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Show I 1 THE MAID sf MAIDEN liAINE j H Sequel to Tlio Dow of Orange Ribbon." A LOVE STORY BY AMELIA E. BARR H (CopyrlthU 1900. bt Amelia K. Dart) H CHAPTER IX. (Continued.) H "J caro not for such things. I am H a poor lonl, If Cornelia be not my H lady. Ornndfathor, will you bco Doc- B tor Moran for mo? You can apeak a H word that will prevail." M "1 will not, my Juris. If thy father H wore not hero, that would ho differ- H ent. He Is tliu tight man to move In H tlie matter." H "I will sco Cornelia for thco," said H Madamo Van HeemsUlrh. "1 will ask H the girl what she means. And she H will tell me the truth. Yes, Indeed, If Hj Into my Iioubo she comes, out of It PH alio goes not until I have tho why, flj and the wherefore." "Then good-by! Grandmother, you H" will speak for me?" And she smiled H and nodded, nnd stood on her tiptoe B while Juris stooped and hissed hor. H Very near the great entrance gates H of Hyde Manor ho met his father and H mother walking, dcorgo throw him- H self on his horso with a loving im- H pctuoslty, nnd his mother questioned R him about his manner of spending Hj the previous nay. "How could thou H help knowing thy rather had landed?" H she asked. "Was not tho whole city H talking of tho clrcumstnnco?" H "1 was not In tho city, mothor. 1 M went to the postolllco and from there H to Madame Jacobus. She was Just H leaving for Charleston, and I went M with her to tho boat." H "Well, go forward; when thy fath- M er and I havo been round tho laud, H wo will como to thoo. Thy cousin B Annie Is here." H "That confounds me. I could hardly B bcllevo It true." H "She Is frail and her physicians 1 thought tho Bca voyago might glvo 9 her tho vitality she needs. Wo will H talk more In n llttla while. Go, cat H and dress, by thnt tlmo wo shall be H home." B But though his mothor gavo him a H final chargo "to mako haste," ho wont M slowly, Tho thought of Cornelia had M returned to his memory with a sweet, L strong insistence that carried all be- Hj foro It. Up wondered if sho was suf- ferine If she ttipught ho was suffer- L Ing if sho was sorry for him. f Poor Cornollal Sho was at that mo- R .ment tho most unhappy woman in H' "Now York, Sho had excusod tho H 'ten words" ho might bavo written , yesterday, Sho had found in tho un- expected return of his father and 1 "cousin reason sufllclcnt for his nog- B loct; but it was now past ten o'clock of another day, and thcro was yet no M -word from him. Tho tension becamo H distressing. Sho longed for her I father for a caller for any ono to m break this unbcarablo pause in life. M Yet sho could not givo up hopo. A H icoro of excuses camo Into hor mind; M alio was suro ho would como In tho j afternoon. Ho must como. Then ns H hour after hour slipped away, sho J 'was compelled to drop hor nccdlo. H "Mother," sho said, "I am not well. H I must go upstairs." Sho had been holding despair at bay so many hours fl sho could bear it no longer. H Tho next morning sho called Dal- H thazar to hor and closoly questioned H him. It had struck her In tho night, H thnt tho slave might havo lost tho let- flflj ter and bo afraid to confess tho nccl- H dent. But Balthazar's manner nnd H frank speech was beyond suspicion. H Ho told her exactly what clothing H Lieut. Hydo was wearing, how ho H looked, whnt words ho said, and then H with n little hesitation took a silver R "Your behavior has been brutal." H crown piece from his pocket and add- cd, "ho gnvo It to mo. When ho took H tho lettor In his hnml ho looked down B nt it and Inugheo llko ho wns very H happy; and ho gavo mo tho monoy HH for bringing it to him; that Is tho HH truth, suro, Miss Cornelln." H Sho could not doubt It. Thoro wns HI thon nothing to be done but wait In HS patience for tho oxplnnatton sho was BJwJj certain would yot como. Dut, oh, with H -what london motion tho hours went H by! For n fow days sho tnado a pro- tenso of her usual employments, but nt the end of a week her embroidery framo Blood uncovered, her books woro unopened, her music silent, and