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CHAPTER XIII— (Continued.)
"Mildred, what do you mean?" lie
exclaimed.
"The day after tomorrow you shall
have the fifteen thousand pounds," ihe
said; "and I—I am engaged to be mar-
lied to Lord Lyndon."
Her mother arose, flushed and tri-
umphant. Here indeed was a match
wot thy of her darling. All recollec-
tion of the relief to be gained through
the promised money faded in compari-
son with this wonderful piece of news.
At last Mildred had made her choice,
and it was a most wise one.
"Oh. Mildred, is it true? How glad
1 am!" she began. "I think
But the girl put up her hands to her
ears and recoiled from her touch.
"Not now—not now!" she exclaimed
almost roughly.
How could she endure congratula-
tions and good wishes about what
teemed to her the cruelest event in all
her life? How submit to question-
ings and kindly probings, when she
felt her heart was breaking? Surely
in such a case congratulations were a
mockery.
She left them, and hurrying to her
own room, strove hard to quiet the
storm that laged within her; while
they, remaining behind, asked ea^li
other in whispers how it had all liap-
•pene<l. and half feared to believe the
welcome news was true.
But Lady Caroline's heart smote her
when she remembered the look In
Mildred's eyes whon they had met hers
the great unhappy light, that had
shone in them, revealing so much that
she would gladly have kept untold.
But the mother's eyes had seen it.
and so she followed Mildred to her
room, only to And the poor child pac-
ing up and down with restless, fever-
ish hands and face grown old with
passionate care. She stopped as he'"
mother entered, sighing heavily. Lady
Caroline stretched out h~r hands.
"Mildred, tell me what it is," she
entreated, wistfully, with sorrowful,
longing sympathy in h^r tone. "Am
I not your mother?"
And Mildred cried, "Oh, mother!"
and. falling on her knees, with arms
round the mother's waist, and eyes
hidden, sobbed a little of her grief
away.
All in vain. The next morning
brought a letter from Lady Eagleton's
solicitor', containing the news of her
ladyship's sudden death, and stating
that, on her will being opened, it was
discovered that she had bequeathed to
her "beautiful and well-beloved grand-
niece, Mildred Trevanion," the sum of
thirty-five thousand pounds.
CHAPTER XIV.
Christmas was at hand, and with it
came Denzil Younie.
"1 hear you are to be congratulated,"
lie said to Mildred, whom he met in the
grounds immediately upon his arrival
"is it true?"
"Yes, it is quite true," answered
Miss Trevanion, steadily, disdaining to
put off the evil hour by equivocation
or pretended ignorance.
"Then you are going to marry him
after all?" said Denzil.
"1 am engaged to be married to Lord
Lyndon," returned. Miss Trevanion.
Then, very abruptly, Denzil asked:
"Are you happy?"
"Of course, I am happy," she an-
swered, with a faint accession of color
"why do you ask me such a strange
question? Do I look unhappy?"
"I think you do," he said, gently;
"your face seems changed to me: it
does not wear its old expression; and
just now, as I was passing by the vil-
lage church, I glanced in for a mo-
ment"—she raised her eyes anxiously
"and saw you. You were kneeling
at the altar rails, and, as I watched—
forgive me, it was but for an instant—
I thought I heard—Mildred, were you
crying?"
"And so," observed Mildred pettish-
ly. giving no heed to his question, "be-
cause-one happens to feel a little fret-
ted about some trifling matter, and
cries a few silly tears, one is to be con-
sidered in the lowest depths of des-
pair? It is absurd. 1 will not listen to
.such folly; Lord Lyndon, I am sure,
would not wish me to do so, and—"
"And as he is everything to you now,
while I and all the rest of the world
count nothing," interrupted Denzil,
bitterly—"is that so? Do you expect
me to believe that? Because, if you
do, I tell you plainly, that I do not be-
lieve it, and never shall. He is un-
suited to you in every way, having not
an Idea in comniofi with you. Oh,
Mildred"—passionately — "why have
you done this thing? Why have you
sacrificed your whole long, sweet life
s;o miserably? Was there some great
reason for it of which I have never
heard? Could you not have waited?
My love, my darling, is there nothing
1 can do for you?"
"'There is nothing I would have
done," she answered, half angrily.
"'Why will you persist in thinking 1
have done something worthy of repent-
ance? I am happy. Do you hear me?
—perfectly happy. 1 have accepted my
position willingly ar.d of my own free
choice, and I do not wish it altered or
undone in any single way. 1 have
quite made up my mind; and although
you once told me you considered ine
unworthy to be the wife of any honest
man, still I am vain enough to believe
that at all events 1 can make this most
honest man tairly contented."
