Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1915-02-11
CHAPTER VI.
A HOUSE Of Cards.
By j. Hartley Manners

A House Of Cards.
"INGSNORTH sank into chair.
The letter slipped from his fin
gers. All his dreams had van
ished in moment. His house
Of cards had toppled down. His ambi-
tons were surely and positively de-
stWyed at one stroke. He mechanical
~ picked up the letter and reread it.
Had 1t been his death sentence it could
not have affected him more cruelty:
Dear Nathaniel-l scarcely know how
to write to you about what has happened.
I am afraid am In some small measure
to blame Ten days ago your sister show
ed me a letter from man named O'Con-
nell
Kingsnorth crushed the letter in his
hand as he read the hated name-the
name of the man who had caused him
SO much discomfort during that unfor-
tunate visit to his estate in Ireland
How he blamed himself now for hav-
ing ever gone there! There was indeed
curse on 1t for the Kingsnorths.
He Strengthened out the crumpled
piece Of paper and read on
nursed in your house in Ireland after he
had been shot by the soldiers. He was
coming to England and wished to see her.
She asked my permission. l reasoned
with her. but she was decided. If L
should not permit her to see him in my
house she would meet him elsewhere. 1t
seemed better the meeting should be un
der my roof. SO l consented. bitterly re,
proach myself now for not acquainting
you with the particulars. You might have
succeeded in stopping what has hap
pened.
Your sister and O'Connell were married
this morning by special license and left
this afternoon for Liverpool en- route to
America.
deplore the unfortunate affair. 1t will
always be a lasting sorrow to me.
cannot write any more now. My head
Is aching with the thought of what it will
mean to you. Try not to think too hardly
fectionate cousin,
MARY cARoL1NEx SRESNssp.
Kingsnorth's head sank ONTO N.
breast. Every bit of life left him.>ey-
erything about his feet ashes, the
laughingstock Of his friends
Were Angela there ut that moment
he could have killed her.
The humiliation of it. The degrade
ton of It! Married to that lawless
Irish agitator! The man now mem
Der of his family! A cry Of misery
broke from him as he realized that
the best years Of his life were to come
and go fruitlessly. His career was
ended. Despair lay heavy on his soul.
Standing on the main deck of an At
lantic liner stood Angela and O'Con-
nell.
They were facing the future to-
gether.
Their faces were turned to the west.
The sun was sinking in a blaze of
color
Their eyes lighted up with the joy
Of hope.
Love was in their hearts.
A year after the events in the pre-
ceding chapter took place O'Connell
and his young wife were living in a
small apartment in one of the poorer
sections of New York city
The first few months in America
had been glorious ones for them. Their
characters and natures unfolded to
each other as some wonderful paint
ings, each taking it's own hues from
the alteration of the other.
In company with noted Irish or
ganizer O'COnnell had spoken in many
of the big cities of the United States
and was everywhere hailed as hero
and martyr to English tyranny.
But he had one ever present handi-
cap-a drawback he had never felt
during the years of struggle preceding
his marriage. His means were indeed
small. He tried to exc out little in
come writing articles for the newspa-