Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-02-01
CHAPTER xxIV.-continued.

do you feel better?" Mrs. Herrick
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
back"
Their voices sounding high above
her were speaking Mrs. Herrick said:
what is that?" Then Clara muir
INJURED I men there was the light
rustling Of paper Flora moved her
hand
Give it to me; l want it." She felt
the stiff little square of cardboard be-
tween her fingers, and closed them
around it fast
Aifer 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
tho Oh some cord within her had been
drawn tight, 100 tight to endure. and
every moment she hoped it would
snau and set her free.
You don't think I'm 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
glittering goldsmith's shop, til China
man, the great eye of the sapphire,
and, worst of all, Harry's face. always
the same calm, rudy, gcod-natured,
innocent-looking face that had led her
to the goldsmith's shop, that had
smiled at her, falling under the spell
of the sapphire, that had covered, all
those days, God knew what ravages
of stress and strain, until the man
had Iinally 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 cone 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? If
he were not the thief whom she ~
struggled so to shield. why, then he
was that very 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, it
was a grotesque Blushing more and
more crimson. struggling with strange
mingled crying and laughter, she
slipped out OF the bed, and, still in her
night-gown. ran down the hall, and
knocked on Mrs. Herrick's door. I'M
til the dismayed lady opened it.
81 thought it was he" Flora gasped.
81 thought 1t was he who had taken
the ring! Why didn't he tell me?
Why did he keep it secret? / would
done anything to have saved it for
him, and 1 let Harry get it, Oh, isn't
1t cruel? Isn't it pitiful? Isn't it RI
diculouse"
Mrs. Herrick. who. for the last SO
hours. had so departed from her cur
riculum of safety. and cogrageously
met many strange appearances, now
was to hear stranger facts. For Flora
mad let 90 completely, and Mrs. Her
rick. without limiting at Mysteries. let
her laugh, let her cry, let her tell