"I was mad when I said that," re-
joined Denzil. slowly. "Many a time
since have 1 recollected my words and
felt how brutal they must have sound-
ed. But surely you will forgive me
now—at this moment when I am learn-
ing for the first time how miserable
and bare and cold a place this world
is. Let me bid good-by to all my hope
with the certainty that at least you
bear me no ill-wil."
He held out his hand as he spoke
and took hers. Mildred's voice failed
her, but she managed to whisper
faintly:
"Oive me your forgiveness also.
"If you think it necessary," he said,
"you have it; but 1 can remember no
wrong you ever did me."
They were standing with hands
clasped and eyes reading each other's
hearts. Denzil drew his breath quick-
ly.
"Good-by," he murmured, despair-
ingly, and, turning away, abruptly,
passed rapidly out of bet sight.
When all the people at King's Ab-
bott met to dine Denzil was among
them, and very welcome he found him-
self. Charlie alone of all the family
was absent; but even he had written
word to say he would be with them for
a day or two in the course of the fol-
lowing week.
"We ought to get up a party and go
to the lake tomorrow," suggested Ed-
die, during a pause in the conversation.
Lyndon, who was also dining with
them, and who generally agreed with
everybody, said he thought it was a
"capital plan," and appealed to Miss
Trevanion, who sat beside him. She
thought she had lost her skates or mis-
placed them, or something; but Fran-
ces Sylverton overruled all such oppo-
sition by declaring that she had sever-
al pairs to lend, and that a day on the
ice would be delicious.
"But perhaps it will be hardly safe
enough this week," she added, some-
what anxiously. "Shall we wait until
Tuesday nexf?"
"Charlie said he would be down on
Monday night," put in Eddie, inno-
cently, apropos of nothing, and with-
out lifting his eyes from the cream
on which he was seemingly intent;
whereupon Miss Sylverton blushed
furiously, and declined any further in-
vestigation of the subject.
Finally, however—chiefly through
the instrumentality of Mildred—the
expedition was arranged to take place
on the Tuesday following, so that
Frances, in her inmost heart, was sat-
isfied.
In process of time the day arrived—
as also did Charlie the night before,
very much to the satisfaction of every-
body concerned in the excursion—and,
after a considerable amount of harm-
less and utterly unavoidable squab-
bling, the party—which had become
rather a large one, in consequence of
numerous invitations issued later on
—divided into twos and threes, as cir-
cumstances or inclinations dictated—
Lady Caroline, Mrs. Deverill, and one
other married lady occupying the first
open carriage; while Charlie, Miss Syl-
verton, .lane Deverill, and Captain
Harvey took possession of the second.
Mabel, seeing Denzil looking slightly
dejected, with her usual sweetness had
entreated him in the prettiest manner
to drive her in the dog cart; and Ed-
die. who, at this period was hopelessly
and finally in love—for about the fif-
teenth time—with an extremely pretty,
but decidedly idiotic little girl, stay-
ing with the Deverills, had managed
to vanish in some mysterious way, in
company with others, similarily heart-
bound; while Mildred, whom nobody
Seemed to want, and with whom none
of the opposite sex in these days at-
tempted to interfere, fell to Lord Lyn-
don's lot.
When fairly started the skaters made
as picturesque a group as any eye
could wish to rest on, tlie girls, in
their soft, luxurious furs and brilliant
satin petticoats, striking out oddly on
the glassy surface of the lake. Frances
and Mildred were accomplished skat-
ers, Mabel was not quite so good; still
the latter could hold her own and cer-
tainly beside the Deverill girls—who
were generally clumsy—looked every-
thing that could be desired.
"You will help me, Mr. Youn~e," she
had whispered to Denzil, as he assisted
her down from the dog-cart.
So when h5 tad fastened her skates
and pronounced her "fit," she started
bravely enough on the slippery prome-
nade. At one end there rose a post
marked "Dangerous," of which as
usual those whom it should have warn-
ed remained profoundly ignot at. Den-
zil alone had observed it; others, if
tin y observed, attached little import-,
ance to it.
Miss Trevanion and Frances Sylver-
ton, with merry, gay laughter that
rang through the crisp air, were trying
to outdo each other in grace and agil-
ity, Frances decidedly having the best j
of it, she being one of those girls who
do anything they set their hearts on
"better than anybody else.'.'
As Denzil turned from watching
them, he perceived Lord Lyndon, at a
distance, leisurely, but surely, making
for the forbidden spot; and, as he saw
this, an almost savage desire to see
this man, who had robbed him of his
all. humiliated before the eyes of his
betrothed, took possession of him.
A minute later, however, and—hav-
ing deposited Mabel on the bank he
was skating hurriedly toward his un-
suspecting lordship.
"Lyndon!" he shouted, when still
some way from him, and shortly after-
ward laid his hand upon his arm.
