The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-12-15
CHAPTER xxIV.-continued.

DO you feel better?" Mrs. Herrlck
asked her. Then she opened her eyes
wide and saw the walls and the high
arched ceiling of the hall directly
above her, knew herself lying on the
floor, saw above her the figure of
Clara, standing with bottle of salts,
and then remembered; and, with a
moan, buried her face in Mrs. Her
rick's lap. "Oh, no, no, no; don't
bring me back; l don't want to come
backi"
Their voices sounding high above
her were speaking. Mrs Herrick said:
What is that?' Then Clara muir
INJURED. Then there was the light
rustling of paper. Flora moved her
hand.
Give it to me; / want It," She felt
the stiff little square of cardboard be-
tween her fingers, and closed them
around it fast.
After a little she went upstairs hold
ing tight to the baluster with one
hand and to Mrs. Herrick with the
other. After little of sitting on the
edge of her bed she lay down, still
holding to Mrs. Herrick. She felt as
though some cord within her had been
drawn tight, too tight to endure, and
every moment she hoped it would
snap and set her free.
You don't think Pm mad, do you?"
she asked. Her friend earnestly dis
claimed it. "Then things are" Flora
said, everything. Oh, OH" The
memory overwhelmed her. He took
me there as if by chance! He gave
the sapphire to me for my engage
ment ring. Oh, dreadful! oh, poor
Harry"
All that afternoon and all night she
slept fitfully, starting up at intervals,
trembling with nameless hOrrors-the
glitterng goldsmith's shop, the China
man, the great eye of the sapphire,
and, worst of all, Harry's face, always
the same calm, ruddy, good-natured,
innocent-looking face that had led her
TO the goldsmith's shop, that had
smiled at her, falling under the spell
OK the sapphire, that had covered, all
those days, God knew what ravages
of stress and strain, until the man
had Lally broken. That face ap-
peared and reappeared through the
flashing terrors of her dreams like
the presiding genius of them all Fin
ally, drifting into complete repose,
she slept far into the morning.
She wakened languid and weak. She
lay looking about the room, and, like
a person recovering after a heavy
blow, wondered what had happened.
Then her hand, as with her first
waking thought it had done for the
last week, went to the locket chain
around her neck. Oh, yes, yes; she
had forgotten. The sapphire was
gone Gone by fraud, gone at kiss
for ever with Harry-no, with Farrell
Wand
For Harry was not Harry; and Kerr
was not Farrell Wand. He was in
deed an unknown quantity. Since she
had found Harry she had lost both
Kerr's name and his place in her
fairy-tale. She had seen his very de-
meanor change before her eyes. IN
deed, her hour had come without her
knowing it. The spell had been
snapped which had made him wear
the semblance Of evil. His sinister
form was dissolving; but what was to
be his identity when finally he stood
before her restored and perfect? II
he we're nok the thief whom she had
struggled 40 to shield, why then he
was thSE ~ery strength of law and
right which, for his sake, she had BE-,
trayed.
She sat up quickened with humilia,
ton. The thing was not TRAGEDY. II
was a grotesque. Blushing more and
more crimson, struggling with strange
mingled crying and laughter, she
slipped out of the bed, and, still in heI
night-gown, ran down the hall. anC
knocked on Mrs. Herrick's door, un
til the dismayed lady opened it.
81 thought 1t was he," Flora gasped
"I thought 1t was he who had taker
the ring! Why didn't he tell me-
Why did he keep it secret? 1 would
done anything to have saved it fol
him, and l let Harry get it! Oh, ISM
it cruel? Isn't it pitiful? Isn't it ri
diculous?"
Mrs. Herrick, who, for the last 81
hours, had so departed from her cur
riculum of safety, and courageously
met many strange appearances, nov
was to hear stranger facts. For FlcrI
had let 60 completely, and Mrs. He,
rick, without limiting at Mysteries, le
her laugh. let her err st her tsl