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_ : * J 3? l. m. grist's sons. Publishers. J % <Jfamil|j Jleicspapcr: Jfor flic promotion of the JoHtinal, jhtyiat, ?griinMn[al and flamnwvia^^^: Wy\ }St?o^tOTPT,Tm4 ,cJt%Zmi" i\ ESTABLISHED 1855. . YORKVILLE, S. O., FRIDAY, J A NUARTP 3, 1008. T ^ NO. 1. '~p~~ ? ' ' 1 ? \ * I I LWG3 V By ETTA \ CHAPTER XVII. J Circe. In a private parlor of the most elegant hotel In Whlthaven, Mademoiselle Zephyr, the famous young equestrienne, lay curled up in a deep fauteull, with V>o?. nraocoH 11 IfP fl dflV lilV. against the dull, soft blue of the chair. She wore a trailing tea-gown of delicate faille, garnished with exquisite lace. Her little head was rough with a mass of gathered yellow curls that no L pins seemed quite able to confine. She looked unspeakably fair and pensive, [ unspeakably childlike and innocent? ^ not in the least like a woman who could ^ throw vitriol or play the hypocrite. Against the wall near her leaned a man, with his hands buried in his pockets, and his eyes fixed attentively on the young rider. "So you've broken your engagement, ma'm'zell?" he said, quietly. "You're bound not to ride any more at pres |fr~"ent? What new whim is this .'" In the rich folds of her tea-gown Br nestled a tiny lap dog, wearing a collar BL of silver bells. She stroked him with snowflake fingers, weighed down with diamond rings, and answered: "How can you ask, you stupid old Jasper? Did I not fall in the ring a few nights ago, and sustain injuries that were thought, at first, to be fatal? I am too ill to ride for weeks, perhaps months, to come. Do I not look ill, Jasper?" Jasper Hatton's shrewd eyes rested ' for a moment on the exquisite figure, on the dazzling face, in its halo of yellow hair, and he shrugged his square shoulders expressively. "Not in the least, ma'm'zell." "Well," she pouted, "let me then say k that I do not want to leave Whithaven just now, Jasper; that I have particu' lar business in this vicinity. Cannot you understand? I abandon my dear cirque; I drive the manager mad with disappointment: I throw money to the winds; I quarrel with everybody, and swear that I am disabled, dying, all for the privilege of remaining a few days longer in a horrid Yankee town W whore nnrisr ordinarv circumstances. L* life would be quite unendurable." Mr. Hatton smiled grimly. He was still flashy in regard to pantaloons, and loud as to neckties. His eyes were still ^ small and black, and all alert, and his manners suggestive of the stable-yard. "You had a rattling fight with the v manager, did you? Yes. yes, I understand it all, Zephyr, and I wonder at you! You've carried the world by storm; you've made your pile, as these blamed Yankees say?in short, you've k had your fling without hindrance; ^ now, what more can you want?" B She set her little white teeth. W "I want revenge, Jasper?I've had W everything but that." F*. "Pooh! why bother yourself further \ about Basil Hawkstone? You threw him over long ago; you're free of. him and he of you. What made you faint at sight of him the other night. Faugh! I thought you had more pluck, ma'm'zell!" The jeweled hand that caressed the lap-dog trembled. "Jasper." she said, sweetly, "you are dull, you are heavy, you are often exasperating; but I have always got on J better with you than with other men, I because you never thwart or worry me, B' you let me have my own way in all * things?that is why we remain friends. Now tell me, am I still beautiful? Do | you see any crow's-feet about my ' eyes, any gray in my hair? Am I fading? Have I lost, in the smallest degree. my power to charm?" The square-shouldered Englishman surveyed her with a curious sidelong Vx?k. "Your beauty, ma'm'zell, is as it always was?without a flaw; and it's good, I should say, for a professional wear and tear of ten or more years. * at least women like you age slowly." "Well, you see what I am Jasper? ' T Un Kaam o ??/-*/-! Sn you Know now 1 nave uccii auui\;u *?? all lands. I cast myself at that man's | feet?I Implored him to love me again. and he repulsed me with scorn. Do you wonder that I tried to throw vitriol in the face that mocked me? Do you wonder that I vowed to be revenged, and that I mean to keep that vow at any cost?" Mr. Hatton shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know how any man living could repulse you. Zephyr?he must be something more than human. As for the vitriol business, my little lady, you look like a saint?a right down angel, k- minus the wings, but I always knew Ik you had the very deuce of a temper. Did you go down to Tempest Island, a day or two ago, to finish the work begun in the cirque?" L She laughed. "How do you know that I have been down to the island? Don't watch me too closely, Jasper, or T shall hate you. as I do the rest of your kind." "Somebody has got to watch you." he answered, sulkily; "God knows you need It?and I atn the man for the work. You may quarrel with me as much as you like?you cannot shake me off. I'm not like the others, as you ought to know." "I went down to Tempest Island to see my child, Jasper?to take her ^ away; hut another woman foiled me? r the Ravenel girl. But for her, I should have succeeded. I oarried a stiletto with me?I tried to use it. too; but she was like a lioness?I found myself disarmed at once. Jasper, I swear to you that I must get possession of Bee?I must tear her from Basil Hawkstone. or die!" laiiun wniaueu, sumj. "So the little kid just escaped the clutches of her fond mamma, eh? f Lucky for her, say I! How Ions would you be