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fim@fa@@fig + IParted byFate] Bay later, ssking that thige docters â€"‘}l"hr-eâ€" fi:la;trterwwas all the more alarniâ€" ing when the young doctor called Rut: fedge Chester to Uldene‘s bedside an An hour later Uldene had grown so much worse that a doctor was sumâ€" moned in all haste. Was it chance, or ‘the strange complication of fate most cruel?â€"the physician called in was young Doctor Keith, the same physician who played such a prominent part in one of «our previous chapters. 44(% T Can you come on at once? Uldene a&s very ill. "She is suffering from nervous pros tration, and an intense mental shock," he said. "If it turns to brain fever beâ€" ¢ween this and midnight, saving her will be «omcthing else than a miracle." This was the startling word Mrs. Pjeree carried down to Rutledge Chester in the library, and which caused him to send the foliowing telegram flashing gouthward over the wires to_ Mark Sefton: In Mrs. Chester‘s hurried and unex: pected departure, she had quite forgot~ ten to mention her destination, and, therefore, at this critical hour she could not be recalled. Uldene seemed to forget that she was standing on the cold marble steps, with only the crimson silk _ scarf wrapped loosely ~around her dark, curly head; but Rutledge remembered. "The carriage is out of sight," he said, taking her cold little hand to lead her back to the library. "Come into the house, Uldene,." The magic touch of his hand seemed to unnerve her. Quick as a flash, she snatched it from his grasp and sprang into the vestibule, but ere she had takei another step forward she suddenly swayâ€" ed to and fro like a leaf in the tempestâ€" tossed wind, and would have fallen to the floor, if Rutledge had not sprung forward and quickly caught her in his arms. "Uldene!" he cried in alarm. She did not answer. She had sunk back in his arms in a dead faint. An hour later Mrs. Chester came into her boudoir in a flutter of excitement. "I am called away hurriedly by a telegram I have just received, TUldene," she said. "I shall be back Thursday at latest. J®o you think you will mind staying here a day or so in charge of the servants, dear?"‘ she asked anxiousâ€" ly. "Rutledge will be here, you know, when he is not at his clubâ€"room." "I shall not mind," answered the girl. If Mrs. Chester had not been so: flar: ried and excited she would have not‘ced how white Uldene‘s lovely face was, and phow hopeless and forlorn was her usual ly gay, sprightly manner. An bhour later, the senator and his wife took their hurried departure. Mrs. Chostâ€" er‘s last words, as she took her place beside her husband in the family coach, were: "I may have a startling surprise for you when I return; still I must not be too sanguine." Then the coach door closed with & bang, and an instant later whirled out of sight. "You will be very lonely without mother the few days she will be gone," said Rutledge, thoughtfully, as he tunâ€" ed to Uldene. "I should suggest that you invite some of your girl friends to pass the time with you." "I wonder that young master is so blind that he cannot see the girl is pin ing away for love of him," thought Mrs. Pierce, compassionately, as she smcothed back the long, lovely dark curls that strayed over the pillow, and caressed the girl‘s little burning hands. "Wiy, any one can see she has not been the same since Master Rutledge announced that he was going abroad. But, then, men are proverbially blind." "No,". replied Uldene. ‘"Iâ€"I could not endure their chatter and their laughter," she muttered below her breath. "Jt would drive me mad." Rutledge bore the slender form quiclâ€" ly to the library, and rang the bell wa h such a resounding peal for the house: keeper that motherly Mrs. Picrce was *‘startled clean out of her wits," as she afterwards expressed it. _ In a few words Rutledge explained what had happened. *‘See that she is removed to her room at once, and give her your kindly atâ€" tention," he said, thoughtfully and gravely. A Dr. Keith looked gravely at the beauâ€" tiful patient he had been called to atâ€" tend. On the stairway she met Mrs. Choestâ€" e1‘s maid hurrying toward the breakfast: room with a telegram; but the matter did not interest herâ€"nothing interesced: her save that which concerned Rutledge Chester. ERRTT TTE L0 mm Un eeit Aeneen e c No e enveee o He was amazed that any one should flove him so muchâ€"that it was of SU h vital importance to any one whether he lived or died. His heart was touched; he was greatly perplexed. If his heart had not been g.ven to An= other it might have turned «hen to Uiâ€" dene. He felt so sorry for her. He was a thorough gentleman, and the quesâ€" ton which agitated him was, Wuhat would he do? To MVR e e Ceeime c e ce t e wl Ves e He was goingâ€"going away on the beâ€" ginning of the following week. _ The words sounded like a deathâ€"knell to hapâ€" less Uldene. What should she do w th her life after he went away? The world wwould be so lonely; the brightness of her life would be obscured in pitiful gloom. Sic arose and left the table, with a forced smile on her lips, and a steady step; but when the door of the breakfast room was closed between Rutâ€" ledge Chester and herself the wildest sob that was ever heard broke from rer lips, and she groped her way through the marble corridor Jike one striken blind. THE FULFILLMENT He admired Uldene exceedingly. *he was the most beautiful girl he had eve} seen; but admiration was one sentiment, love quite another. ' . ® We Pss He came to best course to away at once. Uldene than to secret. In time she would learn to fo:get him. She was only a romping, merry madenp of a schoolgirlâ€"a ~spoiled, indulged child. With absence she would be surc to forget this little romance, he assured himself. When he made known his de{ermina:â€" t‘on at the breakfast table, two days later, Mrs. Chester was greatly disturbâ€" ed, and Uldene grew pale as death. The secret he had discovered in 80 strange a manner puzzled and troubled Rutledge Chester not a little. p 'Author of "Parted at the Altar," "Love #Blorabel‘s Lover," " lone," Etc CHAPTER XIL s LMENT OF A TERRIBLE CUESE the conclusion that the pursue _ would be to g&> It would be kinder to stay, knowing her p tiful By LAURA JEAN LIBBEY Jorabel‘s Lover," "lone," Etc., Etc. t lbé called in for fhe purpose of con:â€" 1 sultation. 