ft! tS.W" ' A - J
'Mffntfiif
WWW
Al 7
VOL. VII,
Professional Cards.
J.SAIN, M.D.,
lias located at Lincoln too aud of
fers his services ad physician to the
citiseus of Lincolmoo and surround
ing country.
Will be found at uight at the Lin
coloton Hotel.
March 27. 1891 iy
Bartlett Shipp,
ATTORNEY AT LAW,
LINCOLNTON, N. C.
Jan. 9, 18U1.
DENTIST.
LINCOLNTON, N. C
Teeth extracted without
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I guarautee lo gi satisfac
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A call from you solicited.
fug. 4, 1893.- .. . ; ly.
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LINCOLNTON, N- C
Teams furnished on short no
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IF w T!. iiTniMMiflY- Tl
Oodey'x Lady's Book.
For , This ; Night Only.
,BY ELIZABETH P TEAIN. .
There whh a quiver of eipectation
throughout tbe house. A large and
faHbiotiable aaaetnbly had gathered
10 witness toe debut of one with
whose social life and personality alt
were to some degree familiar ; for
the star of the eveniug was a ci
devant leader of faabion and beauty,
wuo, irom motives oest known .to
herself, had turned irom the .corns
parativeiy sheltered path of private
life to tread tbe glaring highway of
publicity.
Petbp-, of all the crowd tbal
Mirifd Ui tlPHtr, but one man
aloij wai ignorant of tbe- details,
true o false. iib which gossip bad
I'linhrouded I be name of Morion
Sturtevanf. Be wa a fine looking
brouz d giant of a fellow who sat in
one of Vhe 'sfage' lioxee," listening
sofUf.wliat iuiiitTerently to tbe sketch
bin liiend had drawu of the -actress
wbotte appt arauce ibey awaited.
"Tbeie ; are- some? pretty good-
loikiiig woiuWi here tonight, Bob,'
he remarked, soauning the feminiue
Krtton f the ordierjoe critically. .
4Y-s, 80 ho ; but they will all
pale before Mrs. Sturtevant.''
"Who was he, did yon say, be!
tore she married V1
"I didu't say ; for I baye forgot
ten. No oue of consequence, I
mink ; Home country girl, I beleive
whom Sturtevant picked np some
where.''
"And bow does Stnrtevaut fancy
the notoriety attatching to his wif?
As I remember him at Harvard, he
was the last man to countenance
such a thirrgT A develinh proud fel
low we always considered Leroy
Sturtevant."
"And be basu't changed any in
that respect. But we have a key
nowadays to all family difficulties
It's a mere bagatelle, a simple tri
syllable, and may be successfully
applied to almost any domeetio ob
struction. It is so popular in our
glorious land ot liberty tbat it wonld
not suprise me if,8om" day. it were
to become a sort of appendix to our
uational motto, E Pluribue Vnum
and beneath it, Divorcons.1
"Oh 1 Sa the Sturtevaut is a di
vorcee ?"
'Yes, in embryo ; not full-fledged
yet. But, I must confess, if ever
there were excuse for legal interfere
ence between husband and wife it
exists in this ease.''
"Why ? Is hhe so emancipated
as all that?"
"Sbef Ob, no. IVe never
known a breath of ecandal to touch
ber : luii a worse tnute tbau Leioy I
StuitevaUvt 1 don't t are to meet.''
The opening introductory t-.cene
o ibe play bad beeu pursuing its
oours i while tbe two men were thns
coiivt rsin, ud uow the. eutr nee
of tbe debutante wai heralded by a
noil Nweet strain from the orchestra
which aroused t very body to greater
iut ntuess, nud the next moment a
troupe of pcauntM at the bai k of
Ute stage p tried, nl tbroUgh their
midst came joyously bounding for
ward a gul, who looked no more
tbau Bixteen, dressed iu a white
gown, wnose radiaut beauty, wtrbse
sweet, gentle grace of face aud form
appealed so irresistibly to the great
audieucemaoy of whom bad
known and loved her that, as if
moved by a single impulse, it burst
into a perfect clamor of - applause.