bothered with a lame brat like that? The maternal instinct was never developed in you. Zephyr. Humph! i v What's the Ravenel girl like?" f "An Eastern princess?a Cleopatra!" answered mademoiselle, with a short, mirthless laugh; "she is far handsomer than I am, Jasper. My white-and-gold V". PIERCE. prettlness is totally eclipsed by her rich southern tints. I have just received news that Basil Hawkstone has given up all thought of going abroad again?that he has gon^Jown to his island to stay Jndefinit^B I wonder if that girl's handsome race has anything to do with his sudden change of plans?" "And you mean to stay here in Whithaven and watch him??you, who mieht be winning: new laurels and new lovers In a score of new places?" "I want no more lovers," she answered. wearily. "There was a time when It was pleasure to pick up their hothouse bouquets and find hidden therein the bracelet of diamonds, or the brooch of black pearls, or the necklace, which meant financial embarrassment to the foolish giver; but now I am sick of all that. Conquest has become 'flat, stale and unprofitable' to me. I want revenge. I tell you! I am the deadly foe of that Ravenel girl; I would stop at nothing to crush her; I am Hawkstone's deadly foe?In fact, Jasper, I would rather do mischief just now than win any number of fresh laurels." A rap at the door. Madamolselle Zephyr called. "Come in," and a servant entered, bearing a card. She glanced at the name thereon, and started slightly. "Show him up," she commanded, then turned to Jasper. "A visitor is coming," she said; "get under the sofa." "My legs are too long!" answered Hot ton. drvlv. "Then go behind that curtain yonder. He must not see you here." "Plague take your whimsies!" muttered Hatton; but he disappeared behind the curtain, and mademoiselle fell back in her chair, a vision of pale, languid beauty, just as the door opened again, and Vincent Hawkstone entered. "I heard that you were ill at this hotel." he began airily, "and I was seized with a burning desire to pay my respects to you, Mrs. Hawkstone?confound it! I mean Mademoiselle Zephyr!" She looked at him suspiciously. "Did your cousin send you here?" she asked. "Certainly not. Prince Lucifer would never choose me for an ambassador. He doesn't like me well enough, you Irnow " She held out her hand with a dawning smile. "I remember! Are you two as hostile to each other as tof old?" "We are sworn foes, mademoiselle, and time only widens the breach between us." "How delightful! I dare say you are still a poor dependent upon Basil's bounty?" "Unfortunately, yes." Her blue eyes sparkled, her little teeth shone through her parted lips. "I see! There's a bond of sympathy between us! I may regard you as an ally, may I not?" "Regard me as a person anxious and ready to injure Prince Lucifer in any way possible." "Ah," she meditated, gravely, "you hate him. Vincent, and you love that southern beauty, Jetta Ravenel, the governess at Tempest Island! Unhappily. she does not love you, and Prince Lucifer has cruelly forbidden you to urge your suit further. Is it not so?" He colored. "How did you learn all this? You have spies out, I perceive. Well, I too, can state a fact. You went over to Tempest recently, and played the gypsy with great success, you versatile creature: but you didn't get possession of Bee!" "A Roland for my Oliver!" she cried, gayly. "Go on. Cousin Vincent!" He pulled his red-gold mustaches. "I am going to marry Miss Ravenel ?how, 1 do not know; but I shall marry her, and to accomplish that purpose I would summon help, if I could, from the bottomless pit! I need you, mademoiselle: you have ends to gain at Tempest Island, and you also need me." She arose from the fauteuil and stood before him, her faille gown and soft laces trailing, her yellow hair shining, her eyes brilliant with excitement. "To sigh for help from the bottomless pit in one breath, and appeal to me for it in another, is scarcely complimentary," she laughed, "but I forgive you, Vincent. Here is my hand?I think we can work together." "We can, and we will!" he said, and raised the white fingers to his lips, just as another rap echoed on the door. Again the waiter appeared, and again he carried a card in his hand. Mademoiselle glanced at it and color ed faintly. "You must go now," she said to Vincent; "tomorrow, at this same hour, you may come again." Scarcely had the door closed upon him, when mademoiselle danced a few steps toward the curtain at the other end of the room, and then paused with finger on lip. "Are you there, you dear dull old Jasper?" she called, softly. "I am here," growled Hatton. from behind the screening folds. "Keep very quiet now, for a lover is coming to woo. You must quite erase yourself?above all, don't listen to the love passages, for those things make you absurdly angry." "Zephyr," said Hutton. in a smothered voice, "how long will you try my patience?" "For years and years, I dare say," she laughed. "Hush! He is here!" And she had just fallen back in the deep chair in a state of interesting collapse. when Gabriel Ravenel, handsome as a young Antinous, strod before her. "Have you brought n?y child?" she said, turning upon him her large, melting eyes. Pale, crestfallen, he leaned against a table by her side, and looked down into her maddening little face. "Forgive me!" he groaned; "our scheme failed. Vera. My sister?confound her!?met me last night at the Inlet, in answer to my letter, but she i did not fetch the child?she suspects < mischief." Mademoiselle's blue eyes flashed. 