Bho declared herself unablo to take her customary walk. Hor mother watched hor with unspeakable sympathy, sym-pathy, but Cornelia's grief was dumb; It mndo no nudlble monn, nnd preserved pre-served an nttltudo which repelled all discussion. An yet Bho would not acknowledge ac-knowledge a doubt of her lover's faith; his conduct was certainly a mystory, hut alio told her heart with a pas-slonnto pas-slonnto Iteration that It would positively posi-tively bo cleared up. So tho world went on, but Cornelia's heart stood still, nnd nt tho end of the third week things enmo to this hor fnther looked nt her keenly ono morning morn-ing nnd sent her Instnntly to bed. "Sho has typhoid, or I am much mlstnken," ho Bnid to tho anxious mothor. "Why havo you said nothing to me?" "John! John! What could I do? Sho would not hear of my speaking to you. I thought It was only sorrow and hcart-ncho." "Only Borrow nnd heart-acho! Is .not that onough to call typhoid or any other death? What Is tho trouble? trou-ble? Oh, I need not ask, I know it Is that young Hydo. What Is loft us now, is to try nnd savo her dear life," said tho mlsorablo father. "Suffering wo ennnot sparo her. Sho must pass nlono through tho Valley of tho Shadow; but It may bo sho will loso this sorrow In its dreadful paths." This was tho battlo waged In Dr. Moran's houso for many awful weoks. Ono day, whllo sho was In extremity, tho doctor went himself to tho apothecary's apothe-cary's for medicine. As ho camo out of tho storo with It In his hand, Hydo looked nt him with a steady Implora-tlon. Implora-tlon. Ho had evidently been waiting his oxlt. "Sir!" ho said, "I havo heard a report re-port that I cannot, I daro not believe" be-lieve" "Dellovo tho worBt anl stand aside, sir. I havo neither patienco nor words for you." "Your daughter? Oh, sir; havo somo pity!" "My daughter is dying." "Then, sir, lot mo tell you, that your bohnvlor has been so brutal to her, and to mo, that tho Almighty shows both klndnesa and intelligence in taking tak-ing her away" and with theso words uttered In a blazing passion of indignation indig-nation and pity, tho young lord crossed to the other sldo of tho street, leaving tho doctor confounded by his words and manner. "Thoro Is something strango hero," ho said to himself; "tho follow may bo as bad as bad can bo, but ho neither looked nor spoke ns If ho had wronged Cornelia. If sho lives I must get to tho bottom of this ntfnlr." With this admission and wonder, tho thought of Hydo passed from his mind, for nt that hour tho Issue ho had to consider was ono of life or death. And although It was boyond all hope or expectation, Cornelia came bnck to life. Hut sho was perilously dollcate, and tho doctor began to consldor tho dangers of her convales-vence. convales-vence. "Avn," ho said ono evonlng when Cornelia, had beon downstairs awhllo, "It will not do for tlib child to run tho risk of meeting that man. Ho spoko to mo onco about her, and was outrageously out-rageously Impudent. Thero is something some-thing Btrnngo in tho affair, but how can I movo in It?" "It Is Impossible. Can you quarrel with n man becnuBo ho has deceived Cornelln? You must benr and I iniiBt bear." "The best plan Is to removo Cor-nolln Cor-nolln out of danger. Why not tnko hor to visit your brother Joseph at Philadelphia? Ho hns long desired you to do so. Mako your arrango-mentB arrango-mentB ns soon as posslhlo to Icnvo Now York." "You aro suro that you o right In choosing Philadelphia?" "Yes whllo Hydo is in now York. Wrlto to your brother today, and as soon ns Cornelia Is n llttlo stronger, I will go with you to Philadelphia." CHAPTER X. Life Tied In a Knot. Ono morning soon nftor tho Now Year, Hydo was returning to tho Manor Houso from Now York, it wns a day to oppress thought, nnd tighten tho heart, and kill all hopo and oncrgy. Thoro was n monotonous rnln and n sky llko that of a past ogo solomn and london nnd tho mud of tho roads was unspeakable He wns compolled to rldo slowly and to fool in Its full forco, ns It woro, tho hostility of Nature Na-ture ' Dut whon ho reached