"Hullo!" exclaimed Lyndon, trying
to keep his balance, and succeeding
with much difficulty. "What is the
matter? You have nearly thrown me!
Anything wrong, eh?"
"Don't you see where you are go-
ing?" cried Denzil, angrily and ungra-
ciously, being considerably out of
breath and temper. "Have you no
eyes? Unless you want to be drowned,
or, at all events, wet to the skin, you
will get away from this place. Can't
you see it marked 'Dangerous'?"
"Never saw it until this very mo-
ment, 1 give you ray honor," said Lyn-
don, solemnly gazing at the warning
as though lost in amazement at his
own want of observation. "1 should
have gone straight on, and in another
moment 1 am awfully obliged to
you, Younge—indeed, more grateful
than 1 can tell you."
Mildred had been looking on, and,
having witnessed the whole scene, had
understood it thoroughly—had seen
her future lord and master gliding to
his doom, and had half started up to
call out or warn liim in some way of
his danger, when Denzil's figure, flash-
ing before her eyes, showed her that
he, too, had recognized Lyndon's peril,
and was on his way to tell him of it.
As Denzil returned from his mission
and cast his eyes upon her, she appear-
ed unconscious of everythilng but the
dainty little pair of skates she was in
the act of unfastening. He stopped.
"Can I help you?" he asked; and
she answered promptly, without lifting
her eyes:
"No, thank you. I am quite accus-
tomed to do this sort of thing for my-
self"—whereupon she drew off the
skates, in confirmation of her words,
and Denzil went on to Mabel.
An hour crept by, and then Lady
Caroline, feeling that she had suffered
enough for her friends for that one
day, declared her intention of return-
ing without further delay, and forth-
with departed, carrying with her Ma-
bel, who was anxious to reach home
before the post-hour arrived.
The eldest Miss Deverill was afflicted
with nervousness, and. having been
driven to the lake by "Sonny" Sum-
merton—who was in a bad temper,
and knew as much about driving as
the "man in the moon"—had endured
such agonies on the journey as deter-
mined her, whatever came of it, to
drive back in different company. So,
going up to her cousin, Lord Lyndon,
who was an undoubted "whip," she
entreated him as follows:
"Promise me," she said, "that you
will drive me home."
"My dear Margaret," said Lyndon,
"do not ask me to. do that. You know 1
have Mildred under my care."
"My dear Henry," returned Miss
Beverill, desperately, "you must drive
me, or you will have my death to an-
swer for. 1 will not trust myself again
to that hare-brained boy. who sulked
the entire way here, and knows noth-
ing whatever of driving. Indeed, my
nerves are at present in Such a state
that I can go home with nobody but
you; besides, anybody can see that the
horse is positively dangerous."
Lyndon glanced toward the animal
in question, and saw that it was un-
questionably skittish, displaying an
evident desire to bolt, and seeming to
take particular delight in taxing the
patience of the small groom who stood
on tiptoe to hold him, after which he
looked once more at his cousin's dolor-
ous countenance and relented.
"Well, somebody must' take care of
Mildred,' he said, with hesitation, "and
—where is Mildred?"
"She went toward t' '-out
half an hour ago—somebody ought to
find her and say that we are on the
move," responded Harvey, from be-
neath a horse, where he was hastily
arranging a twisted strap.
"Eddie, go and find her," said his
lordship, distractedly.
(To be continued.)
Hard Timet to> Knsi: h.
It is believed in London that English .
cotton spinners at;e facing very hard
tlm.-s, A period of tr:. le s..- ivity Iv.u
been followed by a rencton, accelerat-
ed by the high pricca of raw cotton
and other materials, a poor demand
from India and au almost completo
stoppage of buying frim China.
Is
WHY MRS. PINKHAM
Aisle to Ilt'lf, Sick Women
\\ lieu Doctors Fail.
Author of ''Zizii" I<* Ath'ctlc.
M. Pierre Berton, the author of "Za-
za," is now over tiO years old, but be-
cause of his careful and regular lifo
ho does not look more than 60. He
can work all day, and he likes his bi-
cycle as well as his .young sons. He
doesn't know the meaning of fatigue,
or weariness or depression, and all his
movements have the alertness of
youth.
Government Negotiating ltljj Dent.
The 0:i carie government is negotiat- ;
Ing a gigantic railway deal involving a :
grant of 1,542,000 acres of unsettled
land in the Algoma region, in tho
northwestern part of the province, to
a syndicate of capitalists as assistance |
toward building a railway through the
region 300 miles long, the government
to control the rates. The estimated
value of the land to be.granted is S
shillings pt;- acr';. The railway will
cost £1,200,000.
Every house lias its skeleton—and
some boarding bouses have several.