1 "Oh, does she, indeed? But for her, < I should be holding Bee in my empty ] arms at this very moment. She sus- i pects you, her brother??she knows, i perhaps, that you are my friend?" "Your lover!" he corrected. I "Did you tell her, stupid?" she blaz- I ed. I "No, she guessed the truth." He was haggard with disappointment and chagrin. The beautiful circus rider i had never held In her toils a more I helpless victim than this young south- i erner with great expectations?this j raven-haired Apollo, who, betrothed to i one woman, was spending all his spare < time and money in making love to an- < other. i "It is plain that we shall receive no \ help, directly or indirectly, from Jet- t ta." he muttered. She put on a grieved air. I "Ah.", she sighed, "your sister always hated me1?she now begrudges me your 1 friendship, and I have so few friends, < too!" clasping her little hands pathet- 1 ically. Hatton, behind the curtain. In- t dulged in a curious smile. "She will t not help us. then??you cannot coax, s persuade, or threaten her?" "No! she Is painfully loyal to the Huwkstones?deuce take her! Better not count on Jetta!" The ready tears began to roll softly down her face. a "Fate is against me!" she sobbed, j "All my plans go awry! Basil Hawk- j. stone triumphs over me at every turn." j Her emotion was too much for Rave- ?nel. Instantly he was on his knees before her, covering her hands with hot f "Do not weep!" he implored, wildly; "It kills me to see your tears! Have you no friends? Look at me; I would die for you gladly. If that silly Jetta dares to stand in your way I will crush her without mercy. What is a sister compared with you? I love you, Vera; I love you, and you know It, and yet you return no answer to the devotion I offer you. You prolong my suspense cruelly; you seem to reject even while you accept my service. Why do you hold me so long in abeyance? Why are you so cold, so pitiless to me?" She drew her little hands gently from his grasp. With her pale, tear-wet cheek and innocent eyes she looked, indeed, like a suffering angel. "Gabriel." she answered, softly, "you must not talk like this to me till you bring my child. I will listen to no lovemaking till I hold my little one to my heart?till you prove your devotion by accomplishing the task to which I have set you. Your reward does not pre- j cede the service?It follows It. If you v really love me, Gabriel, you will help ? V me, first of all, to lake vengeance on e my foes." Vengeance is an ugly word, but it slipped sweetly over her red lips, and j Gabriel Ravenel's dark eyes flashed. Her touch, her look, her vague promises, sent the blood racing, like liquid a fire, through his veins. "And if I bring your child?" he cried. "Oh, my beautiful sorceress, if I tear her from Hawkstone's very arms?if 1 make common cause with you against that man?if I do your bidding in all } things?if I fling all things away for y your sweet sake?will you listen to me j then? Will you accept my love then? Will you swear to be my wife? Thus y far you have fed me on husks. I must j have your sacred promise, Vera, before f I undertake more." a Verily, he was a willing tool in Jier j hands! Like the wary little spider that she was. she glanced once toward . the curtain, and finding everything quiet there, she bent forward till her j yellow curls touched Ravenel's shoul der, and said: " "As surely as you tear my darling from Hawkstone, and bring her safely to me; as surely as you help me to torment. yes. and if possible, destroy, him, so surely will I accept your love and become your wife!" There was certainly a movement behind the curtain now, but Ravenel did not hear it?the voice of the siren had drowned all other sounds in his ear. "Vera, I am yours, body and soul. My darling, oh, my darling"? "Hush!" she interrupted. "I cannot listen to you till vour work is done, re2 member. You failed last night?you may "fail again. I shall exact complete success before I make payment. And s now you must go, Gabriel. I am ill today. my troubles have quite prostrated me?I wish to rest." "Go! I have but just come," he an- ( swered. reproachfully. "How cruel ^ you are! Will you not permit me to j remain a few moments at least?" r "Not today, dear friend," purred Vera: "I wish to be alone. Ah, I fear I shall yet involve you in no end of r trouble with that dreadful rich old man whose heir you are to be. Does j he never ask what it is that takes you ] from him so often?" { Ravenel hung his head?that hand- s some, foolish head which an artful j woman had completely turned. "Yes," he acknowledged, sullenly; g "and I am tjj^d - of inventing excuses, t He thinks I go to Tempest Island to i see my sister." s "Very good. And the blonde heiress > to whom you are bethothed?what does i she think?' "I do not know?I do not care!? t probably she suspects the truth?I can- ] not conceal it longer. The role of by- l pocrite is growing distasteful to me, t Vera. I must cancel my engagement c with Miss Rokewood!" < "Do nothing rash, you tiresome boy!" she yawned. "If you break with Miss ?. Rokewood, you will surely invite a crisis in your affairs." "What, then." he queried, wildly, f "would you throw me over, Vera, if t old Sutton should blot my name from l his will?" f "It is better to be rich than poor," 1 she answered, evasively. "I adore wealth myself, and all that wealth 1 brings." Perhaps he detected a false ring in i her tone?he looked at her sharply. "Vera"?and his voice grew hoarse with passion?"if the day ever comes t when I find that you have deceived me ?when you dure to break