1 "I have done all in my power for her," he said, compassionately. "I should like to have the opinions of other physic‘ans as a last resort." She looked up into his eyes with a great light breaking over her lo yely face. "If one great wish in my heart cou‘d be fulfilled, Iâ€"I could die happicr," she faltered, in pitiful, quivering gasps. "I wishâ€"but, oh, it could not be," sighed Uldene, faintlyâ€""I wishâ€"that Iâ€" could be Rutledge Chester‘s bride. I loved him so in life with all my heart, with all my soul. I should like to beâ€" long to him on earth, and wait for him inside the gates of heaven. I should like his hands to clasp me as my life drifts out. I would like his voice to be the last sad music I should heas on earth; and the wordsâ€"ah, if I could but hear him say: ‘Uldeneâ€"my Uldeneâ€"my bride! Iâ€"oh, then I could die happyâ€"so happy." "Would it be hbard for him to grant me my dying wish, do you think?" she whispered, still fainter. "Remember, it would be for a few brief momentsâ€"cn‘ y a few fleeting momentsâ€"while I hover between this world and the great unâ€" known world I am going to. Tell him quickly, Mrs. Pierce. Tell him how I love him. I love him so well, that if, after I am dead; he came and knelt upon my tomb, parted the long grass, and whispered my name, I should hear his voice in my grave. Remember, he should never have known of my love if I were not dying." Sobbing like a child, the old house keeper called Rutledge Choester aside, and imparted to him the startling misâ€" sion upon which the dying girl had sent her. ‘Three skilful, _ prominent physic ans were summoned without delay. â€" Each promptly concurred in the opinion of young Dr. Keith. There was an acute mental trouble preying upon the heart of the Jlovely, hapless patient. Her strange symptoms baffled and pyzled them, skilful as they were. She was sinkingâ€"dying before their eyes; hum in skill seemed of little avail; all their efâ€" forts to arrest the scythe of the dread destroyer, Death, seemed futile. Tt was their opinion that when the tide dr‘f e 1 out at midnight the life of beautiful Uldene would drift out with it. "Iâ€"I fear it is so, Uldene," he said huskily. _ ‘"Is there any message you would like to send to any oneâ€"any wish you would like fulfilled ?" The doctors, togoether with Rutledge Chester and Mrs. Pierce, the Fouseâ€" keeper, sat by the couch, awaitinz in the solemn hush the pitiful end. Out side the door the servants knelt, weepâ€" ing and wailing. ‘The dying girl, who had brought sunshine and joy to the quiet old mansion, had been dearly teâ€" loved by one and all. Now they wore knceling, praying outside the door. awaii> ing with averted face for the breath of life to leave its beautiful tenement of clay. How could they look into her frce and answer her falsely. "Tell me, Rutledge, is it true?" she whispered. _ He controlled himself with a mighty effort, and bent over her, taking her poor, fluttering little hand in his. That was the bitterest hour of Rutâ€" ledge Chester‘s life. He started back with a low, hoarse ery. e fought cne of the strangest battles with his own thoughts that mortal man was ever callâ€" ed upon to face. "I wOULD RATHER SEE YOU DEAD THAN HIS BRIDE." We must now return to the thrill‘ns scene transpiring in the underground apartment in which beautiful Verlio Sefâ€" ton found herself, by the force of strange circumstances, an unwilling prisoner,. f _ When Verlie awoke to consciousnest the great pansyâ€"blue eyes flared open wide, wandering around the strang> ap artment in which she found hersclf then up into the face bending over her in the utmost bewilderment. A little before midnight she had openâ€" ed her great dark, wistful eyes. and & smile of unutterable joy lit up her face as they rested upon Rutledge Chestoy. "Is it true that I am dying?" she whispered, faintly. _ ‘"Tell me, is it true? Do not deceive me. Iâ€"I knowâ€"IL feel that I am." "If there is anything I can do for you, rest assured that you bave only to ask and I will grant it, if it be in my pow *#, Uldene," he answored, huskily, little dreaming what the great wish in her heart was. "I cannot tell you, Rutledge. I will whisper it to Mrs. Pierce, and she will tell you," she murmured. "Remember, Rutledge, I would never ask it if I wore not going to dieâ€"so soonâ€"yes. so soon," ‘"You shall tell Mrs. Pierce," he anâ€" swered gently. And yet no thought came to him what it was she wished in this her dying hour. ieRCeic e O melie otin c d eet e o mt ts The doctor and Rutledge withdrew to the other end of the apartment, and the dying girl was left with the sobbing housekeeper quite alone. "Remember, master, it is but for a few brief moments the poor child would bear your name," urged the housekecper. "She would not last the hour out that would see her