Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-07-24
my luggage has gone before me to the

my luggage has gone before me to the
Storm. Terry will put the round tow
er in order for my arrival"
"Oh, Paget And you will not stay
and rest here at Windmere, even for a
few days?"
81 cannot, Queenie Life is short,
and 1 have much to do. All my maps
and notes and valuable papers are on
their way to Storm Island-I must fol-
low them"
She regarded him with mingled dis
appointment and despair.
"Paget, have you no taste for do
mestic joys-will you never marry, ike
other men?"
Such a contingency seems very re-
mote at present" he answered, with
a shrug Of the shoulders.
"You are past thirty; there are
streaks Of gray in your hair, and lines
Of carking care on your face. You are
rich as a prince. Your fame Is al
ready established, and you are court
ed and admired by everybody; yet you
spend your days in toll and hardship.
wandering over the world in quest Of
strange things, and writing books that
only savants read. Too much knowl-
edge has made you utterly Indifferent
to my sex, Paget. You have never yet
met the woman who could stir your
hearth
Never" he replied, cheerfully.
Let me forecast your future" she
said, smiling HE is presumptuous
man who hopes to escape the woes
common to his kind. Your time will
yet come, Paget, and I dare say you
will be called to pay dearly for these
years OF Indifference"
Prophetic words! At a later day
Paget Fassel used to remember them
with a bitter pang.
II have plighted my troth to Lady
Fame, who tolerates no rivals" he an
swered carelessly. "My dear Queenie,
let us not talk NONSENSE shall never
marry"
A sudden gravity fell upon her face.
She was leaning against the open WIN
dow, in the full glare Of the sun, which
could bring neither color or spot to
her lustrous white skin. She wore
cream -colored cashmere gown, with a
single red rose in the corsage-a Sc
verely simple dress, which chung close
to her shapely hips, and swept long
and straight to the floor.
Turning her brown eyes upon her
brother, she said, quickly:
"And I am of the same mind, Paget
Il, too, will go unmarried to my
grave! By separate ways we have
reached the same conclusion"
He looked greatly annoyed.
my dear child, that kind Of talk will
do very we'll for a graybeard like me,
but not at all for young and beauti-
full girl Did you love Lepel Ellicott
so we'll that you must turn hermitess
at twenty, and renounce all the con-
quests and happiness which naturally
belong to a belle. a beauty and an in
dependent heiress?"
1T cannot matter now how much or
how little I loved him." she answered,
calmly. "The tragedy is two years old,
Paget. When you speak Of 1t, seem
to hear the rattle of dead dry bones"
"I was in Peru at the time" said
Paget Fassel; Aunt Latimer was good
enough to write me the whole story
you, I remember, barely mentioned 1t
in your letters. Since Lepel Ellicott's
death, has any light been thrown on
the mystery Of his conduct"
Not a ray. After all, there was
very little mystery about it. He no
longer loved me. He was weak, and,
must say it? cowardly. He ran away
to avoid distasteful marriage. have
never blamed him, save for one thing
he should have told me the truth be-
fore that fatal night"
There was no quaver in her voice,
no color in her cheek; her cool, proud
face told no tales, even to this beloved
brother. He looked relieved.
1.-TWO years-a short time, Queenie-
fancied the wound would be deeper.
Thank God that you can speak like
this. Lepel Ellicott was not worthy to
touch the hem Of your garment. False
contemplate, lost to all sense Of honor,
he must have BEEN
She put her soft hand gently over
his lips.
"You are talking of the dead say no
more dearest Paget. AS 1 have al
ready told you, blame him only FOR
keeping silent so long,"
"Is it true that he wrote you some
sort of confession on that miserable
marriage night, and that you alone
know the real cause Of his mad behaV-
ior?"
Some roses were blowing outside the
window. She laid her cheek to
creamy cluster, on which the dew OF
night still fingered. The scented pc
tails were not whittier than her living
flesh.
1T is true" she answered, quietly.
"And you have kept his secret to
this very day, Queenie?"
why should I tell it? No good could
come Of a disclosure now-neither the
living nor the dead would be profited'
will you not make the truth known
at last, to me-your brother|
mot even to you. Paget-dearly as
love you!"
He pressed her hand tenderly.
Gas you will shall not urge you
From all that I hear, Queenie, there
are those Of my own sex who would
fain console you for the past. Don't
shake your head-all men are not false
weaklings"
She smiled, but made haste to change
the conversation.
Let us go down to the lake, Paget'
and look at the swans"
Gathering up her cream-colored
gown, she stepped through the French
window upon a green terrace, and
moved down flight Of steps to the
ell