your solemn j promise?mark you, it will be time for one or both of us to die!" She drew back, growing pale and un- l comfortable. "How can you say such dreadful i things?" she answered, petulantly. "I wish you were not such a fire-brand! There! you may kiss my hand; and | now farewell?I positively cannot en- t Jure you longer." t He pressed his lips to her Jeweled fingers, to her dress, to one loose tress pf her hair; then he went, and Jasper 1> Hatton flung back the curtain, and 1< stalked, grim as Fate, out of his hid- a ing place. f "Do you mean to destroy that young r Idiot?" he demanded, sternly. "Come, a Zephyr, I tell you frankly, I don't like e this!" She laughed softly, defiantly. n "Yesterday, Jasper, that young idiot, f is you truthfully call him, sent me a bracelet of emeralds, every stone as big a is the eye of a sea-god. And the day s previous, his offering at fhe shrine of y my beauty was a fan of ostrich feath- t! ?rs, a half-yard long, mounted on sticks h )f solid amber, incrusted with dia- g monds. H?a! ha; I am a terrible creat- a are, am I not, and you are dreadfully h ingry with me, eh?" He looked at her from under bent ii prows. "By my soul! I wish the simpleton n cnew you as well as I do. mademols- l.? die! whither are you leadlhg him? e; fou have the face of an angel, you b mm.. U ?? ? n ?< ! e t Knt _ < ;u.i 1 ,\ itll iimun muiui, auu c.?. i, om you are nothing more nor less than i little fiend!" si CHAPTER XIX. 0 o Dishonored. SJ "Deadly dull day! Nobody on the V ivenues?life at a standstill! Hope to 11 ieaven old Hypo won't persist In rnrying his household much longer at Newport. For my part, I find the place ri letestable." w Doris Rokewood opened a pair of earless blue eyes. '' "Newport detestable??Newport dull? a iVhat has come over you, Gabriel, that f 'ou can say such things? You have a a llseased mind, I am sure, that ought o be administered unto, and at once." a She was what is called a fine girl? si all, fair, with plenty of firm muscles ind healthy white flesh. She had shot v rame in the Adlrondacks, she could b ence and ride and row; she loved achting and lawn tennis, and her es- '< >eclal pets were dogs and horses, and S in ugly monkey full of mischievous ? ricks. An heiress, too, was Miss R tokewood, adored by her guardian. eared by some young men, admired f? ?y others, and betrothed to George a lutton's handsome secretary and helriresumptlve, Gabriel Ravenel. K The two were standing in the draw- cl ng room of Sutton's Newport house? if ailed a cottage, but, In point of fact, a w >alace. Outside, the rain fell vehe- tl nently. Bellevue and Ocean avenues y rere deserted. The wilderness of costy plants on the deep piazza glistened it iith wet. Gabriel Ravenel, with a tl 'exed and depressed countenance, star- lj d out into the gloomy day without eeing it. r< "One would suppose," said Miss v lokewood, as she toyed with some P reamwhite lilies In a red porcelain - " - s ?l ase, "that you wouia nnn any pimr ui .> ny day delightful, Gabriel, so long as w re two were together!" a> He bit his lip. s< "Of course," he muttered; "oh, cer- s< ainly!" f( A noise at the door?it opened, and tl n pranced Miss Rokewood's pet mon- w cey, Juno, who knew the trick of turnng knobs without human aid. The n xeature was one of the ugliest of its dnd, tricked out in a little cap and w acket of scarlet silk, and a short skirt y if spangled gauze. It saluted Ravenel ir ind its mistress with ludicrous grav- II ty, cut a pirouette, and bowed again el o Gabriel?kept on bowing and bow- ir ng, in fact, with satirical deference. cl "How can you tolerate that wretched Ittle beast, Doris?" cried Ravenel, in a J lisgusted tone: "and why, in Heaven's oi lame, do you bedizen it in that abom- ei nable manner?" tl "Is it possible that you do not like uno's costume?" answered Doris s< ^,3 "T vnn u VUKCWUUU, aillUCCIUljr. x luitvivu j rould find it to your taste. I am fond 01 if Juno because she was sent to me S rom Cairo by a particular friend of a< ruardy's?a Mr. Hawkstone. who has >een a great wanderer and who owns y lome island not far from the coast. T ,Vhy, how you glare at me! You know H dr. Hawkstone, perhaps?" a "Not any," answered Ravenel, sav- a, igely. "I- have heard of him, how- F sver." n "Of course! how stupid of me! Your n lister is living at Tempest Island; you O ro there often of late." m He colored to his eyes. "The girl of the period has strange li astes," he sneered. "One can overlook J our dogs and horses, Doris, but this ir African simian is too much for ordi- b lary forbearance." n In a bantering tone she answered: si "If you loved me, Gabriel, you would w ?ot quarrel with my tastes." "Does that follow?" he said, captious- R y. "Bah! turn the vile caricature out, w Doris? I call this an execrable jest s< luite unworthy of a lady. You had g iome particular person in mind when al ou put that toggery on the beast." "Whom could I have had in mind?" d tsked Miss Rokewood, calmly caressing fc he monkey. "You are growing inco a. AO T?. f T nm lereni, are you now ruur uuuw. x ?.?? iure your hard names have lacerated I ler feelings, and she Is so amiable, so fr ntelligent, too!" Ji Her manner changed suddenly?she r< urned and swept straight up tb her n over. Her height was nearly equal to ? lis own, and she looked like a daugh- c< er of the old sea-kings, with her res- o ?lute blue eyes, and crown of Hax-eol- h red hair. "Gabriel, I feel sure that you have ft lomething to say to me." cl Her engagement was a month old. tl rhe time had not been happy or satisactory. From