The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1914-03-07

| no" ea"e the cloud. Betty and
onptain werc fatty gamboling be.
ae .neIr mistresses. who. arm in
arm were pacing like guardians be
fore the entrance to the church.
Al. said Mary with a sigh Of
content, to think. I shall rest here
happily. buried With my own pso-
But" objected Miss Harriet. wav.
ing a black glovcd hand at the neat
r,ansles OF lawns thanking the sacred
edince. no interments are allowed
In the churchyard."
| BUT. my dear" Miss Mary re-
minded. you remember the vault
the Van Wyde vault"
MiAs Harris was annoyed yet paincd
mat she must put an end 10 her
friends deiusion.
The Van wyde vault contains
only one more available place" she
explained. Aunt Elvira Cornhill was
the last 10 co."
even jocose.
,, .But; Harriet; don't want more
Mias Harriet paused In her walk.
said coidly. that II 10 my r,.ht 70
be buried there"
Miss Mary stopped short. "Why
my good woman!" she excIaimcS
how can you he 30 unChrIstinn.
Consult your memory. I have quite
~ much right as you. I confeae 7
had not until this moment realized
that you had q claim. But II your
father was q Van Wyde, % was my
mother-And our Rrandfathers were
brothers ana my father was the elder.
about IT,"
| What" exclaimed Miss Harriet.
'you have the audacity! Here am Z
living here my whole life, never
abandoning tho shadow OF my own
home. and you"-
'T.. INTERRUPTED Miss Mary. cam.
all the way back. after a lifetime
spent abroad. that ! might end my
dcciining years where ! belong. and
rest among my ancestors"
Il suppose the Dearinsbolds don't
count" sneered her rival. mo won
der you want 10 break into the Van
wyde vault"
Tho Dearingboids do not need
your approval TO establish their
claims to aristocracy," snapped Miss
IH8nODut ! happen to be in every
particular . Van Wyde throw.b
and ] have no intention of abandon.
ing my claim. Come. Captatn!" she
called no sharply that the poodle
dropped its tail In terror, and with 4
rceretful glance at Betty trotted OF
aftcr his irase mistress.
From that awful moment Miss
Harriet was terrorised. She con-
suited relatives and lawyers-aias! II
became a question which Fate alone
could decide. MIss Harriet was torn
between love o; life and her family
fetch.
Ono black. black day she sat at her
window revolving the situation. After
careful inquiry she had made the
painful discovery that Mary was her
senior BY three whole years. Mary,
then. had every chance to win the
coveted resting place. Mary. sho
vaguely felt. had somehow taken .
mean advantage Of her. even at
birth. But how could she defend her.
self. how protect her rights.
A thought intruded suddenly a. her
eye fell upon the little bottle Of dyA.
pepsia tablets on grandmother Pears
rosewood work table. II would not
he hard to obtain some drug, Sne
sh,,ddsred. No. even II Mary were
three years her senior, she could not
bring herself 70 take such an unfair
advantage. She must remember tho
family honOr-van Wydes NEVEx
committed suicide.
Almost at the Same moment IN thu
old house three doors down the ave.
nue. Miss Mary had turned away
from q fascinated contemplation OF
the gas jet In the big front room
whore she had frst seen the light Of
day. She turned away with regret.
She had Just admitted to hersek that
Miss Harriet was falling rapidly
that she was more and moro q vic.
tim Of tho family rheumatism. But
Miss Mary was above such base
tr.ckery As the gasjet suggested. She
turned from II. angry at herself,
picked up Grandmother Treadle's
copy OF "Pope's Essay on Man."
drowning her evil thoughts In its
noble and uplifting piatitudes.
Daily the rivals. In solitary misery,
circlsd the triangle known 40 "The
Square" followed each by a detected
and lonesome dog. no longer free 10
run at large. but restrained BY a
leash. lest they involve their owners
In conversation. The hours that had
been no full OF interesting reminis-
cence were dead and dull. Dinner
time was a dreary break In the gray
ness that was day. The cloud had
settled down and enveloped the poor
ladies' In blackness.
Then came the thunderbolt. John
de Rock Van Wyde died. aged nifty
one, victim OF the hereditary apo
plexy. On receiving the news botf
Miss Mary and Miss Harriet were
FRUSTRATED: not that they cared a raj
for Cousin John. for he had aban.
, doned New York for Albany In hi
, early and politically ambitious youth
, They had never given John
thought. but Fate had loaded the die,
. and thrown In his favor. The Val
Wyde vault was chuck "a block, ant
! Miss Harriet and Miss Mary oustet
: forever In favor OF one who had mad
= himself an outlander!
!, For a week they remained closete,
a with their grief, only appearing will
|, reluctant formality to attend the III
a neral. for no matter what the cos
Family Ceremonials must be OBJ
, served.
: Then came a Turing. softly scente
II spring day Miss Harriet locke
I forth. and blamed herself for allow
q Ing Betty's walks to be taken 4
N charge Of william. Miss Mary Raxe
toward "the Place" and scolded her
d self for letting Captain mourn in tn
n back ward