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THE BED CLOUD CED3JF.
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CHAPTER V. (Continued.)
It was Mls3 Brunscombo. The hood
of her light mantle was drawn over
hor head nnd face, and as she came
swiftly on, with downcast head, Hue
wa3 unconscious of my presence until
sho almost touched me. At the first
recognition she gave n little cry and
started back, the next Instant she had
recovered herself, and something of
the womanly dignity which I had ad
mired In her at our first meeting re
turned to her bearing. She made no
apology or excuse for her presence
thcro qu such n night and at such an
hour; she merely bowed her head with
a murmured "Thank you," as I threw
open the door nnd stood back for her
to precede me Into the hall. Sho did
not, as I half expected, try to excuso
or account for her late walk, but with
another bow sho passed on and up tho
wide staircase. The light from n hang
ing lamp fell upon her face as she
turned to mount tho steps, nnd I saw
that her eyes were swollen with tears
and her checks deadly pale. She held
'tightly by the carved oak balustrado
too as she went slowly up nnd out -of
my sight.
"And so," I said to myself, as
haunted by a spirit of unrest, I paced
tho floor of my room long after mid
night "so dies thu last lingering rem
nant of my faith In womanhood." But
it was dying hnrd; It was hydra
headed, apparently, and sprang Into
iresh life as fast aa I set my heel upon
tho last quivering fragment: and at
last, when I sought my bed, I knew
that neither my faith, nor n mad love,
ns wild nnd Impossible aa the love of
the wave for the star, was dead witu.n
me. I had found a hundred excuses, n
hundred reasons, which left Nona
Branscombe my pure sweet Ideal still;
nnd withal, I was the most unhappy
man In the United Kingdom. Had
Miss Branscombe been the penniless
girl her friends and neighbors hnd prc-
f - . ' '--ivlr-
. ON THE SPOT, YES; BUT NOT IN THE HOUSE," MR. HEATHCOTE AN
SWERED GRAVELY.
maturely declared her to be, thero
would have been neither presumption
nor madness In tho passion which hnd
taken possession of me, for I was well
born, my prospects were good, and I
could havo entered the lists fearlossly
agalnBt all comers. But Miss Brnna
combe, the heiress, the owner of fifteen
thousand n year, was separated from
mo by a barrier which I recognized as
A Insurmountable. I groaned In Bplrlt
as I remembered that my own hand
hnd helped to ralso tho barrier.
And then I fell into a short troubled
slumber, Juat nB tho restless twittering
of tho little birds beneath my window
told that tho day was breaking.
CHAPTER VI.
Early as It waa when I descended to
tho breakfast room that morning, Miss
Elmsllo was already down nnd In deep
and anxious conference with tho rec
t (0r, They ceased speaking as I en
tered, and Mr. Heathcoto came for
ward to greet me.
"I am sorry you are leaving Forest
Lea this morning," ho said, as Miss
Elmsllo busied herself with tho tea
urn. "These ladles need er er In
fact, some member of our sex sadly
just now. I wish you could havo re
mained." "Yt u are on the spot," I suggested,
lighting with an Impulse which tempt
ed mo to forget my duty alike to my
firm nnd to myself, nnd to linger In
the sunshine which could only scorch
me.
"On tho spot, yes; but not in the
house," Mr. Heathcote answered
pravely, accepting the cup of tea which
Miss Elmsllo offered him. "You aro
ilngularly destltuto of male rolativcs,
Miss Etmsllu?" he added, addressing
her.
"Yes," she sighed; "thero Is abso
lutely no one. The dear colonel rep
!" resented our wholo family, except
ing "
"Yes, yes!" Interrupted the rector,
hastily. "You are entirely unprotect
td, unfortunately, t wish It had been
BOftNFS LOVERS.
posslhlc for Mr. Fart to remain with
you until after the funeral: but It Is a
point I ran hardly press, as he has
ten good enough to glvo us already so
much of his valuable lime."
"We should Indeed be glad," snld
Miss Elmslle, looking appeallngly at
me.
