THE Discarded Daughter

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume VIII, Issue 2472, 9 February 1909, Page 4

THE Discarded Daughter

liY MRS. E, D.J E. N, SOUTHWORTE

CHAPTER 111.

TUB FATHER'S TYIIANNY. An thou bo mine, I'll give theo to my friond I An thou bo not, hang, beg, starve, die i' the streets, Nor what is mine shall over do the

good, Trust to it, bethink you I I'll not bo forsworn! —Shakespeare. Sinclair I Sinclair! Where in the world was he? Where- had ho been so many days? Why did ho not eomo? Alice could have given the world to have seen him.

She did not know that ho had been forbidden (ho house. She was totally ignorant of everything that had passed between her father and himself. Sho walked wildly about tho house and grounds, instinctively avoiding her feeble mother's room lest, in hor prosent distracted stato, she should kill her with agitation; afraid of meeting her father, and doubly afraid of encountering General Garnet, and wishing and praying—oh I praying, as if for dear lifo, that sho might meet Sinclair,

Ono afternoon she wrote a wild letter to him, illegible and unintelligible every way except in this—that ho must "como to Mount Calm immediately." Sho sent the letter off, and walked up and down her chamber, trying to get calm enough to go and sco hor mother. Whilo thus employed, a message reached her from her mother, desiring her to como to her room. Alico went immediately. As sho entered tho dark chamber, Mrs, Chester called hor up to tho sido of her bed; she saw that hr mother's countenance had changed fearfully since tho morning, and row a now terror and remorso seized hor heart; sho was about to speak, when Mrs. Chester said:

" Alico, you look frightfully pale and haggard, my dear child. Alice, we were foiled this morning. Your father has been here, and told mo all about it—the projected marriago in a week, and all—but do not fear, my dear child, you shall not be sacrificed, it is not right. I havo sent a message to Mr. Sinclair to como here this evening, lie has not been for some time, and when ho comes I must havo a talk with him."

At this moment a servant entered tho chainbor, to whom Mrs, Chester turned, saying: ' " Milly, mix a teaspoouful of ether with a littlo water, and hand it to Miss Alice. She is not well. You must take it, Alice, dear; you are really very ill, and it will compose your nerves." " Mr. Sinclair is downstairs, madam, and wants to know if he may come up," said the girl, as sho hauded the glass to Alice. ■ Alice dropped the glass, untested. "Where- is General Garnet?" said Mrs. Chester. " In tho library, writing, madam." "Where is Colonel Chester?" " Gono out riding, madam ?" "Thank Heaven I Yes, request Mr. Sinclair to como up, Milly." After the departure of the girl, the mother and daughter remained in

silent expectation. At lust the light, quick footstep of Sinclair was heard upon tho stairs. "Go and meet him, Alice, my darling," said the mother, with a smile. Alice arose, and as ho opened the door, and advanced into tho room, started forward and threw herself weeping into his arms. What could he do but press her to liis bosom? Tlion ho led her back to her mother's bedside —stooped over the sick lady, taking her hand, and inquiring, tenderly, respectfully, after her health of body and soul. While she was making her gentle, patient, reply, the attention of all three- were a>rested l>y the noise of heavy, hurried, footsteps hastening up ■tho stairs.

"It is your iaiiier, Alice! oh I tied, save usl" exclaimed JJrs. Chester, just as Colonol Chester, with ono violent kick of his boot, burst open tho door, and, purple and convulsed with rage, stood among them. " Who admitted this man? Who sent for him?" he demanded, in a furious voice. " I did. I sent for him," said the mother, pale with fear and feebleness, but wishing to shield her daughter. "I did I I wrote him a note," murmured the daughter, in a dying voice, sick with terror, but wishing to save her mother. "Traitors I Shameless household laritors! so there arc a pair of you I ;i desirable wife and daughter I but I'll Hud a way to punish vou both. I'll—" Hore ho was interrupted by Sinclair, wlw, turning to him, said, iu a composed but stern voico: "Colonel. Chester, visit your anger and reproaches upon mo, who knew nothing about it." " You have tho insolence to tell me, sir, to remind mo that you knew of my prohibition to cross my threshold I while standing here in my house.- in the very heart of my house, my wife's bed-chamber!" exclaimed Colonel Chcst'T, furiously,

"lu your wife's' sick-ulmmuer, sir, ivliui'u, us a Chrislion minister, it ib my bounden duty sometimes to couie." " And from wliumo I'll Im t you oil!," exclaimed Uio ini'tiriatcd uiiiu. " 1 "ill go. Good-evening, Mrs. Chester; good-evening, Alice, I leave you in the euro of Heaven," said Sinolair, wishing, by all moans, to avoid I he disgrace of a struggle.

"(iol what, go quietly like an honoured guest dismissed? No; yon camo suiToptiously, and you shall depart involuntarily. j\'o! 1 will put you out!" vociferated the maniac, in an ungovernable fury, springing upon Sinclair, A violent struggle ensued. Sinclair acted entirely upon the defensive, saying, continually, as he could mako himself heard:

"Colonel Chester, let me gol 1 will leavo quietly; I would have done so at first."

