Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-12-03
CHAPTER VIII.
His Vito.


stair from Mrs. Hawkstone's DEATH
chamber and opened the door OF the
drawing room, a drawling male voice
saluted her in this wise!
Enter, Miss Hornet-I am quite
alone. OF course, nobody remembers
me at time like this. So Prince Lu-
cifer has arrived. eh? No use for me
to go up-they wouldn't let me inside
the door. 1 shall never be Of any i'm
portance here till Prince Luoifer breaks
his neck riding over the downs, or
gets drowned off the cliffs. Don't cry
any more--the Hawkstones must die,
like meaner mortals. and It spoils your
eyes-you have a pair. Miss Horpet
that ought to make your fortune"
The speaker, Vincent Hawkstone,
was dawdling about the old room with
his hands in his pockets, and look OF
sulky discomfort in his bold, knowing
eyes.
"Who is Prince Lucifer?" demanded
the Creole girl,
why, my honorable cousin Basil,
the Lord of Tempest Island, to be
sure!" sneered Vincent; forgive my
lack of reverence. Younger sons are
always ne'er- do wells In the Hawk
stone family. My father before me was
one. He squandered all he could get
and having been discarded by his
l. a.
carded several things In his short day
"a wife, among the rest!-he died
young in a foreign land. PRINCE Luci-
fer considers me respectable sort of
pauper!"-with an unpleasant laugh.
The Creole girl surveyed him with
eyes full Of dark disdain.
II think you are a very envions and
ill-natured person, Vincent" she said.
Thank you, Miss Hornet-the time
has come to talk plainly. I'll wager
my aunt has left everything to Prince
Lucifer-the rest Of US must be his de-
pendents She would not deprive him
Of the pleasure of giving or Withholding
at his royal will OF course, you have
heard Of the beastly entail on the
Hawkstone possessions, put on two oen-
turies ago, in genuine English fashion,
and religiously adhered to by later
generations-think of such a state OF
things, on an ialand only few miles
removed from the New England coast!
I hold that the younger branch OF the
family has for years been robbed to
enrich the elder; till now, you find
Prince Luoifer ridiculously rioh, and
I, his cousin, poor az a church mouse.
Never mind" grinding his teeth-"l
shall yet be lord of Tempest Island!"
She drew up her long, white neck.
Impossible! 1t belongs to your
cousin and his male heirs"
AT present I am his male heir He
may never marry-he may never have
a son-daughters, Of course, don't sig
nify-in either case, am sure to be
master here some day"
you are no friend to your cousin,
or you would not talk like this"
81 never pretended to be-" he an
swered, airily, 1T seems, miss. that
you think yourself called to defend
him, because my aunt has chosen you
to be his future wife"
She was a child, as yet, with the
heart of a child. She stared with large
astonished eyes.
How insolent you are!"
He laughed again.
What! has she never told you?"
Certainly not!"
Very odd! Everybody at Tempest
Island knows that you have been Sc
lected for Prince Lucifer. Yes, pom my
soul, you must make up your mind to
fall in love with him straightway." He
glanced at her. smiling, and through
half closed eyelids. II wish from my
heart that you had been destined fol
me instead: but there's no such luck
for a younger son."
| Vincent Hawkstone, do you think
this a seasonable time for testing
Don't talk to me any more-I am sick
OF you!" making a queenly little ges-
ture.
VERY we'll. Miss Hornet. Twenty
minutes past the hour and no dinner
yet! Nothing puts me out so much as
to walt for dinner. Hark! what's
that?"
A sudden rush Of feet through the
hall.
"Oh," gasped Jetta. Mrs. Hawkstont
is dead" and she rushed from the room
leaving Vincent alone by the fire.
Presently the church-bell began tt
toll.
Let them mourn who will profit by
her DEATH" muttered the young bar.