So 1 was Impelled by the Irresistible
force of fate Into tho current whlcn
could only bear mo to disastrous ship
wreck. "I could return," I said, answering
tho appeal of Miss Klmslle. And oh,
what a rush of dangerous Joy thrilled
through my veins at the thought of
once moro being under tho samo roof
with Nona Branscombe t "My arrange
ments are made for to-day, as you
know, I must run up to town; but If
I can assist you by returning to ForeRt
Lea, I will do so Immediately as soon
as I have seen my partners."
"It will be tho greatest comfort,"
Miss Elmsllo n&3urcd me, with tears
in her eyes. And so it was settled.
"I will drive with you to tho sta
tion," tho rector said, as the dog-cart
come round; "I have business there.
Aro you a good whip? No?" as I
shook my head. "Well, I will take tho
reins then. Mnson" to the groom
"cut across tho park while we drlvo
round, and leave word at my houso
that I havo gone on to Wcstford. We
will pick you up at the end of Park
Lane. Tho fact Is," he confided to me,
as soon as the man was out of ear
shot, "that scamp, Charlie Branscombo,
has been seen hanging about the place;
tho purport of the poor old colonel's
will will soon ooze out It It hasn't
done so already and Master Charlie
Is qutto capable of bullying his cousin
In the first flush of his disappointment.
It was my good old friend's last injunc
tion that Charlie should not bo ad
mitted to the Lea, and Miss Nona Is
tender-hearted In that quarter."
A light flashed upon me. It was
.-vc,-
Charllo whom she had met In the
shrubbery last night who had smoked
that prime Havana and brought thoso
tears to his cousin's sweet eyes; and
to Charlie, no doubt, I thought, with
a swift pang of Jealousy, she had given
her young love tho treasure he would
squander as remorselessly as he had
wasted the more tangible treasures in
his hands. And upon me, of all men,
by the cruel 'Irony of fate, was forced
tho task of separating her from tho
man she loved! Nothing could come
to mo but pain, disappointment and
odium.
"Thero Is more than one element of
dnnger in the case," said the worthy
rector. "Charllo may make a disturb
ance at the Lea, and seriously embar
rass those two unprotected women, or
ho may work upon the feelings of a
susceptible and romantic girl like
Nona, and neutralize all the wise pro
visions of his uncle. There Is no tell
ing what, In tho first emotional work
ings of such a character as this qweet
young girl's, Charllo may mnke her do
for him glvo up Forest Loa, I
shouldn't bo surprised, and ruin her
self and all who depend upon her. The
fellow Is, I am sorry to say, utterly
Irreclaimable money runs through his
hands ns If they were sieves. The
poor old colonel gave him chanco after
chance, and ho threw them away one
after tho other. It Is a hopeless case."
"And Miss Branscombe," I said, for
cing myself to utter the words which
choked me "Miss Branscombe Is at
tached to her cousin?"
"I fear bo," answered the rector
gle mlly "my wife thinks so, unfor
tunately. I am speaking confidentially
to you, Mr. Fort,'-' he added, turning
abruptly to me,
"We lawyers, like doctors, come In
for the secrets ot a good many fami
lies," I answered, for want of some
thing better to say."
"Just so," assented tho rector; "and
we want your help, Mr. Fort. You see
It Is important to keep this young
scapegrace out of the way. Your prea-
once at the Let, nnd tho cxerclss of
tho tact and friendly kindness you havo
already shown" I bowed '"will bo In
valuable to us nt this Juncture After
the funeral, Miss Elmsllo and MM
Branscombe will leuvo tho since, nnd
a year or two of foreign travel, with
fresh scene nnd associations, will, I
have no doubt, make a great differ
ence In Mis Branscombo's views nnd
feelings. She has been brought up in
a secluded way, nnd has seen fow peo
ple hitherto. All wo want Is to gain
time. But here Is my follow; wo must
hurry up to catch the 11.10 express.
Tho 11:10 express was n favorlto
train evidently. I congratulated my
self on having fecured a corner sent
next the door, aa my cnrrlago filled
rapidly. At Wlvenhoc, tho first stop
ping station, two seats that opposite
to me, on which I had deposited my
blac bag and tho light dustcoat which
I car-lod, and n second set next to
mine were the only ones unoccupied.