the first something in- S angible had stood, a separating force, c< jetwixt herself and her lover. Ravenel T cave a guilty start, then he braced tl limself for the crisis. ir "Give me back my freedom, Doris!" a< le said. She grew pale, but answered, stead ly: ? "You love another woman?" "Yes. It was all a?a mistake from ? he first?our engagement, I mean." is She drew his ring from her finger, ind put it in his hand. H "You are free, Gabriel!" R An old mixture of relief and appre- c< lension appeared in his face. M "God knows I would have remained 01 :rue to you, if I could, Doris, but"? She inteiTupted, with cold dignity: "It is not necessary to enter into ex- a donations. You never cared for me in ei " he least?you thought only of my for- <1 une." tl He winced. ( v "Don't be too hard upon me, Doris? b et us remain friends, if we cannot be a nvers. I now find myself In a very n wkward position. Old Hypo will be c urlous?he has set his heart on our y narrlage. Try to soften his wrath e gainst me?you have no end of influ- a nee with him, you know." ti There was open contempt, not un- G nixed with bitter pain, In her large d rank eyes, as she answered: 1< "I decline to Interfere betwixt you c nd Mr. Sutton. He has great good If onuA Un will nor V\a nnrrmr Kooniico V runv. 11C ? HI uui uc Clllf^ i J uctouft ? on have sought release from a bond k hat had become irksome. Why should fi ie, or any other person, wish our en- p agement to be kept now? Surely you s< re willing to abide by the choice you it ave made?" rl He frowned, and dropped his ring si ito his pocket. "Yes," he answered, sulkily, "I ana ? ot ashamed of the woman I love. She < Incomparable?the one treag^rt on arlh for me. There goes the luncheon tl ell. I suppose we shall be expected Z 3 appear before old H.ypo aa .psual." ci She looked somewhat unnerved, but he answered: n "Why not? The business of life goes n, whether engagements are broken ti v kept. Come! Mr. Sutton Is quite ivage when he is made to wait, and d ou seem to see the necessity of pleas- b lg, rather than exasperating him nr 3d ay." v He followed her out of the drawing- w r>om, and Into another apartment is here lunch was spread. A log fire blazed on the tiled hearth, si i merrj contrast to the storm outside, I nd before It stood a delicately molded inn, as yellow as a Mongolian, holding d< chronometer In his hand. ti "You have kept me waiting two and half minutes," said George Sutton, ai harply, as the young pair entered, lc For Heaven's sake, shut the door, Ra- la enel!? I feel a draught across the nr ack of my neck!" ai He was a confirmed dyspeptic, un- ei jnsonable, like all of his kind?slightly la rizzled, with aquiline features and an w lr nf ill health Two or three of Miss R oUewood's dogs were stretched at his vi iet?they looked up into his thin, sour is ice, and wagged their tails affection- t? tely. y< "Pardon our unconscionable delay, 01 uardy," said Miss Rokewood, 'in a u beerful tone?her clear eyes and smilig lips gave no token of the pain that c< as gnawing her heart. "I am sorry lat we have put you out. How is a' our liver, today?" "Barbarous*" growled Sutton. "If a v lan could manage to exist without n u t wretched organ, he 'might be fair- e1 r comfortable. My digestion is in a a: tti$ of absolute ruin. Moreover, this ci I tell you. is full of draughts. I c< iki I had the architect here?I would tl U^oh some fresh ideas into his head." Is 'I fear you might find the exertion n afc 2r?at. for you," smiled Miss Roke- y ood. "Let me spread a tiger-skin it cross your lap. How heartless it y ?ems for l.ealthy people to seat them- P; ilves at table with a man who sighs n ir an extinguished liver? Here comes lat naughty Juno. Do you think she ej in *,,<> ' h HI tliiuu> )UU suaiuj i The monkey had slipped Into the B )om with her mistress. e: "Not In the least," answered Sutton, w ith resignation. "The house Is at flour disposal, my dear. Transform It e; ito a menagerie?a circus, If you like, leavens! that draught again! Raven- h I, I must trouble you to ring for a bi mffler?congestion is sure to follow a n hill." The muffler was brought and put on. e< uno, who had meandered to the top f a Louis XV cabinet, instantly gathred her gauze skirt about her hairy rr iroat, and gave a clever cough. d It was a dull luncheon. Ravenel ai ?emed gloomy and distrait. MissRoke- h ood alone preserved the appearance f cheerfulness. Presently George a utton passed a letter to his ward h cross the damask cloth. u "Here is an invitation," he said, "for i?u and me to spend a few weeks at si empest Island with my friend n [awkstone. It seems that he has Z bandoned the idea of going abroad g gain, arid opened his house to guests. t( ancy the flutter which this piece of c ews will create among managing w lammas and marriageable daughters! a f course you remember Hawkstone, n ly dear?" She flung a bit of chicken to an Eng- ? sh poodle?a favor which brought ? uno, chattering angrily, from the cab- w let. The monkey gave the canine a e: low that sent him yelping under the r< lahogany. Some slight confusion en- a Lied. When it was over. Miss Roke- a; ood answered, sweetly: b "Yes, I remember him?an Edgar ir avenswood, gloomy and grand, with f( horn the world had gone ill. He pos?ssed, in a marked degree, that fatal ai ift of beauty, which Byron wrote gi bout." e< "Pnnh' Do von recollect that he hi ined with us six years ago, just be- tl >re setting out on his long exile?" a She nodded. dl "And he fascinated me so much that ci could only stare at him. In return