As if be utitdered, the girl stopped
short, while beneath the folds of
her.gbwf oojiHi -be'eea the storm
of agitatiou which moved her
breast, Her.fape grew -white . wih
etnotiou. but as she raised .h.ergre'at
gray eye's to let their v gratitude
beam upon the housejheir glance,
as i f magnetically a'tti acted thither,
fell tulV and. rested unawejViugJy
upon the datt : bewildered orba of
Oueidou Prynne.
.'be large-, sunburned hjwid,-. iUVt
layupon the edge of the box, tight-
eiad its clagp.ol' thl r' .
low ejaculation burst Irom the beard-
lips:
"Great Jove I She ! No ; it can-
not be 1" Then, taming to his com
paoioo, Prynne laid his band beavi
ly upon his arm "Bob,' he ex
claimed, 4,ia Heaven's Dame, who
LINCOLNTON,
is thih woman 1"
koo Stuart turned his attention
irom lue f rage, wnere tbe young
aci.reRR was going through her part
n a somewhat hUlesrf, peifuuctory
tuauner that argued ill for her pro
fessional aspirations, and looked
with surprise utxrn tbe agitated face
that met his gze.
Wby, Prynne, old mau whatt
the row T
Tbe 01 her shook his arm impa
tiently. .
bN matter, no matter !" be ur
ged, hoarsely. "Tell me, for Heav
en's sake, who tbat woman Is?"
"Oan't tell ou any more than I
have, old fellow," Stuart replied
4She is tbe wife of Leroy Sturte
vant a.girl whom be found in xome
ouUof-tbe-WHj villiage. and niar
ried,
"What ! yiu're not going V1 br
Prynne had rwen from hie sat and
giitherei up his overcoat and but.
'Yen, I am I must. You'll ex
cuse me, Si uart ; I'll explain it all to
you later. I must get out of this.
Tbe honibje closeness of Ibis place
will stifle me."
Stuart nodded with good natur
ed, if somewhat bewildered, syui.
patby ; and, supposing that his
friend bad withdrawn, again direct
ed his attention to the stage. But,
ere leaving, Prynne had turned to
take oe more look at the woman
whose appearance had shaken his
being to its very depths.
The action of the play called, tor
tbe leading lady's performance of a
simple ballard, nod the mauagemeut
had hit npon one which at that time
had not ruu its hackneyed oourse.
As tbe new aspirant for historic
honors sat before the stage piano,
strikiug, with ooldf trembling, fin
gers, the opening chords, she di
rectly faoed the box against tbe side
of which Prynne was heavily lean
iog. Her eyes were downcast, and
it was evident to the audience that
the was under the influence of some
powerful emotion stage fright,
they imagined. She played tbe fam
liar prelude once, twice, thrice, be
fore her refractory voice was suffi
ciently under control to make itself
heard. Then, with a supreme tf
fort at sell-command, she opened
her lips and the lull, ricb tenes, a
little tremulous and uncertain, but
clear and sweet, issued forth.
A bush fell on (he entire audience
-Was this acting ? they wondered.
Was this deep passiou assamed for
tbe occasion, instigated by the re
quirements of the character she was
portraying 9 If so, then indeed all
question as to ber ability was at
once set at rest.
The manager, standing in one cf
'he flies, noted tbe rapt, awed ex
pression upon tbe throng of upturn
ed faces, and rubbed his hands to
gether iu -elrgratulation.
"Sue will do," be murmured " to
himself 'She has it in ber. Bat
what is this?" Scarcely had he
muttered the words wbeu there is a
bieak in the melody followed by a
startling cry Irom tbe audience, who
with oue impulse, rise to their feet.
Rtng down I he cries to the
atagemanager. And in an instant
the ponderous curtain has fallen
upon a scene whicn has aroused
horror, alarm, pity and sorrow iu
the packed auditorium.
4iWbatcould it have been t" ak
a pretty girl of her escort, in a hush
ed tone, as the great ordience filed
Slowly from the theatre. 4,i3he was
doing so splendidly uotil she reach
ed those, words :
'Some 'day, some day,
Some day I shall meet you,
and then, all of a sudden, she broke
down and fainted."