The weather was warm, and I waa Just
congratulating myself on having cs-J
caped any addition to our number,
when, even ns the guard's whlstlo
sounded, the haudlc of tho cnrrlago
door was hastily turned and a lady,
evidently a good deal fluttered at tho
narrow escape she had mado of miss
ing the train, sprang lightly In and
deposited herself lit the vncant placo
by my sldo.
It had all happened bo suddenly
my head had been turned nway at tho
moment of the lady's nppearanco that
I had only time to draw my somewhat
long limbs out of her path, nnd none
to catch a glimpse of my new neighbor
before she was seated next to me.
"Allow me," I said then, offering to
relievo her of tho small bag and largo
looso cloak which bIio held on her
knees. "Thero Is room for those
hero" Indicating the opposlto seat, on
which my own Impedimenta reposed.
She thanked mo with a how nnd a
few murmured Indistinct words; and,
ns I took tho two articles from her
hands, I caught a gllmpso of hor face.
It was covered with a thick grny gos
samer veil, such as ladle3 uso at tho
seaside or for driving In tho country;
but tho lovely hair that had escaped
from beneath tho largo shady hat, and
something in tho wholo bearing star
tled me with a wild Impossible Idea.
Had I gone mad, or was the Image ot
Nona Branscombo so Imprinted on tho
retina of my eye that to mo overy
woman must bear her likeness?
I darted another swift keen glanco
nt my neighbor as I resettled m;-Eolf
In my place.
"They will bo quite safe there," I
snld, pointing to her possessions, and
then I stopped, breathless. It waa no
fond Illusion of my love-sick fancy. It
was Nona herself! Tho largo limpid
eyes, which even the thick gossamor
veil could not hire, looked Into mlno
for nn Instant with a warning depre
catory expression, tho graceful head
move! iritn tnc scaiitest, most dlsla"ht'
acknowledgment of any courtesy, and
then turned resolutely nway. Evi
dently MIs3 Branscombo did not choose
to recognize mo further.
I sat for the next ten minutes
stunned and bewildered, watching tho
mendows nnd trees as they How by In
endless succession, nnd trying to
steady my mind sufficiently to grasp
the situation. Miss Branscombo hero
alone, unattended she who had hith
erto led such a carefully protected llfo
traveling alone; nnd whither? I was
certain that neither tho rector nor MI33
Elmsllo had known of her projected
Journey tho morning's conversation
quite precluded the Idea. How had sho
reached tho station without being sect)
by ua tho rector or myself?
(To be continued.)
TO BRING ABOUT SLEEP.
The Half Hour Ilofore Ileiltlmo Should
Ho Quietly Spent.
Difficulties In going to sleop are
sometimes physical more than mental,
says the Spectator. The physical, un
der ordinary circumstances, are duo to
the circulation. Tho following are a
few praetlctw hints: Some sleep better
half sitting up with threo pillows,
somo better with none; somo with lit
tle covering, some, with much. Hot
drinks or a hot bath Just before sleep,
hot bottles to the feet, are often useful.
Tobacco often Increases sleeplessness.
Sometimes, after long waking, a small
meal will bring sleop. Somo, espe
cially Invalids, will wake after two
or three hours; a cup of hot, fresh tea
will often send them to sleep again.
Sometimes tho darkness seems exciting
and ono can sleep with a lighted can
dle. Intermittent noises, ns of a rat
tling window, ore always bad, but a
continuous noise la often a lullaby.
Moderate fatigue aids, but exhaustion
prevents sleep. Oftonost sleeplessness
Is mental and springs from a want
of self-control. Either ono subject
engrosses the mind or a succession of
Ideas. In either case the sleepless
must mako the effort to atop thought.
It Is best done by attending continu
ously to some monotonous nnd unex
citing Idea which la self-hypnotism.
Some count, some breatho slowly as If
asleep, somo look at Imaginary sheep
going through a gate. One of tho best
ways Is to watch thoso curious appear
ances which como to closed eyes, a
purplo hare fading Into a star, which
becomes an Irregular line, nnd again
changes to something else. They can
not be seen when first sought, but
will como with a little patlenco. In
all theso tho purpose la to fix the at
tention on some object which will
arouso no associations. It requires
steady effort to do this and to prevent
the thoughts wandering, hut exercise
Increases the power to succeed. TCh
half hour before bedtlwe should be
spent ouletly,
MY LITTLE LADY.