R >r my dumb adoration, he sent me T uno from CaJj^). Without doubt, his vi >tum to the world?our world?will al lake a stir in society?everybody of w ny account knows the Hawkstones, of ? urse. Rut there's a shadow hanging o( ver Prince Lucifer, as I have heard at Im called?don't you know?" Q' She spoke very steadily, ignoring the at ict that Gabriel Ravenel had rapidly ri Ranged countenance at this turn of ? ie conversation. a' "That does not signify," answered hi utton: "some people have scruples A incerning divorce?others have none, fli he majority of women will consider tl le shadow of which you speak rather w iteresting than otherwise. Shall we hi zcept Hawkstone's invitation?" ti "By all means guardy!" s< The invalid cast an irritated look to- in ard Ravenel. tc "But here is your betrothed husband -Hawkstone has not asked him. What ir i he to do in your absence, my dear?" b! "I could by no possibility accept Mr. n< [awkstone's hospitality, sir," cried avenel, loudly. "And it is time, I per- 0 sive, to tell you that I am no longer si liss Rokewood's betrothed husband? a ur engagement is over." w Sutton pushed away his plate. di "Why choose the lunch-table for such ri n explosion as this, sir?" he demand- m ;1; "you ought to know that mental |a lsrturbance is peculiarly dfeastrous' to he proper action of the liver! Very -ell. The mischief Is done, and cannot e recalled. My dear Dotis leave me lone with Mr. Ravenel. The havoc of t ly internal economy may as well pro- J eed?yes, take the menagerie with J ou, my dear." Then, as the door clos- u d on Miss Rokewood. and her pets, his 1 ngry eyes' sought those of his secre- J try. "I am not in the least surprised, rabrlel," he said, sternly: "I only won- W er that Doris has borne with you so 1 >ng! Your silly Infatuation for Ircus-rider Is In everybody's mouth? : j talked of at the clubs, and in priate drawing-rooms. Deny nothing!- X *- ' now how "you have followed her about pom place to place, whenever It was ossible for you to obtain leave of abence from me?-I know how you havfc tvlted gossip, and ridicule, and notolety?how you have disgraced us all, A Ravenel pushed back from the' table,4- I hlte as a sheet. "It is not my intention to deny any- 9 ling,'^ he answered, defiantly. "I love SB le lady known as.. Mademoiselle 5 ephyr, and she has promised, upon ertaln conditions, to b'ecome my wife -there's the wlrae matter for you In a ^ utahell!" v ^ The Mongolian yellow of Sutton's ^ ice tin?e*d to wrathful copper-red. ^ "Idiot! Can I believe my ears? You id not wait to throw off the old bonds \ efore you put on new ones? And you ; ' lean to marry Basil Hawkstone's di- ^ orced wife?for, of course, I know \ ho this Mademoiselle Zephyr really "Certainly I medn, to:. marry her if < tie will have me. Do I not tell you that trj love?yes, adore her?" * ml The invalid leaned, and laid a thin, _ elicate hand on the arm of his secre- ba iry. His voice.grew gentle. ^ "You are young, Gabriel?a mere boy, jefi nd much must be pardoned and over- th( toked in youthful blood. You are the da ist of my kindred?the sole heir to be ly possessions. I have made my will, nd given you everything, without res- tjr] rvatlon. I will not be unreasonable, yA, id?I will not ask you to marry a oman you cannot love?in fact, Doris .okewood is far too good for you? astly your superior in everything. It i an unequal bargain?she can do bet?r. I shall not urge any renewal of q? our late relations?far from It; but ne thing is imperative?you must give p Mademoiselle Zephyr, and at once!" ' Ravenel stood leaning on the table, gx alorless as ashes. "That I cannot, and will not do!" he .j nswered. sa "Then you wHl leave my house this . ery hour, to enter it no more; and ot a dollar of my fortune shall you rer see! Choose betwixt my money th) nd that woman, for, by my soul, you ( annot have both! If you wish to _ pr: jme the Marc Anthony business of gtj irowing the world away for love, that bu i yopr affair, but the will that I have gr lade in your favor I will burn before " ou-f.re an hour older. Think a molent, Gabriel?I would be glad to save ou if I could. Is that creature of ex aint and spangles worth all that you lust pay for her?" j Ravenel staggered a little. Wealth? wj. ise?position?these were offered him . y one of his own blood?offered eagre erly, too, and with genuine feeling in ye| ye and voice. And over against them as set a woman's fair, little face in frame of yellow hair?a pair of blue yes, full of delusive lights. "Love like mine cannot be bought J" tw e groaned; "to live without her would mc e a monstrous impossibility?it canot be thought of for a moment!" ^ "You will not give her up?" thunder- ^ i Sutton. "N?." Uo "Then, sir, you are no longer heir of line. I also relieve you from further a i uty as my secretary. Leave my house, nd never enter it again. We are enceforth strangers." ^ The sword of Damocles had fallen . ^ t last! Under the unwelcome stroke a i e bowed, but his dry lips refused to po! tter a word. wa "Go to my safe and take a quarter's llary," pursued Sutton. "You will Qu eed it. for women like Mademoiselle , ephyr have expensive tastes. I have Iven you without stint since you came j ) me. but I dare say you have spent rerything upon that creature. Fare- ^ ell, sir! There may be in the world pei greater fool than you are, but I have .. ever seen him." an It was over. He had made his choice thi -thrown away his great expectations -lost his world for love! The blow as none the less bitter because he had xpected it. He dashed out of the ^ )om. Juno, the monkey, was prancing ^ bout the hall in her scarlet jacket QUI nd spangled skirt. He gave the poor rute a tremendous kick, then darted . of ito the library, closed the door, but >rgot to lock it. The table was strewn with books , for ad papers. He put these in order, and ne< athered up such documents as belongS DC 1 to himself. Empty-handed, disin- ^ erited, he must go! He looked around ^ le library. Across a recess near him 1*0 c drapery of rich Eastern stuff was ^ rawn; behind this was Sutton's safe, , lan jnningly built into the paneled wall. avenel went forward , and opened it. he rich invalid was careless about his iluables?his secretary was careless, cor Iso. Many things were in the safe ^ hich should have been at the banker's . chc -a box crowded with bonds, great rolls ' sto f bank-notes?jewels brought from cor range lands. And he was to take a sicl carter's salary and depart! As he ^ ared in upon the treasure, a sharp, nging suddenly filled Ravenel's ears -mist gathered under his eyelids. An ftful temptation shaped itself before Im. Instantly he was wrestling with , t n pollyon?he was overpowered! He latched the bonds from the box, and j*1** irust the jewels and rolls of money ildly into his pockets. As he did so e heard a noise at his shoulder, and , ine lrning, with all his guilt resting conMously upon him, he looked straight ito the horrified eyes of George Sut- . 8 Id "In God's name, what are you doig?" cried the invalid. "Is it possi- * * le that you can stoop to this, Rave- ?* el?" P?! Q J The two men were alone in the room. ( ne was young and strong, the other ck and feeble. Guilt and fear make mfl merciless combination. Without a I)el Po ord Gabriel struck his benefactor "** - f^ll tn fVi/x flnnr hv thp L* >\ II. OUUUli ten tv i.iiv i?ww. fled safe like one dead. Then Rave- t>. el?madman, traitor, thief?threw up we long window, and with one awful of 1^ jKzjyy ; I R I k j HD t HnBiH i jt* ',< "w" ?%ag^m: ^v . ' Thfe New York Trofc^tor,^>?o|hnj ring to convict Hgrr^ Thaw, of the ] l'rder of Stanford WhHe^ . ^ . ^ ?? : , ckward look at the pale, bloodstain-- j face lying. In the dust, leaped breath- 1 isly out on the piazza, and fled from e house into the stormy, dwindling y?fled, to lay down his life, If need i , even as he had already sacrificed atitude, honor and fair fame, at the ly, twinkling feet of . Mademoiselle i phyr, the circus-rider. To be Continued. CHEAP FUEL spite Discouraging Delay, Denatured Alcohol Will 8oon Be Available. Practical application of the denaturalcohol idea is being made on a very tensive scale. Hitherto the main Acuity has been one of cost, but to i intents and purposes, this may be i Id to have been removed. Today, in i it, the untaxed spirits are being i tnufactured actually at so cheap a i te as to enable them to compete in i market with gasoline. On the first day of last August the Ice of tax-free alcohol in the United i ates was about for.ty cents a gallon, i t since then it has been falling with eat rapidity. At present there is on- i one large manufacturer in this counr, but many other concerns are about . embark in the business, and it is pected, furthermore, that a multitude farmers will soon establish for them!ves small co-operative plants, to ilch they will bring their refuse, ap- < is, spoiled cabbages, corn cobs and < sen corn stalks, and all sort of waste getable material, to be converted in- < alcohol. ] \lready in Germany denatured alco- < I is being produced in enormous i untitles, mainly from potatoes, at elve cents a gallon. But a much i >re striking illustration of the possi- 1 Ities of cheapening the fluid may be and nearer home?that is to say, in ba, where vast amounts of molas- ] ! refuse are available for distilla- ! n. Alcohol derived from this source i jts, on the island, less than ten cents i gallon. It is by all odds the cheap- < : fuel in the world, gasoline being i t of competition with it < .Vow, the obviousness of this fact has ] I our navy department to undertake < series of experiments looking to the ssible adoption of alcohol as fuel for irships. The government of course, [i Import the fluid from Cuba with- ( t paying any duty, and, utilized as a bstitute for coal, it mignt save a od deal of money. At the present ae Germany and Great Britain, with ( i same idea in view, are building hting vessels which will be equipd with engines specially adapted for ; use of alcohol as the motive power, ( d they are inclined to the opinion it "high wines" will, in the not dis- ( it future, furnish propulsion for j irships of all classes, excepting, per- i ps, the battleships. Meanwhile, a ge plant has been established at i ?riden, Conn., for turning out great , antlties of lamps, stoves and other ( itrlvances adapted for the utilization , denatured alcohol. The liuid cannot j employed as fuel, or as an illumi- j nt, in any kind of apparatus suitable | oil, and on this account it has been j pessary to invent for the purpose | icial and peculiar devices?all of ?m depending fundamentally upon | s idea of burning not the alcohol dl- ] tly, but the gas generated from it by < it. Among these is a kind of street i ap, exceedingly brilliant, which used i ;h an incandescent mantle, has a } ?ver of 300 candles. 