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The Brussels Post, 1886-6-4, Page 22 SWORN TO SILENCE ; on, ALINE RODNEY'S SECRET. • Bi SEGO. AY,,7tlx. 11 .cVA'vEQ,r7t ITSAI,1LEG, AUTIIen OA °' Laurel Vane,' "Ludy Gar's A'r•Adc," ere„ uta not yelp seeing how beautiful she was in her anger and spite, Her blue eyes sparkled through the tears that filled them, a,crimson color glowed upon her cheeks. Her voice, even at its sharpest, trembled with hor eense of injury, and had a certain pathos that made it sound musical, Her whole proud spirit was aroused. She defied him to carry out his assertion, and then, in unreason- ing con tradictiou of herself, she declared that she . would remain at Delaney Rouse until her bright oyes were dim, and her dark hair gray, before she would take the oath of silence he de- manded of her. She'would never sub- mit to such tyranny and injustice. If Aline had been well and strong, Mr. Delaney would have laughed at her ' anger; but he grew apprehensive now. It was not well for her to excite herself. He regretted his precipitancy in ao. ' quainting her with his intentions, He wished that he had temporized with her. "But how was I to know that she would take it so hardly?" he muttered to himself. He was greatly relieved when Mrs. Griffin suddenly put in an appearance. She was honestly aghast at the state of jthe patient, and, while hurriedly mix- ing a composing draught, she gave loud utterance to her anxiety. "This will be the death of her ! A fever will bo sure to set in. I cannot imagine what you have said to excite her so much, Mr. Delaney. It was very imprudent." "I did not know rho would take it so bard," he muttered, glancing uneasily at Aline, whose angry reproaches had subsided into low, smothered sobs and heart -broken wails. "You had better leave her to me, now," sho said. "I can coax her to take this medicine, perhaps, when you are gone." Ho went up to Aline, and held out his hand. "I am sorry you think so hardly of me," he said. "Try to forgive mo, won't you, Aline 2" I will never forgive you," Aline cried out, resentfully, as she pushed the offered band away. And Mr. Delaney went away, then, without another word or look. But Mrs. Griffin gave her a glance of lively reproach. "1 or shame, Miss Rodney!" she cried. "You might treat Mr. Delaney civilly, at least, considering that he saved your • life." "When 2" demanded Aline, desisting from her sobs in sheer surprise. "There, now I I always said I had a long tongue. Mr. Delaney told me not tell," muttered the nurse. "When did he save my life ?" de- manded the girl, in her pretty, per- emptory way. "Don't worry, Miss Rodney, that was a mere slip of the tongue, just now," said Mrs. Griffin, as she approached with the wineglass of medicine. "I shall not take the medicine unless you tell ane what you meant by saying that Mr. Delaney saved my life," de. dared Aline, coolly. "Won't you ? Then I shall have to call him back to pour la down your throat, as be did last night," threatened the nurse, vexed at the wilfulness of her patient. "You will do no such thing, for I shall immediately tell him what •you said, and ask him if it is true," declared •the perverse girl ; "but, if you tell me the truth, I shall not tell him you be- trayed hie confidence." Mrs. Griffin looked thoroughly vexed, but seeing what a headstrong nature she had to deal with, she meekly capita. fated. "If excitement weren't so hurtful to you, I'd let you do your worst, my spoiled young lady," she said; "but, for your own sake, and to save you from another fit of temper, I'll tell you the truth. Mr. Delaney eavod you from that creature that assaulted you yeeter. day. She had already wounded him upstairs, but he pursued her, and reached the parlor pet in time to pre- vent her from giving you a second stab with hor dagger; and if she had suc- ceeded in that second attempt, you would have bidden good -by to this world, my pretty one!" Aline shuddered at the emphatic tone. Mrs. Griffin held out the medi- cine to her, and she swallowed it meekly, without a word of remonstrance. Her pretty face, still flushed from her anger and tears, looked very grave. "I am very glad he saved my life, she said, after a minute, thoughtfully. "I should not like to die yet. I am too young, and the world is too lovely." "As well die young as old," growled the grim nurse, "One is eavod a deal of pain by it " "You aro an old croaker, like Mr. Delaney," Aline exclaimed, Impatiently. "I dare say I shall be hopeful and happy and as much in love with life when 1amold ELS lamnowti "Lot ns hope so," said the old we - man, dryly; then she added, with some spirit, "As for Mr. 