Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-01-14

Even lunatics have moments Of wis
DOM" laughed mademoiselle, as she
arose from the sofa and shook out her
silken train.
Peg Patton retreated into the pas
sage l followed with the circus rider.
The secret door closed noiselessly on
Hawkstone's mad mother
DO not forget the story you have
heard. Miss Ravenel," sneered Made
moiselle Zephyr. And wait! I've a
message to send Basil Hawkstone.
Three times have failed to get pos
session of my child but as the Lord
liveth. and as my soul liveth. he shall
not keep her from me one day longer!
Now, farewell"
| How escaped from the house l cam
not tell. The first that I remember
was flying down the forest path to the
beach. The owls hooted in the twl-
Hight. the nighthawks flew over my
head leaned, at last, against the
rock of the "Old Woman" and looked
out with blank sightless eyes on the
gray sea. My dream of love and hap
piness was done-the gate of my Eden
had already closed behind me. And
then l heard step, and l knew he
was coming to seek me-he was even
then at my side.
What a fright you have given me,
Jetta!" he cried. Il returned from
Whithaven to find the house empty and
desolate. Miss Rokewood and Bee
have not yet appeared, and you
He stopped and turned my face to-
ward the afterglow Of sunset.
"Jetta. how white and strange you
look! Why do you shrink from me?-
what has happened"
Take your arms away!" l answered
wildly DO not touch me, Basil-nev-
er again, We are parted-we can new
err never marry" And I told him all.
His face grew turbulent for a mo-
ment then hardened into ominous
| lines.
MY poor darling" he said, gently,
'yOu have fallen too readily into
mademoiselles net! l do not regret
that you have seen my mother, or
heard her story, for I would have no
secrets from the woman 1 love. But
what can l say Of that second-rate ac-
| Itress-that vindictive, mischief loving
cheat, Mademoiselle Zephyr? Believe
me, she has but two idols-herself and
lei ~, win oh 1nVp6
her desertion of the child and the
cruel physical injury which she inflict-
ed on her six years ago, prove that. Me
she hates with her whole heart. The
farce that she is playing would be
amusing, if it did not threaten my fu-
ture happiness-I would laugh at her
plots, If they were not directed against
your peace as we'll as my own. Do
you say that we are parted from each
other, Jetta? Not on this side Of the
grave and not by any living mortal"
looked straight into the eyes of the
man l loved and answered:
After what has passed tonight,
could I ever be happy as your wife?
The broken heart of that woman at the
Inlet House, the protests Of Bees
mother, the shame, the disgrace which
my brother Gabriel has brought upon
me, all hold us wide apart! There's
great gulf fixed between us. Your
wife | can never be! My heart may
break but not this my resolution"
His volcanic eyes, the hard lines Of
his mouth, told me that 1 had met my
master. Yet he drew my hand very
gently through his arm.
My darling, let me take you back
to the house. 1 will not try to reason
with you now," he said, with unuttera-
proach you, for you are already over
whelmed. AS for Gabriel it is quite
| true that he owes his ruin to Made
moiselle Zephyr. Leave him entirely
to me-leave all your troubles to me,
Jetta, for the fact that they are yours
makes them mine also"
In silence l went on with him over
the dunes. My ears were still ringing
with Veras threats and reproaches, my
eyes could see nothing but the mad
woman playing with her heap Of shells.
Never could 1 marry Basil Hawk
stone till these things were forever
blotted from my memory.
Mrs. Otway met us at the door or
Tempest Hall.
"Oh," she cried in great distress, "a
dreadful thing has happened. Miss
Bee is lost"
! Lost" we echoed, in the same
breath"
THE ponies ran away" explained
the h0usekeeper, when Miss Roke-
wood and the child were returning
from the lighthouse. Both were thrown
out. Miss Rokewood's head struck a
stone and she tainted. When she
came to herslef, she says, she could
find nothing Of Bee. The child had
disappeared. leaving not trace be-
hind. She searched everywhere, and
was finally obliged to come home, and
call Harris and the servants to help.
Not ten minutes ago they all started
off on the road to the lighthouse-they
thought it wasn't best to wait for you,
sir"
'One woe doth tread upon another's
| heels
So fast they follow,
Imuttered HawkstOne. AT what hour,
and at what spot in the road, did this
mysterious disappearance take place.
I'm not sure" answered the house,
keeper. wildly. Miss Rokewood VIII
tell you. wish you would order
lsomebody to ring the alarm bell, sir"
! He turned to me with bent brows.
"MademOiselle Zephyr has fulfilled
her threat" he said. 'In some un-
known way she has got possession OF
the child at last"
To be Continued.