"My little iad7," I mod to call her,
and tho diminutive Incensed hor great
!y. "It Is Mich nn nbsurd name," sho
would say, "and besides, you know how
much I dlsllko any remarks about my
personal appearance. It Is qulto mis
fortune enough to bo so ridiculously
small without being reminded of It con
stantly." "Ah, but ono or theso daya you will
be great," 1 would sny, and sho would
lnugh happily at the prophecy how
that happy child laugh ot hers rings In
my cars even now nnd would accuse
mo ot blind partiality, "which Is," hIiu
would remind mo, quoting u favorlto
saying of mine, which waa prono to
recur often In our ninny Iltcrnry dis
cussions, "only another form of partlnl
blindness,"
How (hall I drscribo her, I wonder,
how put upon paper nil tho Incongru
ous chnrm which made her what sho
wns.
To tell you of her appearance Is to
hello her character, for tho outward
bolng and tho Inner solt hnd no sister
hood, save when now and again, tit
some chance word that Inspired n no
bio thought In her, the woman's glo
rious soul peeped ehoy out through her
bluo eyes till they grew dark and drop,
nnd tho warm glow of her dlvlno In
telligence permeated nnd shono
through her clear baby skin.
Sho loved pnotry truo poetry nnd
remembered all sho loved Ih It. Ah!
If you could havo heard her recite
poetry as I have!
At such moments she was beautiful
moro than that, worshipful.
I have seen young men nnd cantank
erous old women rise spellbound to
that bright angel face nnd listen
breathlessly for the words as they fell
from thoso baby lips.
At such times tho beautiful story of
tho Christ child In tho tomplo has
seemed to me to gain strength nnd
I hnvo pondered wonderlngly over tho
power some mortals havo to hold and
enthral others, binding them fast to
good or evil.
I must speak of her as n child, I sup
pose, In order that you may seo her
as Bho appeared to tho physical eyo;
HER EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY.
on bad to know nnd to lovo her (tho
terras are synonymous) to see hor with
tho eyes of tho mind. Thoso who knew
htr they ivcre not many saw her as
a child, but they loved her aa a woman.
A woman to bo loved fiercely, hotly;
a woman to daro for, to work for, to
achieve for If need be, to dlo for but
to die for honorably on life's battle
Hold, fighting to the last.
A woman at whose feet a man's suc
cesses might bo laid, and who3o one
word ot prnlso would bo aU-sufllclent
guerdon.
Ah, yo women! Will you novor un
derstand your wondrous" powers to
mako men or to mar thorn!
You laugh at thla "high-flown non
censo about n child," do you not? I
forgive you, for you never knew my
little Indy.
Until my llttlo lndy camo into my
llfo I waa alone. Do you know what
that means? Havo you realized it?
Can you realize it? To go out Into
the world, to eat and to drink Ilka
other people do, to shako your fellow
creatures by tho hum! whllo mentally
you spurn them under foot and void
your rheum upon them, to greet all
men nnd women with a Ho upon your
lips a Ho that professes Interest in
their henlth and In them for whom you
care no moro than for tho starving
mongrel which you drlvo from your
doorstep with a savago kick and an
oath muttered through set teeth. To
be without any lore for any living
thing; Hay, to hnto the wholo huge
human race because ono man and one
woman have proved unworthy to
halo nnd loathe yourself even moro
than you detest the vilest thing that
crawls the earth this It Is to he nlono.
And so was I until my llttlo lady came
Into my life.
How well I remember the flrt tlmo
I met her!
A silly woman who thought I might
pcrclianco becoim the purchnscr ot
ono of her silly daughters, had nsltod
me to "romo nnd help nmuso somo
children," thinking, no doubt, that tho
Juunllo "citing would enhance In my
oyes tho value of tho Jewel she In
tended for me.
It did Just tho reverse. I havo al
ways loved children, nnd the sight of
their sweet Innocence made mo bnto
the men and women (here still vnore.
