Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-03-17

rent the still air, and he at once rushed
out and reached the thicket of bushes in
time TO find Ellen Watson stretched sense
less and bleeding from wound in the
temple, while two men fought with the
savage fury of wild beasts a few feet
farther off.
One of these men was a sailor, a sort
of Hercules in strength and build His
blue shirt-front, half open, disclosed a
hairy chest; his dress was travel soied,
his face brown as a gipsy's, his great
beard descended to his chest. And who
was he struggling with? Whose hands
rained down savage blows upon his head
hands nerved with what seemed super
natural strength. 1t was Colonel Wych-
erly, the nonentity, the proud, pompous
nobody who owned all the wide manors
of Wycherly. And he fought like a de-
mon; he seemed to aim at the sailors
life. At little distance lay a terrible
club, which he was making frantic efforts
TO clutch.
Help, help!" roared the sailor. IF We
be a man! This is a fend, I'm thinking.
See how he served my poor lass there"
sailor but it seemed that the strength
of the colonel redoubled with opposition.
He bit and clawed ike a wildcat. Arthur
| Calthorpe began to shout for help. and
presently the bushes were torn aside, and
there appeared In. Dundas.
With one bound the doctor reached the
colonel, kneeled on his chest, and then
dashed some fluid from a flask into the
convulsad face. The effect was instanta-
neous. There was another convulsive
twitch, and then the whole face became
still. 1t was like the face of one dead.
The hands lay motionless, the teeth were
clenched.
Another rustic amid the bushes, and
Mrs. Colonel Wycherly stood amid the
alarmed and excited group. The lady
wore long train of lavender colored silk
on her head was simple fchu of white
lace; her face was CHASTITY white.
Look there said DIR. Dundas, point
ing to the form of Ellen Watson. II
have been an idiot, Mrs Wycherly, to con-
ceal this dreadful secret so long. | will
tell all now, and l will no longer act as
keeper. Mr.. Cathorpe, l owe the whole
county-and you, more especially-an &C
count of this wretched secret of Wych-
erly; it shall be made in writing. But
now let me see to this victim of Colonel
Wycherly."
Mrs. Wycherly wrung her hands. The
anguish upon the womans face was ter
rible. The doctor, meanwhile, put his
hand upon the heart of Ellen Watson.
"She will live" he said coolly; but
she will want care and long nursing"
AYE. my poor lass" said the rough
sailor, looking at her fondly; ''she were
a bit skittish, and fond of finery, and
clever lass but she thought | were dead,
| | will say that for her. She is my wife,
SIR he added, looking earnestly at Ar
thur Calthorpe-''my wife, whom | mar
ried four years ago at ST. AIMS church,
| in Penwaggan, a village of the Orkneys.
| can prove my marriage and bring for
ward parson and clerk, if she feels in
clined to dispute it, which she won't, l
take it; for she thought me dead, drown
ed off Cape Horn, when the Mermaid
went down there three years ago, and only
FIVE hands saved, of which 1 am one"
From that night forth the young gem
tleman was forever rid of the preposter-
Gus claims of Ellen Watson. She,
vain, ambitious girl, had, in truth, mar
ried John King, four years back, in the
Orkneys. She had lived with him com
| fortaby for a year. News came of the
loss of the Mermaid and she believed her
self a widow. She went to live with her
| father, who was postmaster in a High
| land village, and there made the acquaint-
ance of Arthur Calthorpe, out on trip
| for the autumn. The scheme entered into
| her ambitious soul of making him call her
Mrs. Calthorpe before witnesses, and she
was clever and daring enough to enlist
| sympathy, borrow money, and had not
her husband returned, and been directed
where to find her, there is no knowing
what would have been the result of law
suit As it was, she recovered. Arthur
Calthorpe and Lionel paid off her bor-
rowed money for her, and she returned to
the Orkneys with John King, repenting
of her cruel and ambitious schemes.
In India Colonel Wycherly, then a
dashing officer, fell in love with the
naughty, beautiful daughter of his COM
manding officer. Miss Fitzgerald was en-
gagged to another gentleman, but she
| transferred her affections to the colonel !;
they eloped, and were married. The dis
appointed lover followed them TO a dis
tant station, struck the colonel IN the
| face: meeting was arranged, and the
| colonel shot his rival through the heart.
This was the crime of which Ella spoke,
and which Mrs Wycherly always said
needed expiation. Vengeance pursued the
colonel. He fell asleep in the jungle,
and awoke through sunstroke his intel
! lectual power quenched.
DIR. Dundas, staff surgeon of the regi-
ment, had been hic personal friend; and,
being humane and fond of science, devot-
| cd himself to work his cure. The colonel
recovered consciousness, and enough sense
to appear as rather stupid country gen.
| tleman, of which DIR. Dundas said Gym
| ically there were a few specimens in the
hunting shires and the colonel returned
to his fine estates, with his wife, his doc
tor and few confidential servants.
The colonel was subject to violent and
sudden outbreaks; but his wife would
not consent to his being sent TO an asy-
lum. She begged DIR. Dundas again and
again to keep the secret, feeling confident
of cure in the end.
| Oul.s suspected ldiueE
ton. She had been more than once on
the point of telling all TO Lionel.
| 1t was the colonel who nearly killed
Arthur Calthorpe at the ball-it was the
colonel wac. in sudden fit OF madness,
struck his wife. and then fled away
shrieking ON the night when Leila Leigh
met the Lady of Wycherly sitting bon
netless by the wsyside.
The young cousin was named as heir
to part of the estate, and Mrs. Wycherly,
broken In spirit. gave her consent to
Lionel--now Lord Msrlowe-when he
asked to be allowed to pay ais addresses
TO Ella. Aud Ella wrote to him, as the
doctor had predicted that she would.
|
Afterward-when she heard that he
was lord. and would one day be an earl
that theirs was, after all. 20 oe love in
castle, and not in co,tsge-she was
perhaps. not disappointed: and, in short,
there were two gay weddings before long
az Wycheriy. Arthur Calthorpe and Leila