And now the deathly grip and stnigglo went on in silence, interrupted only by the short, curt, hissing oxt'laimitions of tho enraged man through 1»'» nun- whitened lip and e | t , ll( .| lc( i teeth. Sinclair was half the age and doube tho weight and strength of bis opponent, and could easily have mastered him, but did not want the odium of doing il.

While wrestling desperately on tho delonsivc, he expostulated once moro: " Colonel Chester-not for my sake, but for your uwn-for your family's, for honour's sake, let me depart in peace I" "Ahl villiiin," exclaimed the madnillll > finding his strength failing, o nd suddenly drawing a pistol, ho pointed it at Sinclair's temple and fired. Sinclair suddenly started, and tho bullet went through tho window, shattering tho glass. Chester now raised the spent pistol and aimed with it a violent blow on Sinclair's head. Sinclair quickly caught his descending hand, whonA power more awful than tho judge's baton, the monarch's sceptro, or tho priest's elevated crucifix, arrested the combat.

Death stood in their, presence I''•. A cry of mortal anguish from Alico causi'il ['"til lo turn and look-both to drop their hold—and stand like consciencestricken culprits. There lay Mrs, Chester, the gentle, patient, long-suffering woman, stricken down, dying in her daughter's arnib. Colonel Chester came to his senses at once, feeling all the honor and remorse of a murderer. Ami Sinclair repented from his soul (hat he had not permitted himself to be expelled from the house with every species of ignominy, rather than to have seen this. •

That ashen brow—those fixed eyes—that silent tongue, and quick, gasping breath I that faco of tho dying! it would never depart from his memory. Oh I any personal indignity rather than this memory I if he could but save her I but she was boyund all help noiv, for —oven as full of sorrow and remorso ho gazed—with a long, deep sigh, as for the pilgrims she left behind on earth, her spirit passed to God, Sinclair bore Alico, fainting, from the room. Colonel Chester fell down on his knees, dropping bis head upon the bed, and throwing his arms over his dead wife in a paroxysm of remorse and despair, ungovernable as bis rage had been, and, alas! nearly as transient,

CHAPTER IV.

THE MADNESS AND FLIGHT OF ALICE.

Oil! bid me leap, rather than marry Paris, From off the battlements of yonder tower.

—Shakespeare. Now see thai noble and most sovereign

reason l/ke sweet bells jangled out of tune and harsh! That unmatched form and feature of blown youth lilasted with ecstasy.—lbid. Alter this terrible family storm, in which poor Mrs. Chester's vital powers had suddenly failed, the peace stem death enforces reigned through the house. Alice, her heart and brain overturned by endurance, lay exhausted, almost insensible, upon her bed within her chamber. General Garnet had taken Innsclf oil to the village tavern, whence he had been invited to pass a week or two, at | Point Yocomuco, the scat of Judge Wylic.

Mr. Sinclair, in the disinterested kindness of bis heart, remained at the house, superintending and directing everything, unquestioned by Colonel Chester, who, when he met, recognised him with a sigh or groan. He remained until tho funeral was over, and the house restored to its former order, and departed without seeing Alice, who, still prostrated, had not left her own room. And after this, as Colonel Chester had not revoked his prohibition, he came to the house no more.

As days glided into weeks, Alice recovered it portion of her strength, left her chamber, and mournfully went about her customary occupations.

Poor Alice! her spirit was willing, but her nerves were very weak. So it wu,i with a pang of tear that Alice heard her father nt the breakfast-table, oiio morning, announce- the- expected arrival of General Unmet that evening. Yes, Colonel Chester, thinking that now perhaps sufficient time bad elapsed since her mother's deatb-and sufficient 'slrngth anil cheerfulness had returned to bis dau«hler--had recalled lier stli- ' tor. Alice was trembling violently—- ' she dared not look up. She had been taught to love and venerate Iter father above all earthly things, and next to God. She loved and venerated him still, and kept her thoughts reverently away investigating bis motive and judging'his conduct. Sho had been taught to bow with implicit and reverential obedience to his will. To opposo him had not been easy in her thought-it was terrible in practice. It would havo been terrible to her had her father been a man of moderate temper and self-con-

trol, but he wan a man of violoiifc and ungovernable passion; and Alice was in an agony of terror when sho faltered out: " Father, if General Garnet comes hero only as your guest, 1 will welcome bin' with every possible attention; I will try to make him feel at home, and endeavour to render his sojourn with us ill mery other way agreeable; but if ho comes here as my suitor " here her voice died away. r " Weill" It is impossible to convey the short, curt, galvanic strength and abruptness with which he jerked, as it were, Ill's svliable out, and brought Alico up. It wr> like throwing the lasso suddenly

around her neck, and jerking hor up face to face with him. And such' a face I It is impossible to paint tho grim determination of tho locked jaws, armed with tho wiry, etubblo heard, bristled ii)' with fierceness, and the ferocity of the darkly-gathered frown that screwed his glance upon hor pallid faco, that screwed it into her very brain. Alico turned deadly sick, her eyes filmed over, and she sank back in her chair. Sho did not faint or lose consciousness, for the next instant she felt her father's iron hand upon her tragic shoulder, and her father's awful voice in that low dee]), suppressed tone of tierce, immutable determination, saying: • "Miss Chester, it is not as your suitor liul as your hu-band, that General Garnet will come this evening. 1 command you to receive him as such." And he left her. t'l'v becun'.iiuial)