your bride. She is so youngâ€"a â€" thoughtless childâ€"and she loves you so." A minister was hastily summoned in the hour of midnight, while the wind moaned and sobbed outside, the whirling snowflakes without wir: the earth in a cold, white, frozen sh the fatal< marriageâ€"that man never break, and Heaven would no nulâ€"was solemnized. In the solemn hour of death Uldene lay back upon her pillowâ€"Rutledse Chester‘s bride. While hovering on the brink of eternity she had braved the fatal warning that hung like a curse over her beautiful, hapless headâ€"that solemn warning: "She must never love, for she must never marry," "I will grant the poor child‘s dying wish," he said, hoarsely. "She shall be my bride! God grant that it may make her last moments happier," He was touched to the depths of his soul; the struggle in his heart was endâ€" ed. He turned to the old housekecper with a grave, white face. Mark Sefton would comeâ€"come late. When he arrived all would be over with darkâ€"eyed Uldene. "Ise your nurse, chile," she answercd, | had not detained me here I shoul "an‘ t{xe pusson who jes left za yer be the betrothed bride of a goo 4 dosfgn® _ L . c n ucs 200 . _ Cohle mep, ope who sould oerer ‘"Where am I?‘ she gasped, faintly "And who are you?" Black Hagar showed her ivories in a broad grin. CHAPTER XIIIL ovely Maiden," ite., Etc. hastily summoned, and , white, frozen shroud geâ€"that man : could Hyo:lven would not anâ€" Ught, while the wild sobbed outside, and app d "I need no time to consider," replied Verlie, with ringing seorn. ("Do you think that freedom or life itself is worth purchasing at the cost of beâ€" coming your wife?" cried the glil, with passionate yehemence. _ "Do you think I ecould clasp the hand »at the altar that was stained with blood ?" There was no sleep for Verlie as the hours dragged by. It was well for her that there was not, As «he lay there thinking over some plan by which she might make her escape, the sound of cautious foot: steps fell upon her ear; they drew nearâ€" er and nearer, and the blood froze in Verlie‘s veins, as they halted outside the door. She gave a supprersed ery. "Hush!" whispered a vo‘ce which she instantly recognized â€" as the captain‘s. "As you value your safetyâ€"hush! I am here on an errand which concerns you vitally. _ You must listen to what I have to say. Send Hagar to unbar the door; every moment is precious." "I will not unbar the door," cried Verâ€" lie. "I am thankful that those bolts form, even a slight protection in keep: ing you out." Verlie did not faint; she did not cry out, or utter any moan; the horror of his words held her spellâ€"bound. She w s young and braveâ€"life seemed sweet to her. She realized that what he said was perfectly true. These outlaws, who could thus defy the laws of mon, wouw‘d have no scruple in defying the law of God; even if they made away with her, the world would be none the wiser. ‘"There is but one escape foryou," whispered her captor, "and that is, to become my bride. I am a reckless, doâ€" fiant man, Miss Sefton; but your beau y won my heart at first sight. â€" The abâ€" horrence in your beautiful eyes awoke me to a sense of my downfall from the ranks of honorable men. Be my wife, and you shall leave this place forever. A wife could give no evidence against her husband; you wouldâ€"" ‘I know full well that I have forfeit>d your respect by what you have seen and heard," he said, in an agitated whisp, "but there is this much honor about me â€"I must warn you of the fatal conâ€" sequences your discovery, and your perâ€" sistent assertions that you would bring the officers of the law upon us the first moment we set you free, has brought upon you. "The men‘s solemn _ conference has ended. They intend _ to show you no merey. ‘ The sentence they have passed upon you is imprisonment for life with‘n these walls, and that would be worse thain death for you. Aye, death would be a thousand times more merciful than life among these lawless men. Even if you did consent to an oath of silence wow, it would be too late." "Stop!"‘ cried Verlie; "I will not listen." "I beg you will take time to cons‘de»," he said, earnestly. The man unon the other side of the cavern door winced under the scathing words. A strange gleam shot into his eyes; a fearful panorama passed in stantancously before his mental vision. He could imagine a lost soul gazing from the deep abyss of Hades into the felicity and joy of Heaven, fully realizing that all hope for him was lost forever. He began to realize that a dark chasm yawned between himself and this fair girl; a fatal line streaked his hand. which would forever shadow the grasp of a purer one. "And there is another!" she sobbed piteouslyâ€""another who lores me, and who had only that evening asked me to be his bride! Oh! what must he be sufâ€" fering, my handsome, noble love, whin I love so dearly, as the horrible hours drag their slow lengths by! How ne must have searched for me! He will go through fire and flood, search the whele world through, but what he will find me; and those who have detaincd me here will feel the full force of Ris vengeance. ‘"Lor‘, chile, don‘t yer talk like that. Old Magar wouldn‘t tech one ha‘ar 0 yer golden head fer all Marse Cap‘n‘s illâ€"gotten gold. Guess not! But let me give yer a bit o‘ advise, honey. For de good Lor‘s sake, chile, don‘t go for to rilin‘ of him up. _ Yer don‘t know de cap‘n like I do. ‘Member ole Hagar‘s warnin‘. De cap‘n am a fierce debbil." Left to herself, Verlie thought over the situation until she grew frantic w th terror. "Had Heaven shut her out from