Mrs Wlnnlow'B Soothing; Syrup.
For children teetblntr. «oftcn  (lie Rums, rodui-e< In
Humiliation, allays i>aln.cur«s wind colic. McaUoltla
A drowning" man will catch at a
straw and so will a man that is thirsty.
Somo articles must be described. White's
Yucatan aeods no description : it's tho real
thing.
Thirsty people are addicted to dry
humor.
Ptso's Cure is tho best medicine we ever used
for all affections of the throjtnnd lungs.—Wm.
O. Endsi.KY, Vanburen, 1 ml.. Feb. 10, 1900.
TIow gladly woul I men fly to wo-
man's aid did they but understand a
woman's feelings, trials, sensibilities,
and peculiar orgabie disturbances.
Those things are known only to
women, and the aid a man would give
is not at his command.
To treat a cast* properly it is neces-
sary to know all about it, and full
information, many times, cannot be
given by a woman to her family phy 
If some men had to live by their wits
they would starve to death.
Hall's Catarrh Cure
Is taken iutornally. Price, t5c.
An awkward boy is a chip off the old
•tumbling block.
Ladles who take pride In c\ xr, white
clothes should use Red Cross Ball Blue.
Never make a complaint while you
are angry.
Are You Using Allen's Foot Ease?
It is the only cure for Swollen,
Smarting, Burning, Sweating Feet,
Corns and Bunions. Ask for Allen's
Foot-Ease, a powder to be shaken into
the shoes. At all Druggists and Shoe
Stores, 25c. Sample sent FREE. Ad-
dress, Allen S. Olmsted, LeRoy, N. Y.
Gas is measured by the foot but it
really seems more like miles.
MRS. O. H. CHATPKLL.
slcian. She cannot bring herself to
tell everything, and the physician is
at a constant disadvantage. This is
why, for the past twenty-five years,
thousands of women have been con-
fiding their troubles to Mrs. Pinkliam,
and whose advice has brought happi-
ness and health to countless women in
the United States.
Mrs. Chappell, of Grant Park, 111.
whose portrait we publish, advises all
suffering women to seek Mrs. I'ink-
hain's advice and use Lydia E. Pink-
ham's Vegetable Compound, as they
cured her of inflammation of the ovaries
and womb ; she, therefore, speaks from
knowledge, anil her experience ought
to give others confidence. Mrs. Pink-
ham's address is Lynn, Mass., and her
advice is absolutely free.
SEND IS YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS
nnd upon rccelpt of same I will Rend yon a
proposition whereby you will " >e liberally
paid for a few minutes of your time; no can-
vassing. as I have nothing to sell. It cobw
you absolutely nothing. Write to-day.
W. C. KLE1NE,
310"J Pine Street, St. Louts, Mo.
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Tho KnglUh Actor's Earning!.
Sir Henry Irving was not unduly
pessimistic when he declared that tho
vast majority of actors on an assured
£200 a year would be far better off
than they are.—Pall Mall Gazette.
I.oni- Trip* at LInora.
Three-quarters of the way 'round tlia
globe will be the trips of the new
line of steamships to b? operated by
the Northern Pacific Railroad com-
pany. The ships will sail from Ta-
coma to Liverpool by way of the Suea
canal and the Mediterranean.
Writing l.ottera Principally.
Vice-President Roosevelt was talk-
ing the other day 10 a literary friend,
who, apropos of Mr. Roosevelt's books
and magazine articles, asked him: By
e I the way, what arc you writing now?"
O i "Now? Writing?" was the answer.
"Oh,
Tied Up
When the muscles feel drawn and
tied up and the flesh tender, that
tension is
Soreness
and
Stiffosss
from cold or over exercise. It
lasts bnt a short time after
St Jacobs
is applied. The cure
is prompt and mire.
letters, letters, letters!"
Tlnllsh t.iatiopi ^Vlio Oyi'Id.
Dr. Wlnnington Ingram Will add a
third to the number of British bishops
who cycie, the other two being the
bishop of Ripon, who was the first
to adopt the wheel, and the bishop of
Colchester, who followed his example.
There are three cycling archdeacons—
those of London, Durham and Ripoa.
O©0«0#O*Oo0oO CloCioOo0oO®Oo
Thompson's Eye Wafer
An Way to Tell.
A gentleman who was once being
taken over an insane asylum asked aa
attendant how they knew when an
idiot was considered to be sufficiently
restored to sanity to be discharged.
"Oh," said the attendaut, "it Is easily
managed. We take them into a yard
where there are several troughs. Ws
turn on the taps and then give the id-
iots buck s to bail out the water and
empty the troughs. Many of the:n
keep bailing away while the tap keep3
running, but them that isn't idioU
stops the tap."
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Four years ago, the total shipments
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