homo nnd his valet had scon to his master's refreshment refresh-ment lr every possible way, Hydo waa at least reconciled to tho Idea of living liv-ing a little longer, At lenst there wns Annie. Annlo was ulways glad to sec him, and ho had a great respect for Annie's opinions. Ho heard her singing ns ho approached ap-proached tho drnwlng room, and ho opened tho door noiselessly nnd went In. Ho did not In any way disturb her. She ceased when the hymn wns finished nnd sat still a few moments, realizing, as far as she could, tho glory which doth not yet nppear. Then ho stood up nnd sho enmo towards him. Hyde placed her In n chair before be-fore tho fire, and then drew his own chair to her side. "Cousin," sho said, "I am most glad to see you. Everybody hns somo work to do to-day." "And you, Annlo?" "In this world I havo no work to do," sho answered. "My bouI Is here for a purchase; when I havo made It I shall go home again. You know what my father desired, and whnt your father promised, for us both?" "Yes. Did you dcslro It, Annlo?" "I do not deslro It now. I shall marry no ono. I will show you the dp r( Ww- He opened the door noiselessly, better way. Few can walk in It, but Dr. Hoslyn says, ho thinks It mny be ray part my happy part to do so." Hydo looked at her with an Intenso Interest. Ho wondered if this angelic llttlo creature had over known tho frailties and temptations of mortal life and sho answered his thought ns if ho had spoken it aloud: "Yes, cousin, I havo known all temptations, and come through all tribulations. My soul has wandered and lost Its way, and 'been brought back many nnd many n tlmo, and bought every grace with much Buffering. Buffer-ing. Dut God Is always present to help, whllo quest followed quest, and lesson followed lesson, and goal succeeded suc-ceeded goal, over leaving somo evil behind, nnd carrying forward somo of those gains which aro eternal. Dut why do you look bo troubled and reluctant?" re-luctant?" Defore Hydo could answer, tho Earl camo Into tho room and tho young man was glad to sec his father. "My dear Georgo," tho earl said, "I am delighted to seo you. I was afraid you would stay in tho city this dreadful dread-ful weather. Is thoro any nows?" "A great deal, sir. I havo brought you English and French papers." "I will read them at my leisure. Glvo mo tho English nows first. What is It In substnnco?" "Tho conquest of Mysoro and Madras. Ma-dras. Serlngapatam has fallen, nnd Tippoo has ceded to England ono-half of his dominions and thrco millions of pounds. Faith, sir, Cornwallls has given England In tho east a compensation compen-sation for whnt sho has lost horo In tho west." "To mako nations of frco men Is tho destiny of our race," replied tho earl. "Porhaps bo, for it seems tho now colony planted at Sydney Covo, Australia, Aus-tralia, Is doing wonderfully, and thnt would mean an English emplro in tho south." "Yet, I havo Just road a proclamation proclama-tion of tho French assembly, calling on tho pcoplo of Frnnqo 'to annlhllnto nt onco tho white, clay-footed colossus colos-sus of English powor and diplomacy.' Anything olso?" "Minister Morris is in tho midst of horrors unmentionable. Tho other foreign ministers havo loft Franco, and tho French government Is desert-od desert-od by all tho world, yet Mr. Morris remains re-mains nt his post, though ho was lately late-ly arrested In tho street and his houso searched by armed mon." "Dut this Is nn Insult to tho American Ameri-can nation I Why docs ho enduro It? Ho ought to roturn homo." "Decnuso ho will not abandon his duty in tho hour of peril and difficulty. I think Minister Morris I" precisoly whoro ho should ho, saving tho Uvea of Amorlcan citizens, many of whom aro'trombllng today in tho shadow of tho guillotine." "I hoar that Madamo Klppon'a daughtor, whom Mr. Morris rescuod nt tho li'.st hour, has arrived in Now York; und yesterday I mot Mr. Van Arlons, who is exceedingly anxious concerning his daughter, tho MarqulBO do Tounnorro." "Is sho In danger. Poor llttlo Aron-ta! Aron-ta! What will she do?" (To jo nontlnued.) |
