Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1910-04-07
CHAPTER vi.

ference, snd she refused absolutely 10
accept Aylmer as her son-in-law.
1T is because that black woman dis
trusts me that you object he said
Il wonder that an educated person
should be dominated by that uncivli-
ized creature.
dido has nothing to do with my
refusal" said the widow, coldly; and
although l take her advice in some
things, do not in this. l don't wish
Isabella to marry you, and l request
you to leave my house"
"As a gentleman l must accept your
dismissal, but decline to give up Isa-
bella
And l." cried the girl, swear to re-
main true to Maurice!"
You'll do nothing of the sort" said
her mother. violently. Il forbid you
even to think of that young man. You
shall marry whom l choose!"
"Dr. Etwald, I suppose?"
No! Mr.. Sarby."
David" calculated Maurice, in an
Astonished tone. You wish Isabella
TO marry hint"
"Yesl He loves Isabella much more
than you do, and he asked permission
which you didn't-to pay his ad-
dresses to her. l consented, and So"
Mrs. Dallas raised her voice, "he shall
marry her"
Il refuse to marry Mr.. Sarby," said
Isabella, vehemently. 81 hate him!"
That is no matterl" replied her
mother. coldly. You must marry
him!"
'Must!" repeated Maurice, with
great indignation.
Yes, Mr.. Aylmer! Mustl Must!
Must If you want an explanation of
that you can ask Major Jen!"
THE Major My guardian!" cried
Aylmer, quite thunderstruck. rs he
against me?"
ASK him! 1 want no further speech
es from you. Go to your room, Isa-
bella"
Resigning himself to the inevitable,
Maurice gave one glance at Isabella.
and went outside with a heavy heart.
Dido was standing upon the veranda,
with her eyes glowing like two Goals.
Yet there was an Ill concealed express
sion Of triumph in her gaze which
Maurice, in his then disturbed and an
gered state OF mind, could i'll brook
He paused abruptly as he passed by
her, and asked direct question:
why do you hate me, Dido?"
,"Voodool" said she in a harsh voice.
Bah! you black parrot" muttered
Maurice, scornfully, and turned upon
his heel AS he vanished down the
walk Dido clapped her hands together
with great satisfaction, and began to-
sing in low tones. Her song was bar
barrie In words, and strange beyond all
telling in the music. 1t rose and fell.
and moaned and drawled in a curious
ly painful manner In the drawing
room Mrs. Dallas had risen to her feet
at the first deep contralto note, and
now stood rocking herself to and fro
with an expression of alarm on her
face. Isabella was terrified in her
turn. She shrieked and ran out Of the
room. Then Dido. still singing, ap-
peared at the window, and looked at
Mrs. Dallas with an expression of
triumph.
why do you sing the death song?"
asked Mrs. Dallas, opening her eyes.
Because de master hab doomed dat
yaller- r-h'ar!" said Dido, and continued
her song.
In the meantime. Maurice walked
slowly homeward, puzzling out his own
mind, as to what could be the meaning
Of these strange things He could not
understand why Mrs. Dallas objected
to him as a son-in- law; nor could he
surmise the meaning Of the mysterious
word ''Voodoo." pronounced so signif-
cantly by Dido However, he saw
plainly that the negress was the dis
turbing element in the Dallas house.
hold, and by a half-hypnotic control
over the weak will Of her mistress, she
could act as she pleased.
Maurice. simple and upright in con-
duct and character, was no match for
the unscrupulous Vaccinations of Di-
dc. She hated the young man, and
was determined that he should not
marry her nursing. But whether she
had, like Mrs. Dallas a preference for
David over DR.. Etwald. Maurice could
not determine. The more he thought
over affairs, the more fncoherent and
complicated did they become; so AyI-
mer gave up the task In despair. Then
IT occurred to him that Mrs. Dallas had
referred him to Major Jen; so to his
guardian Maurice went the moment he
arrived at the big house
Major gone out, sir" explained
Jaggard. to whom Maurice applied for
information. He got a message from
DR.. Etwald. and went to see him. Be
back to dinner, sir, b'lieve."
where is Mr.. Sarby?"
."Gone over to Branch Hall, sir"
eHo. hol" thought Maurice. as he
turned away so David had gone to
see Meg Now II he is in love with
Isabella, and Mrs. Dallas favors his
suit, 1 wonder why he acts In that
way"
The question he could not answer, so
dismissing It from his memory, he re-
tired to the smoking room with a now
el. When Jen and David returned he
intended to question both, and, is pos
sibie. get to the bottom Of these sick
ening mysteries.
Hang it," soliloquizsd Maurice over
his book; since yesterday everything
seems to have gone wrong. That ne
Wress and DR.. Etwald are at the bot
ton Of Affairs. But I can't see their