its morcy?" she asked herself. "A life, or a death, for that matter, we‘ghs little with you," retorted the girl bravely; "and as for honorâ€"a man who wilfully abducts a young girl, and keeps her a captive, because she has by chance stumbled upon the nefarious callâ€" ing of himself and his wicked associates, is dead to the word, honor.. I would not trust you." It is a mistake to suppos@ that crimeâ€" stceped hands cannot love. The basest criminal, strange as it may seem, can love as intensely, though not as purely or unselfishly, ‘as the noblest hero. ‘"Yes," came the quivering reply, im a choked, girlish voice, "I do. If you had not detained me here I should now be the betrothed bride of a good and "Have I been ill?" whispered Verlc, incredulously. . "Yer ankle war sprained, honey, an‘ the doctor war fetched to set it." * "Oh, I â€" remember! I â€"remember!" shrieked Verlie, in terror. ‘"Ihe dawlâ€" andâ€"all that happened after it! If this is your house I pray you to let me go at once," she sobbed, clinging to the old woman‘s skirts in a transport oi grief pitiful to behold. _ ‘"‘Those who love me are searching for me in anguish that is more bitter to bear than death. I have a darling sister whose heart must have broken when she returned to the spot where she left me lying uncon: scious and found meâ€"gone! I dare not picture it! Oh, Uldene! Uldene!" "Oh, Rutledge? my love! _ my Jove!" moaned Verlie. *"Haeven grant that you may find me soon!" "It‘s many a long day afore yer lovcr would think o‘ findin‘ yer ha‘ar, honcy," laughed Black Hagar. "Oh, if I could but persuade you to help me to get away from here!" solbed Verlie. _ "He who mourns my loss so keenly wou.d seward you wich plenty of swu i you would but help me." "Chile, I wouldn‘t dare ter do it," d â€" clared Black Hagar. "Ise powerful ‘fraid of the cap‘n. He am a reg‘lar debbil. He brung yer ha‘ar hissclf, an‘ says he, when he left de room, ‘HMagar, Ise gwine ter leave dat gal under yes eyc, an‘ ef I don‘t find she am ha‘ar when I cum back, I wou‘dn‘t gievy much for yer @le black hide; you min‘ my words!" _ So you see, honey, I wouldu‘t dare ter. _Why, chile, he‘d murder me! He am none ter good ter do it." "Oh, heaven! what awful fate has conspired against me?" sobbed Verlie, wringing her little hands. "I cannot see where all this will lead to. Oh, pity me, Hagar) If you wil} not see me free, kill me! Better dead than that I sho :Id fall into the hands of the man who brought me here." ‘"You must listen to what I have to say to you," repeated the young captain, sternly; ‘"it is a matter of life and death, I assure you upon my honor." "A life, or a death, for that matter, we‘ghs little with you," retorted the From the moment his eyes had rested upon the beautiful girl, who had dared defy him so bravely and audaciously, the wish came to this bad man that he had lived a different life that he might have wooed and, in time, won her. A moâ€" ment he hesitated. "Do you love any one else? Will you answer me that, Miss Sefton?" 1 andl "Only a walk," replied Verlic, het Bteop beart palpitating ge gititullzy land she to a dishonorable action, and whom I Tove with all my heart. Ob, sir, wou‘d it be of any use to plead with you to restore us to each other? Mr. Rutledge Chester would reward you well for aiding me, I am sure." With swift steps she crossed the room and stood, with darkening brow, gazing down upon the prostrate figure the swinging lamp dimly revealed to her. Ah, the stranger was more beautiful than any poet‘s dream, with her white, delicatelyâ€"chiscled face, framed in its sheen of floating golden hair, upturned to the dim light. At last, Venrlie, quivering with sup: pressed excitement, stood ready. She had given her solemn promise to that which her rescuer required. "What!" he cried, fiercely, "is Rutâ€" ledge Chester the man you loveâ€"that man, above all other men, whom I have reason to hate.so bitterlyâ€"the man that made me what I am, drove me from the ranks of honorable men by exposing me, and made me a hunted criminal on the face of the eanth? Restore you to him! I would see you dead at my feet first! Why, his very name rouses a very demon in my heart! And to think that he should have crossed my path againâ€" that he, of all others, should have wor the love of the only being I ‘have ever met whom I could care for. It is mad: dening! "We are preparing to leave this place in the course of a month for a lengthy voyage, but you go with us. Remember, I would rather see you dead at my feetâ€" in all your youth and your fa‘r young beautyâ€"than see you Rutledge Choster‘s bride!" He stood away from the door, his handsome face fairly livid with satan‘c rage; but his last words had fallen upon deaf ears. Verlie had fainted. ‘"Was there ever such a tangled web woven by inexorable fate," he muttered, twisting the ends of his mustache. "She loves Rutledge Chester." CLOSE BFSIDE THE ROADSIDE LAY A BEAUTTâ€" FUL YOUNG GIRL. In the intense darkness of the cavemn, he did mot see the slim, girlish figure that had followed him. close to the door, and listened with, bated breath and face pale as death, to every word that had been uttered. "He cares for this beautifulâ€"stranger," she muttered, with a dry, hard sob. "Oh, what a rude awakening from my dream. I thought he loved me. _ His eyes said so even though his lips did not. I might one day have been his bride if this goldenâ€"haired girl had not come between us with her pretty face. Oh, fatal day for me that she. was brought here!" Going around by another entrance, and passing through Hagar‘s apartment, she found herself in Verlie‘s presence. A bitter pang of jealousy smote the girl‘s heart as she gazed. As if attracted by that magnetic gaze, Verlie‘s white eyelids fluttered open, ‘and she looks up in dismay into the face bending over ther. The next moment she has struggled to her knees, clinging to the girl‘s skirts with an agony of enâ€" treaty pitiful to behold. "Will you help me to leave this place?