4I wonder if you noticed some
thing tbat I did, or if it was only
my imagination,'' returned tbe
youug fellow beside her. 4It seem
ed to me that just. as she came to
that r art she turned her eyea di
rectly upon Bub Stuart's box. Bob
had a stranger with him, a big dark
lellow,' who kept his eyes glued ?0
the stage all the time, as if be had
never been in a theatre belore. Per
baps there was some reason for Mrs.
Sturtevant's emotion.''
"Oh, nonsense 1 She was proba
bly frightened to death, that's all.
You are always imagining some
N. C., FRIDAY, JAN. 5. 1894.
tb'Ug romaultc, Van.?. (1,
The newspapers, the fqtlnwiug
morning, in giving an aooouut ot
Mrs. Sturtevau'l debut, expressed
much sympathy with tbe beautiful
society woman whose overexer
tions had resulted iu the rupture ot
a bloodsveasel.
Among i he mass of card that
were left at Mariou Siurfevaut'e
door during the weeks ot bar ooii
valesence, there was a wlto'e sheaf
betriug the inscription, "Mr. Guer.
don Piynue.' Never a day paased
without at least oue visit of inquiry
from the tall stranger who hod av
compauied Bob Stuart to tbe theatre
tbat night. . .
It was neatly a month after Mrs.
StnrteTanr's disastrous debut that,
upon presenting himself at tier a
partment and receiving the asHiu
wn.-e from the maid thai ber mistibss
was now quite well, but far liom
of long, Guerdon Prynne, requested
permiHMou to enter.
! will see if Mrs. Sturtevaut
will receive you," the girl said, show
ing him into an unpretentious ut
hlainlly furuiihod drawing-room.
It seemed to Prynne, absorbed iu
the coutemplatiou ot a photograph
of Marion Sturtevaut, takeu some
yeus previously, scarce a .moment
before the girl returned with a re.
lusal, plainly. written upou ber coun
tenance. "Mrs. Stnrtevant regrets tbat she
canuot see you eir." .
Tbat was all, neither excuse nor
attempt at evasion simply a refusal
to receive him.
But Pryune.was a determined mana !
What he set his heait upou that he
was woct to accomplish. Aud so
after being balked in his desire by
a week's fruitless attemps at over
coming Mrs. Sturtevani's decision,
he was gra'itied upou the eigtb day
by receiving a more satisfactory an
swer Irom the sympathetic maid :
4 'Yen, sir," she said, oncouraginly,
iu reply to his demand, Mrs. Stui
tevant will seeyoa to-day."
She was not in tbe drawing-room
when he entered indeed he had
beeu waiting some fifteen minutes
belore the soft frou-frou ot a trailing
gown warned him she was coming.
He clenched his hand a little tighter
upon the mantle, by which he was
standing, as the sound tell upon nis
ear, and beneath the tan and tun
burn of his dark face tbe blood coU
ored his cheeks and dyed his broad
brow.
Tbe door opened slowly and she
entejed, closing it behind ber aud
srandiug juat within the threshold,
uot advancing a step to meet and
greet him, but pausing at a distance
.in if this an a i ence she had granted
bitu were unwelcome aud had been
lorced upou her. For a moment her
ejes dropped beneath tbe passioc
iu his then, collecting hertelf, tdie
raised her downcast lids aud braved
bis look, with a woild of coldness in
ber glance.
"Well?' she said finally, the mon
osyllable dro point: like a bit of ice
from ber lips.
The frigidity of her voice and
bearing, the entire absence of inter
et or welcome in her attitude kind
led the man's passion into suddeu
(ury. He loosed his clasp of tbe
mau lie and strode lorward to a-,
bridge tbe chilling distance between
them. He stood before and con
fronted her with hot brow and an
gry, indignant eyes.
Well !" he repeated, reseutfully.
