boat, and taking a step toward
me, fastened q rough hand upo my
shoulders. 'Arabel,' he said. hoarsely,
your power owe me Is among the
things of the past. Once l thought |
loved you. but 1t was merely a passion
which soon burned itself out. After
that. / grew to hate you: but, because
had taken you away from ONE and
friends. l tried to treat you civllly.
Your caresses disguised me. | would
gladly have cast you off long ago, ii !
had had but the shadow of a p%reteXt.
1 am to be married to a beautiful wom-
an in America before many months
shall elapse-a woman with a name and
a fortune which will help me to pay
those cursed debts hat are dragging
me down like a milestone. For you
have no further use. There is no dis
grace In the grave-and l consign you
to its dreamless sleep! The next mo-
ment the boat was capsized. and l was
floating in the water. l cried aloud in
his name. beseeching him to save me.
and got only his moclsing laugh in re-
turn, as he struck out for the shore.
| could not swim, and ! felt myself
sinking downtown to un~fathomable
depths. l felt cold as ice; there was a
deafening roar in my ears. and l knew
no more"
My poor Arabel, I could curse the
villain who did this cowardly thing,
but he is dead. and in the hands of
God"
when I woke to consciousness. I
was lying in a rude cottage, and two
persons, unknown to me--a man and a
woman-were bending over lie, apply
ing hot dannels to my numbed limbs
and restoratives to my lips. | had
some articles of jewelry on my person,
of some considerable value, and with
these I bribed the persons who had
taken me from the river to cause Mr..
Linmere to believe thai I had died.
They were rough people, but they were
kind-hearted, and l owe them a large
debt Of gratitude for their thoughtful
caro- of me. But for it l should have
died in reality. AS o as l was able
to bear the journey l left France. Lin
mere had already closed the cottage
and gone away-none knew whittier,
but I was satisfied he had departed for
the United States. 1 left France with
no feeling Of regret, save for Leo. my
faithful hound. have shed many bit
ter tears when pondering owe the
probable fate Of my poor dog"
BE easy on that subject, Arabel. l
saw the hound but n few weeks 60.
He is the property OF q lady who loves
him--the woman Paul Linmere vas to
nave married., II ue udU Iseu.
~ am glad. You may laugh at me,
Louis. but the uncertain fate Of Leo
has given mo great unhappiness. But
to continue-I engaged myself as nurse
maid with an English family, who had
been travelling on the continent and
were about returning home. l re-
NAMED with them until I had accumu-
lated sufficient funds to defray my ex-
penses across the Atlantic, and then |
set out on my journey. came to New
York, for that had been Mr.. Linmere's
homo before we went to France. l soon
got upon the track Of him, and learned
that he was about to be married to a
Miss Margaret Harrison, a young lady
of great beauty, and with a large for
tune. l wanted to see her: for you
must know that I had registered a fear
full VOW of vengeance OF Mr.. Paul Lin
mere, and 1 desired to judge for myself
II it would fall heavily on the woman
he was going to marry. For even VIC
lently as l had loved him I now hated
him.
II Jaw Miss Harrison. I accosted
her in the street one day, as any com