The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1915-02-25

dressed men and women, the guests
invited to the wedding Of Rose Trlne
aid Alan Law.
Within another ten minutes the
man Judith loved with all her BODY
and soul would be the husband OF ner
sister.
She had told herself she was re-
signed; but she was not, ana sne
would never be. Her heart was DIeaA-
ing in her bosom as she sat there'
watching, waiting, listening to the
ever heavier detonations Of the ap-
preaching thunderstorm and to the
jubilant pealing Of great organ down
below.
The had told herself that, though
resigned, she could not bear to VIII
ness the ceremony Now as the mo-
ment drew near when the marriage
would be a thing finished, fxed'
irretrievable, she found herself un-
able to endure the strain alone.
Slowly, against her will, she rose
and stole across the floor to her ia
ther chair.
His breathing was slow and regu-
lar; beyond doubt he slept; unques-
tionably there was no reason why sne
should not leave him for ten minutes;
even though he walked it could not
harm him to await her return at the
end Of that scant period.
Like a guilty thing, on feet as noise
less as any sneak thiefs, she crept
from the room, closed the door 81
lently, ran down the hall and de-
scended by back way, little-useo
staircase, to the lower hall, approach
ing the scene of the marriage.
Constructed in imitation of an old
Spanish mission chapel, it contained
one OF the finest organs in the world,
at this close range its deep-throated
tones We'd with the warnings OF the
storm. Judith, lurking in passage
way whose open door revealed the
altar steps and chancel, was shaken
to the very marrow of her being by
the majestic reverberations of the
music.
Since they had regained contact
with civilization in a section OF the
country where the Law estate nao
vast holdings Of land, the chapel was
thronged with men and women VINO
had known Alan's father and Wlsaeo
to honor his son.
Above stairs, in the room judith
had quilted. Seneca Trine opened
both eyes wide and laughed a silent
laugh Of savage triumph when the
door closed behind his daughter.
At last he was left to his own de-
vices-and at a time the most fitting
imaginable for what he had in mind.
With a grin, Seneca Trine raised
both arms and stretched them vide
apart.
Then, grasping the arms of his
chair he lifted himself from it and
stood trembling upon his own feet for
the first time in almost twenty years.
Grasping the back of the wheeled
chair, he used it as crutch to guide
his feeble and uncertain movements
But these became momentarlly
stronger and more confident.
This, then, was the secret he mad
hugged to his embittered bosom, a
secret unsuspected even by the at
tending surgeon; that through the
motor accident three days ago he had
regained the use of limbs that had
been stricken motionless-strangely
enough, by a motc~ car-nearly two
decades since.
Slowly but sr. me
bureau in the
OF it's drawers
thing he had, '
seen Judith pu
thought he 81
Then, with -.
pocket Of his dressing
steereG straight if very dell.
course to the door, let himself out,
and like a materialized specter of the
man, he once had been, navigated the
coFfSor to the head of the broad
central staircase and step by step,
clanging with botsssai- hands, negotiated
the descent. ---,
The lobby of the hotel was deserted
AS the ceremony approached its end
every guest and servant in the house
was crowding the doorway to the
chapel. None opposed the progress
of this ghastly vision in dressing
gown and slippered feet, chuckling
insanely to himself as he tottered
through the empty halls and corri
dors, finding an almost supernatural
strength to sustain him till he found
himself face to face with his chosen
enemy and victim.
The first that blocked his way into
the chapel, a bellboy Of the hotel,
looked round at the first touch of the
claw-like hand upon his shoulder and
shrank back with a cry Of terror-a
cry that was echoed from half a
dozen threats within another instant.
AS if from the path Of some grisly
visitant from the world beyond the
grave, the throng pressed back and
cleared way for Seneca Trine, IA
ther Of the bride.
And as the way opened and he
looked up toward the altar and saw
Alan standing hand in hand with
Rose while the minister invoked a
blessing upon the union that had been
but that instant cemented, added
strength, the strength of the insane,
was given to Seneca Trine.
When Alan, annoyed by the dis