1 sat In a corner nnd watched thu chil
dren play, wishing I could bo 0110 of
them again. My little lady wan fore
most In the Eunice, but prv.-ently sho
left the ollu'iB, and came to alt near
me.
"Have you n headache?" she asked,
In n voire thnt struck mo almost un
consciously an too deep nnd full for no
young a girl.
"No a heartache," 1 nnsworcd, with
out thinking ot what I said, nnd then,
nngry with myself for self-betrayal, I
tried to Jnko nwny my answer and to
talk noiiRciiKr to the child.
What happened niter that I hardly
know. I only know that soon wo wuro
In deep conversation, nnd gradually I
talked to her as I had never talked to
living being slnco thoso two devils
but no matter! As I left tho houso I
noticed two Btolns tenr stnlns upon
my glove. I, tho misanthrope! I, who
almost bonbtcd that nothing had
touched my heart for fifteen years.
Oh, my llttlo lady, my llttlo lndyl
It was her birthday and I hnd bought
her a white rosebud to put In her hair,
which she put up that day for tho first
time.
It lay unnoticed on tho ground nt her
feet, now halt picked to pieces by her
norvous lingers
Fool to have told her then, nnd so
suddenly!
How could .1 child of her ngc love n
man of mine?
How could sho understand? How
could Bho I went awny und cursed
myself.
It la four yearn slnco I left my little
lady with tho pained look In her blue
eyes and my rosebud nt her feot, and
In half an hour I shall sco her again.
, Sho Is 22 today and I hold her letter
In my hand.
"Como to me," sho writes. "I did
not know myself four years ago. Now
I do, dear, and I ask' you to come to
me."
I waa In Syria when I got thnt letter,
and I havo traveled night and day
since then,
How tho horso crnwla. Oh, my llttlo
lady, my llttlo la
Why nro tho blinds down?
Dead! Oh, no, no! It's a Ho. No,
It's truo, nnd my white rosebud, old
and faded now like my life, lies upon
her breast.
I'll no, I promised her, yenra ago,
never to do that, whatever happened.
Sho would not hnvo mo break my
word. Would thnt I could hellevo that
we nhall meet again.
I hope. Oh! how I hope. '
Utilization of l'ralrle (Jritt.
The corn stalk hau been redeemed
from tho fire, and now tho prnltio grass
Is In tho lino of deliverance from cro
matlon. The -V tough, wlre-fibered
grasses aro being mado into binding
twlno and It seems to bo but n ques
tion of tlmo when rugs, matting, ropo
and cotton bagging will follow.
A Greek phalanx consisted of 8,009
men.
VANITV FAIR.
During the coming season thero wilt
be quite n plethora of International
yncht rncra. Whether oontcatn of this
description do much for the fowl In
teroft? of tho sport la doubtful, for
In tlit past thoy havo ofton led to
bickerings, nnd they certainly cauao
pcoplo who usually take no Interest In
yachting to momenlnrlly turn their
nttcntlon to the pnstlmn. Tho llr.rt
scries of International matches has al
ready commenced at Mealau, In which
M. Mnrcon's 1-tonner llelougn, repre
senting tho Corclo do la Vollo do Paris.
Is mulched against tho Vcctls, owned
by Mr. F. W. lyboumo Popham of
Knglnud, wluuo chnllcngo wns backed
by tho Island Sailing club of Cowoh.
In August we are promised nnother
fcorles of International races for tho
Coupo do France. The defender will
bo owned by Mr. 13. Horo. who .linn
been raring tho 20-ratcr Iuirn with
consldetnble Bitccofls nt the Mediter
ranean regattas. Then, still latoi In
tho h-umhi, will follow the American
cup races.