'Delaney being an old croaker, Mies Rodney, ho is not old, let me toll you. Ho is only a little past thirty. I nursed him when he was a baby." "Did you, really„, Mrs. Griffin ? Hi p' strange!" oried Aline, trying to realiele the fact that Mr, Delaney had eye* been a baby. Sha, looked at Mte• klriffin meaitpti'oel l} mat =LAO T a vision of the tall, handsome man in bibs and long skirts came before her mind's pyo, she burst out laughing. t"Dou't be angry, nurse, IS was only laughing at the idea of that stern, dark man ever being a baby. Tell me, did you really nurse him ? And was he a ,ratty baby? And was his mamma dlry food of him ?" cried volatile Aline, "life mamma died when he was born, Mise Rodney, Sho was as young 08 you are, I believe, but she bad a vast Ileal more dignity than you have," Mrs. Griffin said, reprovingly, "I have no dignity at all. I have heard that ovory day of rug lifo, and I ani eighteen years olcl," said Aline, rather soberly, "and this poor young another who died so sadly, Mrs. Griffin, was she a pretty girl 2" "How you do tly from one subject to another, miss 1" oried Mrs. Griffin, "Yrs, Rile was very beautiful. But, my dons, I don't think that Mr. Delaney ,, onld like for me to diseuse his family affairs with a stranger. Supposm you shat your eyes and go to sleep. You he•ve had too much excitement already." Aline could boa very sweet, obedient child when it pleased her to bo so. She relapsed into one of those graoious moods, now. She nestled her dark head down upon the pillow and obediently closed her eyes. But, she was not asleep, ell -hough the grim nurse "laid that flattering unction to hor soul." She was busily thinking. "So Mr. Delaney saved my life," she was saying to herself. "Why did he not tell me 2 I might not have been quite so abominable to him then. What a little wretch ho must think met I am sorry his mother died when ho was a baby 1 I don't think I should have had a very pleasant life if my mamma had died like that, even though she wields ane and punishes me sometimes." • She was unconsciously penitent for all her rudeness and anger toward Nix. lie. laney. He had saved her life.That was a great boon in Aline's eyes. She was young and fair, and life was very sweet. 1 should not have been quite so bad if I had only known," she repeated to herself. "I will be kinder to him after this. I do not want him to think me a little heathen. But he should not keop me here against my will. He must know that I want to go home!" While she lay thus apparently sleep- ing, but in reality busily thinking, the nurse watched her anxiously. She be- lieved that the girl was asleep, but she did not like to see the bright, warm color that began to burn fitfully on the fair cheek beneath the long, dark fringe of tho lashes. "I do not like the look of it," she mut. tared, shaking her gray head, ominously. "'Twill be a mercy if fever doesn't set in after all that passion she was in. And if it does, he daren't bring the physician again. The risk will be too great." She started when the blue eyes un- closed presently and looked up into her face. They were unnaturally dark and bright. 'Send Mr. Delaney to me," she said. "1 am not going to tell him what you said, nurse, oh, no 1 Only send him here." He came, and when ho saw the hot flush on her cheeks, and the bril- liant light in her eyes he was frightened. They were unnatural. Aline put oat her dainty, dimpled hand to him. "I was very rude to you," she said, simply. "Will you pardon me, Mr. De. laney ?" Ile clasped the small hand gently and assured her that ho was pot offended in the least. He knew that he had given her great cause to be angry with him. "Still 1 need not have been such a little wretch," she said, "and Ipunished myself when I would not take the flowers. I wanted them very much 1 Will you give them to me now?" He brought the little basket to her, and she buried her hot face in the cool, dewy leaves of the roses. Sheba- pato heba- grnto tells to them in a childish whisper, that suddenly grew into a lend, mean• inglees, vacant babble. Oran Delaney looked anxiously at Mzs. Griffin. "Great Heaven!" he said, "what ails her? What does it mean ?" She shook her gray head gloomily. "It is fever 1 I feared as much," she said. "The excitement was too groat in her weak, wounded condition. Heaven only knows how it will end." It was fever indeed. Aline's reckless indulgence of her wrath had wrought the worst possible results. Fever and delirium had set in. The wound which they had thought se lightly of at first now threateuod to terminate fatally. "If she dies, it will be I who have killed her. I was a fool; I was mad surely when I told her all I did," said Oran Delaney to