‘ she pleaded, frantically. ‘"You are & young girl like myself. You must be tender of heant. I implore you to aid me. Iestore me to my friends, and you shill be well rewarded for it, Think how they will suffer. It will break my poor father‘s and mother‘s hearts when they are told of my strange disappearance." "You would not like to accept the alternative that would release you from this place? You would rebel against wedding the man who brought you here?" the girl asked, bl-eatlliéss]y: a strange glitter in b_or eyes as she spoke. "You must wear my cloak and my broad hat. You can discard them, and leave them at the first bend in the road. beneath the tall oak there, and don your own. ‘There is but one exit, and that leads through a room in which a numâ€" ber of men are congregated. You must trust to your own bravery to pass you through that trying ordeal; it will be fraught with greatest danger. If any one should cal ou to you or speak to you, make some excuse, Your voice is not unlike mine." ‘"You must know me only as Kelpic; that is what they call me here. When you are home with your friends, when you are happy with him whom you love, you will sometimes think of me, will you not?"‘ she asked. ‘"And whenever you think of Kelpie, forget her surroundings. Think of her kindly, and at her best. Go now", she added, drawing her ice cold hand from Verlie‘s clasp. _ "Follow that winding cavern to the end. That will be to freegom. Goodâ€"bye and may God speed you." She threw the door open wide, and, like a stormâ€"driven swallow, panting wilh fear at every step, Verlic flew down the narrow, subterranean, winding passage. She had nearly reached the end of the passage, when, turning a sharp curve, ‘"Why, Kelpie," he said, approaching her, "what in the world takes you out before daybreak? What are you up to now? Some mischief, I‘ll be bound." The man started back as though an arrow had suddenly pierced his heart. ‘"‘The very thought would drive me to madness," moaned Verlie, with pass‘onâ€" ate vehemence. % "I will help you to leave this vyery night upon one condition," answered the girl, shorntly. "And that," repeated the girl, in a hurried whisper, ‘"is that you take an oath of silence never to reveal this reâ€" treat, and never to mention to a living being what you have seen or heard from the fatal hour you chanced to witness that ducl to this. I have a father and a brother here, and one whom I love betâ€" ter than life. For their sake I must cxâ€" act a solemm vyow of secrecy, or I dare not aid you. Don‘t you see?" ‘"‘Yes," said Verlie, huskily. "I can understand the situation, and for your sake I would yow eternal secreey. ‘"You could say, without going far from the truth, that you were found with a sprained ankle, and taken care of until you were able to be about, and that, being delirious, your friends could not be communicated with. You must make haste if you would escape toâ€" night," the girl went on, with a strange thrill of excitement in her voice, "for it is almost daylight now." She silenced the ;joyful cry on Verlie‘ lips by saying huskily: She threw her own dark waterproof cloak over Verlie, who noticed, as‘those slim hands touched her, how they trembâ€" led, and how deathâ€"cold they were. "I rowed once that I would pay hin back, at a bitter cost, for what hapsen ed in the past. I see a way now to tha very end. I bided my time. No yo: shall never go free, save as my wife! "And that?" whispered Verlie, breath lessly. "You will give me your name," she whispered, ‘"that I may never cease to bless you for what you have done for me this night." Verlie‘s heart seemed to contract with sudden fear. She dared not turn back, and a few feet more would bring her abreast of them. If they discovered her identity, all was lost. She nerved herself for the terrible ordeall. One of the men turned his fead and saw her. she men. found herself confronted by two CHAPTER XIV. Then a sudden idea occurred to him. Why not take her home? His mothre, of all people in the world, would know just what:to do for the beautiful, hapless yeung stranger. It was scarcely ten nriles to his home, if he cut across lots, taking the byâ€" ways. To reach it inâ€"a roundabout way by the road was over twice the distance. He touched the lovely little white hands gently. They wore burning hot. Carefully he raised the slight figure and placed it in his sleigh,. Turning his horse‘s head, he gave the spirited animal a cut with his whip, and away they went spinming over the white, crusted snow. Within an hour he had drawn rein before a fine country house, sprung from the sleigh, and was hurryâ€" ing up the broad gravel walk toward the door. "For mercy‘s sake, whom have you there, Dick?" she cried, with great, wild, dilated eyes. ‘"Who in the world is that, and what‘s the matter with her?" ‘"Don‘t ask questions, Edna!