1 rhe new alcohol stoves are very l npact, with broilers and other at- l ctive attachments, and will be \ iaper to manage than gasoline j ves, when the iluid fuel employed new down to its normal price. Bees they are decidedly cleaner. Of iters, there is quite a variety, run by ohol, one style being intended for tomobiles. This, Indeed, is quite an eresting Improvement; and It Is' rth mentioning, incidentally, that s motor cars in the future will be ?vided with a modified carbureter for rning alcohol, thus getting rid of all agreeable smell. )ut-door heaters and cookers, burn; alcohol will soon be on the market; 3 special contrivances have been deed for the use of the same fluid in > kitchens of yachts. It seems likely, leed, that alcohol will be used for > lighting and heating of such its. Lamps suitable for the purse, with incandescent mantles, give >eautlful Illumination. )ne may add that in all probability >tor boats will before long be proled by alcohol.?Saturday Evening St. i The female brain begins to lose ight at the age of thirty, but that the male not until ten years later. , HKate ;;'o. HKNHBB^HMJ^Wr9ien j--&ikeffl^j^^^lMppugi^m ' in SB aM ^SjSBBBpd- $plp rt&a. lat^Pnhmbfer off other secijid fpanifig bills. It- tiMll' be f^xi^tfie calendar'When the" house convenes^?# wieffcand may be pressed'during the pfesent'session. In substance the "bill-is aS "follows: y "8ection. That-from an<f after the approval of this act, the defendant.In actions of libel*or slander may Intro-1 duce in testimony in mitigation of damage that the publlcatibn or charge was made by mistake Or through Inadvertence, and that he has retracted the charge or offered to make correction before the commencement of action by publishing, If a dally paper, on first page, in all other papers on editorial page, an apology, verbally in the presence of witnesses, when the accusation was verbal or wHtten, and had offered to certify the same in writing: and before any action for libel shall be begun or the recovery of damages on acoount of the publication of an article in any newspaper, the aggrieved party shall, at least five days before commencing action, serve notice in writing on the publisher or publishers of said newspaper, at their principal office of publication, if within the state, specifying the statements in said article which are oIUmH tn ha fa 1 ho and daifamatorv. and If it shall appear in the trial of said action that said article was published In good faith, that its falsity was due to mistake or misapprehension, and that a correction or retraction of any false or incorrect statement therein was published in the first or second regular issue of said newspapers, if a dally paper on the first page, in all other papers on editorial page, after receipt of said notice, and requests, in case of a weekly or semi-weekly newspaper, or within five days after service of said notice and request in said # newspaper with prominent headlines, then and In said event recovery of nothing more than actual damage shall be allowed." The purpose of this bill is to prevent the securing of larger verdicts for punitive damages in cases where the libel or slander was published innocently and with no intent to injure, and if properly presented to the general assembly the committee in charge of the bill on behalf of the Press association believes it will be enacted.?Columbia correspondent of News and rv?nrteiv CHINESE COAL MINE8. Anthracite Taken From the Beds By Primitive Methods. The valley of Poshan In which are the distinct towns of Poshan and Tsuechaun, is about 20 miles long and from 200 yards to nearly six miles broad, says a consular report. The whole of this valley is a vast bed of coal, situated at a deeper level in the middle and appearing on the surface at the edges, where it has been Forced upward by the pressure against the limestone of the surrounding hills. At the northwest exit of the valley the coal bed is Interrupted by a chain JLj of limestone hills, but it commences g again and continues in undiminished fl quantity in a westerly direction for I another 20 miles between the main range on the south and the Chang taishan on the north. In this valley I and its branches are situated the min- I ing centres of Puchl and Puchuan. I The best quality of anthracite coal V - a? 1 "* ? oiirfa na in thp H 1UUUU itcai 1?? QU4*fvw ... Halsham valley, and it is on account J )f this coal that Poshan has been fa- % 1 nous. It is principally used in manu,'acturing coke, which, owing to its lghtness, can be transported farther jy wheelbarrow than the heavier coal. Unfortunately the Chinese have of ate been unable to cope with the vater in the shaft, and most of the nines have been obliged to suspend vork. The method of removing water s extremely primitive. A basket woven >f willow twigs is passed from one nan to another and is then emptied nto a ditch at the mouth of the coal pit. As the galleries are low and narrow?the miners are obliged to tvork in a sitting position, and during :he time that water is being removed 'rom the mine other work has to reAse. The side galleries are short and ire shored up with millet stalks supported by short wooden props. In a muntry devoid of timber the cost of shoring up extensive galleries, and in addition the difficulty of removing: :he water Is so considerable that the Chinese miners are prevented from ?oing far Into a seam of coal. The :ost of timber may also account for the small diameter of the galleries, which if enlarged, would need extra support. The coal, loaded on low wooden trucks, with Iron wheels, manufactured at Chinlingchen from# Tlenshan Iron, Is run along the galleries on'wooden rails until the bottom of the main shaft is reached, and is then hoisted by wicker baakets attached to a pulley oh a framework built over the mouth of the pit, pulled by horses.