" Well, Mariou Elheridge, is that all
jtu have to say to me after the way
you have treated me? Is that nil
the explanation'you have to make
to Ihe man you have let me see
I believe thrown over' is the po
lite term for the good, oldfashioned
word 4jilted.' Find some more ap
proi-riate word tbau well, I beg you,
to bestow in greeting upon oue who
b as received such injury at your
bands."
The cold mask dropped Irom tbe
woman's face at his words, and into
her blue ejes flashed a look of an
gry reeentment, every whit as pas
sionaieas his own, turning tbeir
ordinary hoe to a deep violet.
"Indeed these are singular words
for you to address to me sir,' she
said. ' You doubtless leel at liberty
to take advantage of my position, a
position which is that of neither
maul, wife, nor widow, t come here
and add insult to fit injury you
have already done me. Ud l a
brotbar, air, or had my drawinghn
the marriage lottery not resulted iu
a blank, I think you would scarcely
have dared to present yourself
here.
As she spoke with an honest.
straight-forward simplicity there
wasio mistaking lor duplicity, an
expression of astonished bewilder
ment settled upon Prvniie'a tttrong
features He raised his baud aud
pafsed it two or three times acroo
h s brow, as il to clear away a fog
tbal was obacuiiug his mental vis
'on ; then be fixed a steady, pene
traung look upon the pale, beautiful
lace ot the woman, doubt of whom
had beoomo ho Mroiitfly roo'ed in
hi mind, and, leading the c--tmlo
iu brr. pine eyes, tdiook bin head
perplexedly and moved a low ea
chair toward her.
"Sit down." he 8id abruptly.
You are not strong enough to
stand. For God's sake, let us come
to ine bottom ot this mailer, for
Ueaven help me--I (ear, 1 fear there
has been some deviltry at work be'
tweeu uh.
She did as be bade, and sank into
tbe low seat: not that she honed
Hny explanation could clear bim
Irom the charge of neglect and a
bandonment she bad brought
against bim, but simply because she
was weak, terribly weak in the
presence of this man whom she had
loved, whom, Heaven help her, she
still loved, though she mistook
wounded pride and outraged passion
for contempt and ioathing.
Piynue walked away to to the
window for a momeut. iu order to
gather self-possession aud cool ihe
tumult of excited emotion within
him. A presentiment, difficult, to
combat, bad stolen over bim, con
vincing bim that some one had ma
liciously come betweeu him aud
Marion Elheridge, had wrought
evil misunderstanding between
them which it would not be easy to
explain away.
Tbe snow was falling thickly
without, and the soft, white flakes,
in their gentle down-dropping,
seemed to fall upon and cool the fire
in his veins. When he returned to
the figure seated in tbe loir chair, a
cold, chill hand seemed to have been
laid upon bis hot, angry heart. He
felt now as if a gulf, which he
should have no power to abridge,
lay between bim and Ihe woman he
had so long loved.
"Mrs. Sturtevaut,' he began,
slowly and heavily, "I feel that,
something or somebody has woiked
evil between us. 1 also am op
pressed by a foreboding tbat it will
be difficult, perhaps impossible, for
uj to reestablisd ourselves in each
other's good opiniou Years of
suspicion and mistrust have done
tbeir work between us, yet, as I
have come many hundred miles
meiely to hear if you had anything
to urge in jour conduct toward rnc,
aud as on apparently regard me
with a resentment aud anger which
I canuot understand, let us each
tell to the other our version of a
buAmes?, which, while evidently it
has uot brought you happiness, has.
God knows, ruined end cursed my
life. If you will permit me, will
begin.''
He hesitated, with eyes bent ou
the lovely figure shrouded in its
dainty belaced and beribboned tea
gown. She kept her glance still
fastened upon tbe glowirg logs ot
the fire, as she merely bowed bir
bead in acquiescence. Prynne bent
his look, too, upon tbe leaping
flames, as be began, and, as his
story progressed, it seemed as if be
were describing a series or scenes
depicted by tbe ardent glowing
toogues of fire.
