Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-09-04

Edith will remember the letter |
wrote her. saying that I was going
away to marry girl who was more to
me than legions of bellies and heiresses.
She will remember how, like the polt-
room that l was, l threw myself en-
tirely on her mercy and begged her to
keep my secret You see, l feared that
! might be pursued, and by fair means
or foul separated from my enchantress.
To avoid that catastrophe, 1 was will
ing to implore help Of the woman l
was forsakinS.
AT the collision Of the trains I found
myself unhurt In the horror and con-
fusion that ensued l CHANGED to stum-
BILE on the body Of a mana fellow
traveler-half buried in the debris of
the wreck. at once observed strik-
ing likeness bctwiXt the corpse and my
own figure We were of similar build,
and our dress was precisely the same.
AS for the face of the dead man, the
fire had burned and blackencd it be-
yond all hope of identification. In
stantly a cruel plan rushed into my
head.
"To preserve the family honor, my
mother might send pursuers after me,
and force me back to duty and herSelf
why should l not feign death for
little while, and so utterly battle any
who might follow on my track? The
fact that l was about to deal a deadly
thrust at my mothers heart did not
deter me for a moment.
Unseen in the general confusion.
examined the pockets Of the dead man.
and found no clew to his name or
dwelling place-Only railway ticket
and some bank notes. In haste l
transferred all my own valuables to
his person. simply reserving money
enough for actual needs. Thus strip
ped of everything, 1 rushed from the
spot, made my way across country 10
a distant station, boarded another train,
and went on to my journeys end, re-
joicing that l had completely eXtin-
guished Lepcl Ellicott until such a
time as it should please me to renew
bis existence.
And all the while retribution was
following at my heels. l was eXtin-
guished, in good truth, little later,
and it remained for another to renew
me-Dr. Nigel Hume a kinsman of
whom l had heard next to nothing,
and whose face l had never seem"
His look, his tone. told Mignon that
she had little to hope from him-he|
would show her no mercy. Wildly
she tore off her bridal veil and flung
it on the floor She knew only too
well that the end of all things had come
for her. Neither Fassel nor his sister
had yet spoken The former stood as
though turning to stone. Mignon cast
one look upon him, then ran to Edith,
and hid her face on the elder girls
breast.
In a passion of rage and scon Lepel
Fllicott proceeded with his story. He
was very hard and bitter. He did not
spare the woman that he had once low
ed and now loathed.
"Shc is an imposter in this house"
he said, coldly sternly, to his mother;
there is no drop of Ellicott blood in
her veins. She is not Elizabeth Hill
yer, but only the cousin Of that long
suffering person.
"She thought me a hopeless idiot,
1af+ tn of love
died long before. She has even enter
ed into a marriage engagement. it
seems. although she had no reason to-
believe me dead. A heartless flirt-a
creature tickle, foolish. weak as water
she was my evil genius from the
moment l first set eyes upon her. /
repudiate her new, as she repudiated
me when she fled from Cape Desoa-
ton. That man." pointing to Paget
Fassel, lis welcome to herr"
Rose lifted her white face from
Edith's breast.
ANDY" He shuddercd at the name.
Yes, it is all true. l was very, very
wicked-I did not really care for you at
the beginning, and when your wits
were gone l adhered you'll thought
you would always be as you then
were. And l have wronged Bcss, too
good. noble Bess. Where is she?"
she would not come to accuse you.
You denied her to her face, in the
presence of my mother and Miss Fas-
sell" She looked at him with flash
in her violet eyes.
How glibly you enumerate my sins
and talk of deceit and impOstures. Are
you not also guilty? You married me
under a false name-you never gave
me even a hint of your real position.
believed you to be Andre Gautier.
Oh. if l had known the truth. But
you never told me-you never told
me-" and she began to sob wildly.
Mrs. EllcOtt limped forward, and
stood betwiXt her recovered son and
the girl who was. in the eyes of the
law. his wife
"MignOn," she said, gently, you saw
my sons portrait in this house and the
SlSUl ONelCflllt Nbu HlO yet Sbu SttN
that YOU did not know whom you had
married."
Il did not! l thought the likeness a
chance one only, though it always
frightened me. How could | dream
that Andre Gautier and your dead son
were one and the same person.
Mrs. Ellicotts eyes filled with tears.
"Lepel. Lcpel. YOU must not be too
hard with her" she pleaded. You
have both sinned. There is something
to be said on her side as well as your
own And little while ago you loved
her desperately
Il love her no longer. Can YOU look
at her standing there in that dress.
and talk to me of love-"
Mignun did not seem to hear. Again
her eyes sought Pagct Fassers. \