‘ exclaimâ€" ed ‘her brother, impatiently. ‘"Run on to the house and open tt®: door, and get mother; and rum quick and see if there‘s hot water, and blankets, and mustard, and peppermint. Now for goodness sake, don‘t stand there staring, Edna, with your eyes and mouth wide open. Don‘t you see this poor thing is nearly dead? I don‘t know what‘s the matter with her." p "Great goodmess" ejaculated Edna, with a low whistle. "Yon don‘t say so!" The gypsyish tomâ€"boy always exasperatâ€" ed Mr. Temple. "Of course," gasped Edna, still staring with all her might at the slim figure he held in his arms. But, alas! for Edna‘s headlong hasteâ€"she never could be depended on in cases of emergencyâ€" with every step forward _ she slipped back two, and as Richard Temple crossâ€" ed the porch the looked back just in time to see the black, curly head and a pair of heels scrambling out of a huge snowâ€" drift, into which she had been preciâ€" pitated headlong. was quite sure he must ‘hear its beating, in her great inxiety and terror lest she failed to make her yvoice sound just lke Kolpie‘s. She shook off his hand from her arm, and dashed past him before he could obtain a goed view of her face. A mo:â€" ment more, andâ€"oh, joy! joy!â€"she had emerged into the gray, dull, m‘sty mornâ€" ing light; the free air of heaven blew rcross her face. ~*"She has not been the same since the lovely, geldenâ€"haired little beauty was brought here," laughed his companion. "She‘s afraid the captain has gallen in love with her; and that‘s just exacily what he‘s done. It‘s a pity for poot Kelp‘e is so fond of him." Both laughed and hurried on. Mcanwhile, Verlic found horself once more in the old isolated cemetery, whoe the fatal accident had happened which had led to such grave results. The swollen, sprained ank!l>, which had not had time to mend properly. commenâ€"ed again acutely, and by the time she had reached the main road ,became so exâ€" cruiating that poor Verlic threw up her hands and fell, face downward. in the snowâ€"drifts in a dead faint, with the name of Rutledge on her quivering Jips. A young girl, brown as a gypsy, who had been out on the side porch feeding the snowâ€"birds, gave a slight scream. "Oh, mother, mother! do come here, qu‘ck, and see what brother Dick has in his arms! It looks like m coffinâ€"noâ€" it‘s a young girl!" she exclaimed in breathless dismay. By the time Mr. Richard Temple had reached the curious young romp,who had bounded down the path to â€"meet him, fainly bristling with curiosity. "Edna," ‘he cried, impatiently and sharply, "will you run ahead to open the door or not?" When the sun rose, pink and golden, over the eastern hills, it fell upon her upturned face, half veiled by the sweepâ€" ing golden hair that trailed cvor the white drifts. _ Her hands were locked closely together, low â€" moans issuing from her lips. A young tham, driving hurriedly along suddenly drew rein by the roadside and gazed, with a cry of surprise on h‘s lips. "A young and beautiful girl!‘he ejacuâ€" lated, in great astonishment, as he leapâ€" ed from his sleigh. "What can she be doâ€" ing here, I wonder?" "It is clearly evident that I cannot leave her here,‘ he mused.‘ It seemed such a pity to tike that fair young creature to a charity hospital. Dick had deposited his lovely burden on the divan, and his mother had taken charge of her, hastening to remove her hat and throw off the dark cloak. She put back the fair, curling hair from the lovely face, and as she did so a startled cry fell from her lips. ‘"Why, Dick, I know this young girl!‘ she exclaimed. _ "You must telegraph Senator Chester and his wife at once; it is one of the young ladies who have been stopping at their house for the last month or so. You have heard of the two school girlsâ€"the brunctte and the lovely little blonde who have caused such a furore in social circles lately. This is the petite little blondeâ€"lovely Verlie Sefton, You must go over to the wayâ€"station and telegraph Mrs. Chester at once. There must have been an a¢ cidentâ€"a runaway; her ankle is badly sprained." "Would you mind baving company he asked, banterin=ly. "How strangely Kelpie acts." said the man, gazing after the flying slim, girlish figure. ‘‘s0 PERISH ALL MY HOPES AND MY BRIEF DREAM OF LOVE." Mrs. Temple had caught a glimpse of her son from the window, and hurried to the door to open it for him. "Dick is young, and youth is always impressible," she thought, as she led the way to a cosy morningâ€"room; "who knows but what it may end in his falling in love with her." "Of course, you acted for the best, as you supposed, in bringing her here, Richard," she said; "but I have always been just a little dubious about taking in strangers. I hope it will turn out well;" and she glanced at the eager. flushed face of her handsome young son. The lady would have been botter pleasâ€" ed if the stranger had been less fa‘r to look upon. Mrs. Chester‘s intense surprise and joy upon beholding Verlie can better be imagined than described. She would have taken her home at once, but it was deemed advisable for the sprained ankle to remain perfectly inactive {or a day or so. Then it would be as good as new; the sprain, though painful, was slight, after all. <els Mrs» Chester concluded to give Rutâ€" ledge and Uldene a complete surprise, by not telegraphingâ€"not letting them know what a startling surprise she had for them. How amazed they would be when she entered, leading Verke by the hand. Ah! how happy Rutledge would boâ€"her darl wms. bey, who lored. beautiful, golder In a few brief words the son had ex plained the exact situation of affairs. And this was the mysterious telegram which puzzled Mrs. Chester quite a little when she received it, and which took her post haste to Mrs. Temple‘s, the home of her old friend." ‘That thought sent a thrill of terror to Mrs. Temple‘s heart. CHAPTER XV. He bent his handsome head over her, and pressed his warm lips to the