"Eight years ago," he commenc
ed, "I was a lad of twenty, jant out
of college, with a summers vaca
tion belore me tbe last holiday I
kould be able to claim fur eom?
time, as, iu the fall, I was to enter
upou a busmess career tbat would
permit of no idling, lor som years
at least. My prospects in life were
exceedingly moderate, but tht
gave to me no uneasiness, for, with
au uunsoal degree of heiltb,
possessed strong animal spirits tbat
discounted any aoggeMiion of fail
ure, and made me feel that the
world was indeed tnine oyster.'
Being determined to make the most
of this holiday, and being rery fond
of out-door fipona, made op my
mind to spend it in hunting and
fishing in a little village among the
Adirondacks. Thither I went a
real school-boy out on a lark. I
found the village of the moat primi
tive character ; and learning, upon
my arrival, that It poamsed no ho
tel, I should tiMTt beeiii obliged lo
retrace my step citytwards but for
a good Samaritau in tbe shape ol
an elderly lady who, for a moderate
equivalent, offered me the hospital
ity of her roof.'
ere he paused au mal ant, and,
leaning forward, pic-kml op a bit Of
wood lhl had Miaopvd out upon
tut rug, and loaned it biit k on the,
fiie bt-fore he con Untied :
41 rouud Mids Etheildge's family
a email oue, consulting uieiely of
herself and a niece, a youug girl oi
perhaps sixteen. The iiiot indiftvr.
eut observer wonld have found the
niece beautiful, while I, a young,
impreaiouable fellow who bad seen
hut Utile of womankind, I found ber
shall I tell you; Mrs. Sturfeaut,
wnat he seemed to ine 1''-
Tbe blue eyes fixed npon ihe fire
weie now shaded by a delicate,
white baud, as if the bright blaze
were too much for ihem. The
slender fingers were raised a mo
tnent, as if to signify a negative re
sponse to tbe quentiou. aud Prynne
went on :
"That summer was an idjL
Thrown constantly in her society
for I believe tbe elder &lis Elhe
ridge favored my attentions to bei
niece, there being a lack of deslrai
bo partis in the neighborhood is ii
snrprising tbat I grew to love Ma
riou Elheridge with all the passion
ot which 1 was.capable T Fishing,
hunting the objects for which I
went thither weut by the boaod,or
merely served as pretexts for our
long rambles together' My whole
horizon was bounded by one vision,
and that was Mariou Elheridge.
And she 1 Well, I believed that she
loved me, poor, simple tool that I
was! Silly, credulous lad, unversed
in the ways of women, I took her
protestations for truth I Aud so
we were betrothed ; and when the
time came for mo to leave ber and
enter upon my business career. 1
carried with me ber promUe lo be
laitbful to ber word and loyal to me
during her life.'
The loom was growjng dark with
theeaily winter twilight. Hi ter si
lence, save tor the deep, almost
husky, loneg of the man's voice,
reigned throughout the apartment
Tbe figure opposite hiui in tl e 'o
chair, was so still, so fieo Irom tbe
slightest movement, tbat it inigb.
have leen carved lit maib.e. Again
Prynne proceeded :
"When I reached New Yoik, I
found thut I was to be eut to
Souih America in tbe iuterest ol
the house which had engaged me.
I waote tbe girl who bad piedged
herself to uie, aud told her that I
must be absent lor at least a year
perhaps louger that, at ber bid
ding, 1 would renounce this ope mug
whicb promised so well, and eeek
other employment that should keep
me nearer her. Let me read j cu a
few words of her reply to me. I
have never beeu parted from it. If
has grown thin and worn from tbe
throbbing of the heart over which j
it has lain these years."
Fram.bis brea-t pocket he drew
a paper yellowed by lime, and Ii ag
ile from much reading. He held it
close to (he nickering flames and
read
" 4It is Use for you to go, my
darlmg. 1 'Aould not let your love
lor me be, in any way, a hindrance
to tbe brilliant lite which lies before
you. Guerdon, I trut you implicit,
ly ; and as for me, if ever tor one
instant 1 swerve in my allegiance to
you, may Heaven send npon me the
severest panisbmeot it holds In
store for the unfaithful. My darlinf,
I love yon ! If I were to utter pro
test upon protest I could, in the
end sav no more than that. I am
yours through good report and evil
report; and should it be twenty
jean which Heavtn torbld 1 be
NO. 37.
fore you reiurs, atill yon will find
one heart adoriag , and one soul
lOiigiHg tor job, and one woman
true and leyal to jo.