It Is unpleasant newn to hear that
Ioch lcvcn. tho most romantic nmotiB
tho Inwo of Scotland, la In danger of
becoming covered with nn obnoxious
weed, which Is spreading In an alarm
ing manner, to tho dlsmny of ull con
cerned lu tho fishing Intoresta of tho
loch. For somo two yearn past tlni
prosenco of thin membor of tho nnn
chnrls tribe of water plants hns boon
known, but no satisfactory explanation
of the method by which It found It
way Into tho waters hns yot been nr
rlvcd at. Ono Ingonloim nuthorlty has
oxprewed tho opinion thnt It wns In
troduced with omo goldfish which
wero piirchnHcd nnd turned out Into
tho loch. Tho fish wore bought from
hnwknra, In globes, In which It waa
supported thero wore supplies or thla
foreign weed. Others imscrt that It
wob bought Into tho vicinity by an
American timber ship. Be this as It
mny, tho Inconvenience to which tho
over-lncrcnslng masses of .wood glvo
rise Is very considerable. Anglers nnd
others nro viewing with keen Intereat
the steps that are bolng taken to do
stroy the encroaching plant.
Viscount Custereagh, eldeat son ol
tho marquis mid marchioness ot Lou-,
dondcrry, nttnlncd his majority re
cently. Tho marchioness ot London
derry, who hnd boon In Africa on' a
visit to her second son, who Is un
fortunntcly out or health, rejoined tho
family clrclo nt Ixmdondcrry bouse
Park Lane, for tho occafllon. Lord
CaatlereaRh la n Ueutonaut In the royal
horse guards. Ho la n keen Bporta
man nnd a very lino rider. At Sand
hurst ho took flrat prize for military
riding, uud ho Is nleo a ftrst-rato
across-country. His hlatronlc talents
nro ahuvo the avorago, as ho has
proved nt Boveral amateur dramatic
entertainments nt Wynynrd park and
Mount Stownrt, In which he nnd hla
nn(-nriKiirr''r''MMitaMwui)Uiani(
played conspicuous parts. Festivities
In connection with Lord Cnetloroagh'n
coming of age are postponed till Au
gust, when the family will bo In resi
dence nt Wynyurd park. Tho marqula
nnd tnnrchloncsa of Ixindondorry nro,
of course, both Influential pcrsonageu
In society nnd the heir Is n groat fav
orlto on both tho Irish nnd English
cstntea. Ho holds a commission In thu
Durham artillery volunteers, of which
his fnther Is colonel, nnd which rogl
ment, formed from Lord London
derry's employes, Is a particularly flu
one.
Are Thoru Four Tuitot.
Experiments recently performed glv
rr-neon for bcllovlng that most ho
called sensations of taste are llftW
moro than combination of reports tc
tho brain mado by tho nerves ot sight,
cmcll nnd touch, says Science Sittings.
Ot a largo number ot pontons tested,
few could distinguish, when tholr eyon
wero covered nnd tholr noses closed,
between weak solutions of tea, coffea
and quinine, and even those who wen
J most successful made frequent and
( ludicrous mistakes. Still great difficul
ty waa luunu in discrimination dj
means of the unaided tongue betweea
meats aa unlike aa pork and turkey,
especially when tho meat waa first
finely divided. Tho experiments Indi
cated that there aro at most only foui
real tasto sensations, namely, sour,
Bwect, bitter and salt, nnd it Is doubt
ful If thero are moro than two sweet
and bitter. This may suggest to folks
of frugal mind that a lot of money
might bo saved by going to tablo blind
fold and with nose put temporarily out
ot commission. Ono could then call
viands and HquIdB whatever ono chose,
nnd tradesmen's bills could bo mato
ifally reduced by the employment of
a Judicious Imagination. In tho courso
of tho Enid testa a woman of great re
pute aa a cook said raw potatoes
chopped wero acorns, roast pork she
called boiled beef, raw turnip chopped
fe called cabbage sweetened, raw ap
plo was grape Juice, roast turkoy wan
called beef, and horse radish sho said
was Bomothing sho had never tasted,
The (iroat Ilenr'a Movement.
Prof. S Is a heavily built man
ot alow movementswhoso personal ap
pearance Is suggestive ot a bear. He la
also In chargo ot the astronomical de
partment. Meeting n friend, the pro
fessor said, "Thomas do you take any
Intyeat In tho movements of tho heav
enly bodies?" "Yes. I like to look at
the Bturs once In n while." "Well, If
you want to observo the movements
of the Gieat Bear, come to my room
tonight. I'll be'ln."
Many a woman speaks of her emo
tional temperamont, but others call It
temper.