cold, white clammy enes. It was the first caress and the last he would ever give her in life. She would sink into tre sleep of death with that kiss trembling on her lips. And there was another subject upon which the senator‘s wife was reticent; she knew Verlie was by far too coy and bashful to discuss a love affair with herâ€"Rutledge‘s mother. While we leave Mrs. Chester and Verlie journeying homewardâ€"all unpre: pared for the shock they are to meet thereâ€"we will return to the events which have been transpiring since that fotal night on which, for better or for worse, Uldene and Rultedge Chester were wedded. We will go back, dear reader, to that weird and solemn» deathâ€"bed marriage. It was a pitiful sight to see the wh‘te face lying back against the pillow, the white hands clinging to the strong hands that held them. and the great, dark, wondrous cyes, half vailed by the long, silken lashes, gazing with a world of love in them into the white, handâ€" some, sorrowful face bending over her. Those were the words she had said she wanted to hear last on earthâ€"but somehow they hurt him. He had dreamâ€" ed of the hour when he should say those words to anotherâ€"lovely, goldenâ€"haired Verlie, whom he loved with all the mad, passionate love of his heart, and whom he had pictured many a day as his bride. In a single hour the face of heaven and earth had changed for him. And oh!â€"how stnange a fateâ€"he was breathâ€" ing those sacred words, my wife, over anotherâ€"an unloved bride. hi Thel hush grows deeper. There is the silence of death in the room. The housekeeper buries her head in the white counterpane and sobs bitterly. The consulting doctors look significantly and gravely at each other, and turn their faces away. A great wave of infinite pity filled Rutledge Chester‘s heart. Poor Uldene! how much she had cared for him! ‘"Uldene!â€"my bride!" he murmurs again, in compassionate pity. But mark the wondrous change that lights up the marble face upon which the cold deathâ€" dew stands. That kiss and the sound of the voice she loved so dearly has drawn her soul back from the dark valley of the shadow of deathâ€"back to life and the world from which she was slipping. ‘"Myâ€"wife," he says, in a choked, hard voice. "Hold my hands clasped closely," the girl murmured in gasping terror. "Iâ€"I am slipping away from lifeâ€"clasp my hands until all is over. Jt will be but a few brief moments. Heaven has been kind to me," whispered the quavering voice. "I shall die looking on your face. I am dying, and I may tell you now how I have loved you," she went on with all the unconscious pathos of a little child. _‘"I should never bave told you this, Mut I am dyingâ€"" Slowly the white, hearyâ€"fringed eyeâ€" lids commenced to fall ‘over the dark, wistful, glazed eyes, shutting out the face she had loved so wellâ€"only Heaven above knew how well. ‘The tide goes out with a dreary wash, but it does not bear Uldene‘s soul out with it. The doctors bend forward with a cry of surprise, used as they are to surâ€" prises. "It is my opinion that your bride will live, Mr. Chester," whispered the doctor. ‘"‘Those timely words and that kiss call ed her back from the grave," he said, solemanly. ‘"No, Uldene," he whispered, with deep feeling, "I than Heaven your young life has been spared." haired VerEe so well! In the excitement of accounting for her absenceâ€"as she had solemnly promisedâ€" she had not mentioned that she had left the house in company with Uldene, and Mrs. Chester never dreamed of questionâ€" ing her closely. eyes that never leave Rutledge Chester‘s white, handsome, startled face. A faint tinge spread over the clammy brow and the pale lips that Rutledge Chester, in his infinite pity, has pressed with a last goodâ€"bye caress. The pulse beat grows more distinctâ€"the chilled heart flutters ever so faintly. ‘"‘She needs rest and quiet now. After a good sleep there will be a marked improvyement in her condition. I will watch alone by her bedside an hour Like one in a drea,m Rutledge Chester Fits his haggard face. _ Had the heard aright, or were his senses playing him false? "It is quite true," ‘repeated the docâ€" for, cheerfully, "I am pleased to tell you that your bride will live." He had not loved her, yet a strange thrill of thankfulness shot through his heart, as he looked down into the beautiful face. The great, dark, slumbrous eycs sought his with a look of entreaty piteous to behold. "XYou are sorry, Rutledge?" she gasp ed, faintly. on the arm, The qccupants of the room rose slow: ly and quitted the apartments so lately clouded by the brooding shadows of death. 1t With slow, unsteady steps, Rutledge Chester sought the library and shut himself in. Never was a man caught in such a web by the strange machinations of fate â€"wedded to one woman, while every pulseâ€"beat of his heart throbbed with love for another. To him the present was full of misery and the future all dark. A prince might have been proud to woo and win beautiful Uldene, with her wondrous dower of beauty, for a bride She would have charmed any man with her divine loveliness. Perhaps out of the whole wide world this man who had married her was the only one who could have looked upon her without emotion. A sense of the cruel wrongâ€" that & loveless marriage would be to her came over R_uytliedge, but it could not be he‘ped. He had often heard and read of the idolatrous love of women, but surely there never was such a fatal, unfortuâ€" nate, pathetic love as that which filled the heart of beautiful, hapless Ulden». Yet, even in that moment of bitter de spair, he could not find it in his heart to cumse the fate that fettered himâ€" until death parted themâ€"to Uldene, whose great, worshipful love won from him the mfaundest 'plt’. 