The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-02-20

Irish ills His hearers were enthralled.
When he sat down the cheering was
prolonged.
When he left the gathering he was
in condition of ecstasy. Lying back
amid the cushions during his long
drive home, he closed his eyes and pic
tured the future. His imagination
ran riot. 1t took wings and flew from
height to height. He saw himself the
leader Of a party-"the Kingsnorth
party" his followers with
hand of iron and driving them to
vote according to his Judgment and
his decree.
BY the time he had reached home he
had entered the cabinet and was be-
ing spoken OF as the probable prime
minister.
He poured out Il liquor and stood sip
ping it as he turned over the letters
brought by the nights post. One ar
rested him. 1t had been delivered by
hand and was marked Most Urgent"
AS he read the letter every vestige of
color left his face.
CHAPTER VI.
A House Of Cards.
1/INGSNORTII sank into chair.
4 The letter slipped from his fin
N gers. All his dreams had van
ished in moment. His house
of cards had toppled down. His ambi-
lions were surely and positively de-
strOyed at one stroke. He mechanical
ly picked up the letter and rcread It,
Had it been his death sentence it could
not have affected him more cruelty:
Dear Nathaniel-l scarcely know how
10 write to you about what has happened.
l am afraid l am in some small measure
to blame. Ten days ago your sister show
ed mo 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
n curse on it for the kingsnorths.
He Strengthened out tho crumpled
piece Of paper and read on
"a man named O'Conncll-the man she
nursed in your house in Ireland after no
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. II
should not permit her to see him In my
house she would meet him elsewhere. 1t
seemed better the meeting should be I'M
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.
l cannot begin to tell you how much /
deplore the unfortunate affair. 1t will
always be q lasting sorrow to me.
cannot write any moro now. My head
is aching with tho thought of what 1t will
mean to you. Try not to think too hardly
Of me and believe me. always your at
fectionate cousin.
MARY CAROLINE WEXFORD.
Kingsnorth's head sank on to his
breast. Every bit of life left him, ev-
erything about his feet ashes, the
laughingstock Of his friends.
Were Angela there Mt that moment
he could have killed her.
The humiliation of it! The degrade
ton Of it! Married to that lawless
1rish agitator! The man now a men,
Der of his family! A cry of misery
broke from him as be realized that
the best years Of his life were to come
and go fruitlessly. His career was
ended. Despair lay heavy on bis soul.
Standing on the main deck of an At
lantic liner stood Angela and O'Con-
nell.
They. were facing the future TO-
Rafher