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. edoumedh if lass
seemed. almost breaking. fr. Chandler has
asked my permission to ‘have the body re-
moved at once to his house, and buried from
there.”
-**And you gave it?”
‘Certainly; what right had I compared
with theirs, even had I chosen to press my
claim? They were so kind tome! Why, it
! seemed almost as though they were accepting
me in her stead, When I was leaving Mrs.
Chandler clasped her arms about my neck,
and.with tears streaming over her face said:
-* You must fill her place, dear. Reraoember
that I shall have no daughternow. My heart
and home will both be empty. You must fill
. the vacancy that her death has left!’. I don’t
know what I have done that so many friends
“Wshould be given me, just at the time when I
fancied myself most alone!”
. ts“ It is very nice of the Chandlers, indeed!”
cried Mr. Pryor, dryly. ‘1 don’t doubt in
the least but that it would be charming for
“them to have you take their daughter’ 's place,
se there are others who have a ‘ pryor’
‘claim, eh, Lucretia?”
“Ue smiled over his little joke, and Mrs.
Pryor nodded her head approvingly.
*<* Do you realize, girls,” she said, sweetly,
‘ «that it is less than an’ hour until dinner?
: Remember your father’s horror of a cold din-
. ner, and take yourselves | away to dress at
. eucel
“There was a general moyement in obedience
‘to the command, but as Leonie was about to
follow them, she felt a hand placed very gen-
“thy upon her arm.
“Won't you waita minute, please?” Lynde
asked, half timidly, “I shall detain you
only a few seconds.”
_\. $ite tried to prevent the crimson from rush-
. ing over her face as she felt it doing, but the
effort was without avail.
The others passed from the room as though
a they had not observed the aside.
~ . There were a few questions that I wanted
- to ask you about the—funeral,” Lynde stam-
‘ mered, when they were alone and the door
had been closed. ‘I thought, perhaps, you
might not care to have it talked of before the
_. others. Will Mr. and Mrs. Chandler attend
» . sto everything, or do you do it?”
° * They wished it all to be just as though
none of this horrible recent past had taken
place. They believe with me that she has
- been insane for years.”
‘That is all, then. .And, Leonie, some-
: thing must be done about that will very soon.
When can you give me an hour to speak of
that 2”
“‘Oh, Lynde, why do you torture me with
that old question? You know that I will
: -nevér have anything to do with it. But there
is_one thing that I wish you would do.
W. here j is the necessity for prosecuting that
: : agsley ?. Surely losing all
i -ment enough for what he
“suriously a moment, and
As hat is for you t to inane your
claim to thet money, and prove it valid. Oth-
erwise he must suffer.” “:
He knew that she was not sufficiently “a
lawyer to know whether he was telling the
truth or not, and he also knew that, under
the circumstances, the point he had made was
a strong one.
She gazed at hima moment; then her lips
began to tremble, and her eyes filled with
tears. |
She turned away from him hastily, but not
before he had seen, and the sight was too
much for him. .
A man can never endure to see & woman in
tears, and most particularly not a woman
whom he loves.
. One quick step forward, an extension of the
arms, and she was taken to his breast.
‘‘T know that Iam acriminal to tell you of
my love while that poor girl lies dead in that
dreadful place!” -he exclaimed, contritely,
“But whatamItodo? The temptation has
overpowered me. After all, she never loved
me, and ghe knew that I did not love her,
therefore the circumstances cannot be the
same. Leonie, darling, I do not ask if you
will be my wife, because I know ‘you will!
You have never endeavored to conceal from
me that you love me, and through all the
wretched past that has been my single con-
solation. Tell me that I have not been wrong,
sweetheart!”
- She was weeping softly, but they were tears
of relief.
“Why did you wish to distress me about
the will when you knew that it would be
compromised in that way 2” she asked, a little
smile rippling through the tears. .- ‘Oh,
Lynde, it has been such weary, hopeless wait-
ing. I cannot realize that there are really no
barriers between us now, There was a time
when I would rather have died than have you
know the shame that rested upon my moth-
er’s name, but after all the fault was not hers,
and it would seem to me now that conceal-
ment meant shame upon her memory. Tell
mé that you do not despise me for it, dear ?”
He laughed a little, holding her all the clos-
r.
“Do I look as though I despised you for
anything, or could despise you for anything
under God’s heaven?’ he asked tenderly.
“My darling, you have come to me through
grief and suffering, but you are mine at last,
thank Heaven, and all the more precious be-
cause of the waiting and the misery.”
She lifted her face and allowed him to kiss
her after the weary restraint‘of months.
In that kiss, they seemed to live again
through the weary, hideous time that had in-
tervened since their meeting, and it was with
a thankfulness to God that neither of them
could have expressed that they realized it
was over and done with forever. —
“If Dad could only know how happy I am
in spite of all the sorrow I have known!”
muttered Leonie. ‘‘ Dear old Dad, if he could
only have lived to see his little girl as she is
oO
[THE- END]
#8 preat as mine!” TdF,
She gazed up at her young, handsome | rote
fondly. ok
“*T hope we will not be punished fo,
happiness, Lynde,” she said slowly. Ite.
dreadful when one thinks of ——”
She hesitated, and -he closed her lips”
a caress.
“There can be no wrong in the love™ that;
God has given, my dearest!” he whispered.;,
“Why should we try to conceal what our),
whole hearts are crying aloud ?” §
She made no attempt to answer him, but
allowed him to comfort her, now that the e
long wait was ended.
é
meh,
She had made no move to leave: when Mr, 4
Pryor entered.
“ Have you two.effected your-compromise é
yet?” he questioned dryly. ‘ Le .
Leonie colored guiltily. .
“We have, sir!” returned . “Lynde, Ww ith: \
manly quiet and dignity. ‘ Under the cir-
cumstances that exist, we wish-the matter to \. |
remain our secret for the present, or rather «7
that of the family. ‘Perhaps. we' ‘have been -¥
premature, but——” me
‘Nonsense, You would have. ‘been foolish. ™
not to have taken advantage of the oppor.
tunity that God-made for you especially, “I,
congratulate you both with all my heart. Ts
have never had anything make me happier:
and I am sure all the rest of the family will) a
join me.” we
* * xe * : * *
‘ There is little remaining to be told. :
Luis Kingsley was not prosecuted for the
felonious concealment of a will. He was res}
leased from: prison, and shortly after disap-: g
eared from the country. No oneknew where i
ne went, and presumably no one cared enough :*
to inquire. was as utterly dead to Lynda
and Leonie as though the grave were betweert,
them. .
Ben Mauprat was sentenced to two years i Hi
the penitentiary for assault with intent to ea
with a charge of complicity ina robbery hang-,
ing over his head upon his release. But the.
chances are that he will never be prosecuted, me
upon that charge. y
Leonie entered her claim to the estate sim-. ¥ i
ply to prove the legality of her mother’s mar-, 7 .
Triage, and won the case, against the man w ho! a
was to become her husband shortly after:
ward, * i
It occasioned © considerable. merriment i
among Lynde’s friends, but there Were none,
of them who did notenvy him the “ romanca ‘
of the thing,” as they termedit. -
They are very happy, Lynde and Leonie.
They are regular visitors at the home of Mr.
and Mrs. Chandler, where Leonie is petted. f
and made much of, while the home of the:
Pryors will be hers until after her nuptials : {
shall have been celebrated. ~
And so the story ends as does all life,. witht
the reward of virtue and the punishment, of +
vice.
“Every man’s life is a fairy-tale written by mi
God’s fingers,”
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