That is 4f. I weat. For a few
months I received regular letters
then came a sudden break, and I
received no more. I wrote and
wrote, inquiring the reason ; uc re
ply. I wrote lo the postmaster in
the little village, asking if anything
had belalleu the Etheridges, aid
received answer that they were
well and till living in lb place.
Then I wrote the aunt, ami muii
few week later received .i ie brief
tinea to the effect lht her niece bad
grown weary of waiting and had
married a man from New York ; a
wealthy mau who could give ber
the position in life to whit h her
euty entitled her. And that in
tbe eud of ui) toiy common
place eudiiig; one thai my acquired
knowledge of the world would uow
lead tue to expect, but of wbi6b iu
those early days, when 1 bad faith
in 'smooth word aud passionals
prom lees, I was as unsuspicious as
I was of the faith of the woman "who
betrayed mo."
The charge of apartby oould no
longer tie held against the figure
opprmite. As he oouolnded Mai ion
Slurtevaot sprang to her feet aud
with head thrown back, eyea hash
ing trn npon him, and bono in
panting with indignation, she burnt
luto vehement denial of his words.
"What yoa say la false I" she
cried hotly. "Yoa shelter your own
treacherv behind a mass of fabrica
tions You attempt to excuse your
own conduct by attributing to me
motives that actuated your own
faithlessness. When, man-like jou
wearied of tbe empty bond tbat a
summer's fickle passiou had forced,
you presumed to judge my loyally
by your ou. Yoa never wrote the
letters you claim to have written
Is is likely that I, never stirring
Irom that quiet little village, .obould
have failed to receive them? I:
was impossible for tnem to iniMi
ry. No; while I waited, wreicioti,
ill And miserable for tbe letieis that
you say you wrote and which never
came, you were doubtless aliemly
engaged iu some fresh love-affiir ;
already forgetful of the little coun
try girl whose neglected love bad
brought her to death's door. No,
agaiu it is scarcely possible, Guer
don Prynne, tbat both your letters
and mine oould have inirtcarned.
Now, go. Yoa have had your way
aud made your poor, rlimsy expla
nation which would not deceive a
".bild. As for me, 1 have noue to
make. Iu your faitblesaneHs, you
can tead the reasons ot my mairy
iug Lsroy Startovant; it was my
aunt's wnb, aud I oared little what
became of me. 1 am tired aud ill
Go ; I have no more to say to 3 ou.''
But instead of obeying he came
aud knelt beside her, as overcome
by exhaustion, she sank back into
tbe chair, fie took both ber frag
ile hands in his, though she tried to
prevent, him, and held them with
gentle foice while he spoke.
"Marion, for God ' sake, don't T'
he cried. "Don't send me away
without further explanation of this
miserable affair. I swear before
Heaven that it is tbe simple, honest
truth that I have beeu speaking:
And s!el I believe every word
thrtt you have uttered. Tbeie
must be something bebiud it all ;
shall we not try to discover it V
But ehe made a feeble, xepellant
gesture as if to push him from her,
while tbe deadly pallor tbat over
spread her face showed tbat uh- bad
come to the eud ot her strength.
"No ; go, go 1 she muttered, bro
kenly. "I never will believe you
never I My maid ring ring lor
ber.'' And thsn consciousness
quite forsbook her, and us Guerdon
Prynne lifted, for an instant, tbe
small, cold bands to his lips, be
shuddered and grew white with
dread, so like death she looked.
He rose and stood for a few se
conds gazing down upon the fair,
pare face of bis implacable enemy,
the woman whom be loved now
jiith tbe strength and intensity of a
man's love, then turned and, ring
ing the bell, passed slowly and
heavily out into the stormy night.
( Continued on last page.)