1 ul id bat uce He had given Uldene his name, but he could never give her his heart. He had none to give. His heart had passed out of his keeping the first moment be had looked into the eyes of Verlie. ‘"So perish my hopes and my brief dream of love," he said. But he must put all thoughts of Verlie away from him now, henceforth and forâ€" ever. He arose and took from his writâ€" ingâ€"desk a little glove, a bit of ribbon and a faded blossom, and laid them sor rowfully on the blazing coals of the grate. A moment more and only the ashes re mained. The filme breaks slowly away from the doctor touched Rutledge lightly (To Be Continued] ~Talk about close calls, says the Chesâ€" ley Enterprise, none ever hbeard of in this locality can be compared to the miraculous escape of Mrs. Jobn Smith, 12th con. Sullivan, last Thursday eveâ€" ning. The telephone wire runs pasb Mr. Smith‘s house to which it was at one time attached, but fearing damage by lightning, Mr. Smith had the wire detached and it swung about one foot clear from the building. During the storm last Tharsday evening lightning struck the telephone posts near Mr. Smith‘s house, was carried along the wire and jumped to the corner of the house. Iv passed down along the floor to the kitchen where the Smith family were sitting. Mrs. Smith was sitting in & rocking chair nursing the baby and behind her lay the dog. The electric flaid killed the dog, knocked one of the rockers off, tore the toe off her shoe, burnt the toe of her stocking and scorched the leg of her stocking. The light was extinguished, and Mr. Smith thinking some of the family had been sbruck by lightning began groping for them in the dark and was overjoyed t3 find all were safe. It was notâ€" till the lamp had been lit that Mrs. Smith found how miraculously she had escaped the dreadful bolt. ‘Authorities upon decoraction declare that there should be a culminating spot in the ornamentation of a room,‘ says Helen Jay in the September Ladies‘ Home Journal. ‘In the ordiâ€" nary room this culminating centre is the fireplace and its mantle. Naturalâ€" ly, therefore, this is the place for the display of the choicest bits of bricâ€"aâ€" brac, and, generally spearking, of the smallest. _ In arranging these ornaâ€" ments ib is helpful to bear in mind the general rule that brovz> requires & strong light, and that marble and delicately tinted china demand half shadow. _ Whatever the bricâ€"aâ€"brac, and wherever placed, it should always be kept exquizitely clean.‘ An exchange is responsible for the following : Just as a commercial travelâ€" ler was writing his name on the register of a hotel in Ovid, Mich., the other day, a bed bug appeared and meandered slowly over the pages. The man of grips paused in open wonder, and in & voice sbhaking with emotion, said : Well by the eternal gods of war, I have been bled by Tonio flses, bitten by O wosso spiders, driven almost to insanity by Saginaw jiggors, crawled over by Bay City razz‘ejacks and interviewed by Lansing graybacks, but I‘ll be dog gasted if this isn‘t the first place I was ever in where beg bugs looked over the register to find out the number of my room. When I am tbravelling I never pub the slightest confidence in a household clock. A hbotel clock I can depend upon. There are too many watches in a bho:elâ€"good watches, watches whose absolute correctness means money to the commercial men who regulate the bravelling life of this country. . A lying clock would be spotted in a quarter of a second, and the unhappy clerk scourged with pitiless sarcasms thereâ€" for. Iu the course of my wanderings up and down this part of the globe I missed a few trains and lecture enâ€" gagements by depending upon clocks in the homes of my friends. Having thus paid for many lessonsâ€"fifteen or twenâ€" ty thousand dollars, I thinkâ€"by my own computaticn of the value of my leectures (set a head a little bit, you kcow, it might be a trifle fast ; I haveâ€" n‘t time to look up the exact figures), I withdrew all my trust from mantle clocks, especially the highly ornamenâ€" ‘al marble andâ€"gilt variety with the silver bells or cathedral chimes.â€" Ladies‘ Home Jourhal. How to Arrange Bricâ€"aâ€"Brac with Taste. A few days ago a very handsome woman entered & country draper‘s and asked for a bow. _ The polite assistâ€" ant drew himself up and remarked that bhe was at her service. ‘"Yes, but I want a buff, not a green one," was the reply, is Iphat a great many men and women are looking for ; help against appsoaching baldness ; help againsf‘a‘l‘zrbflenizlad:: help to restore the lost gloss to Aair ; help against fading tresses ; help for the scalp aftacked by dandruff. AYEKS HAIR VIGOR offers just such help. I restores gray or faded hair to its oviginal color, gives it length, thickness and gloss, <nd removes dandruff. «* My hair was rough and broken and began to fall out. The use of but one bottle of AYER‘s HAIR VIGOR both checked the falling out and rendered my hair smooth, gles?nnd in splendid condition. It is the finest of dressâ€" ings."â€"Mas. F. L. SMITH, Silver Creck, Misa. Help for the BRHair Bs Hair ‘aa Agor Too Much For Him. Untruth‘ul Clocks. A Close Call. "Some years ago my llmir began to fall out agd became quite bald. By advice I t§od Ayers and very seon my halr ceased to fall out and a new and vigorous growth made its appearance. My hair is now abundant and ilossy. "â€"THOS. DUNN, ockville, Wis. w 2