himself. The fever set in high, and strong, and violent. It was pitiful to hear the sweet, high-pitched voice raving of the dear ones from whom she was cruelly separated. As she fought the hard battle between the opposing forces of life and death she called upon them all to help her—mamma, papa, Max and Effie, all those dearly beloved ones who were so sear and yet so cruelly far. CHAPTER XVII. The long, sweet summer days glided past into September. Already the parti. colored leaves of autumn began to bo whirled through the ale by the cool sweet breeze. There were hints of autumn coolness in the breeze as it sighed among the trees in the littie country town of Chester. Those summer days from July until September had boon full of suspense and sorrow to the Eodneys. Each day had peen Bull of 4leappoi bmeatand harrow- ing seepense, nab day had oulyadded to the impa ebrabip mystery that kiting artet till that e . thelost eau t The. NO 'Do§+. n et Isn,ffl lir r1U0lt9 his. @r <,•, ".t'•�P n tlltfl atiae HE BRUSSELS POST EJ'URON AND BIiUOE Loan & Investment and returned to Now York. In all his expeditions, in all hie search, he had failed to find the house with the marble stops, the house thathoid the niSsterions blue.andavhito room where the beaatiful wonnded girl was hidden away. Mr. Lino was moody and irritable over his failure. Ho haul conecieutinusly tried to sneered in finding Aline, and he could not umletetand wliy ho had failed, After the fashion of many other unsuccessful people be sought some one else to lay the blame upou, null Dr. Anthony's broad shouldors wore selected for that 'impose. Mr. Lane sarcastically denied the existence of the blue room, the masked villain, and the wounded girl. Ho did nob beeibato to declare that Dr, Anthony had drearded the whole tiling. Dr. Anthony was nob shaken in his convietious by the great detective's in- credulity, But ho was very good. natured. He admitted that he had told it startling tale, Ho gave any one who chose full liberty to disbelieve it. For himself be was puzzled, vexed, chagrined at his own self, for he had made some private excursions on his own account and he bad failed as ignominiously as Mr. Lane in finding the mysterious house and the mysterious maiden. It chagrined him to think that bo had been so cleverly blinded, but he never once subscribed to the deteotive's theory that be had been fooled by a hallucination of the brain. "lay imagination is not so brilliant as you would give me credit for," he said, laughing. 'A poet's brain might pro. duce such a vision of peerless beauty off hand, but not that of a prosaic physician. It was not a dream, it was not an hal- lucination, it was a strange reality. I shall assert that always, the whole world to the contrary,'notwithstanding." But although the great detective had crown incredulous over the story, the Rodnoys had not. They placed the most implicit faith in the doctor. He remained their valued friend, and Ches. ter saw more of him in those days than Maywood. All his spare time, which did not really amount to much, since he bad a large aucl steadily increasing hpractice, was spent at the little cottage ome that nestled under the towers of Delaney House—the great house of the town. Through those troublesome days and nights she and Effie were learning the first tenses of thatold,oldlesson ever new—to love 1 Greatly to the surprise and joy of all, ars. Rodney had rallied from her ill. nese and was slowly convalescing. She was strong enough now to be brought down into the pretty parlor every even- ing and rest upon a reclining -chair while the ebb of talk flowed on around hor, to which she listened with languid In- terest. The town folks were very same. pathetic and social, deeming it a sort of duty to visit and comfort the afflicted family. Some one or other dropped in every evening, so that the Rodusys, whatever other sorrow they labored under, could not complain of loneliness. But with the .cool, short autumn even- ings, and as the loss of Aline Rodney grew an old, old story, other in- terests began to usurp the place of the greater sensation. Visitors grew less frequent at the cottage. They preferred to linger at their own firesides. It was only Dr. Anthony who now came every evening, if he only had time to look in for ten minutes. Every face brightened at his coming, every heart felt lighter for his words of cheer. Bub once he had quite a whole evening at his disposal. He had been visiting a patient near Chester, and as soon as he could he went to the pottage, and put- ting his horseinto the stable announced that he had several hours to spend with his friends. All were pleased at the prospect, fora dull, drizzling rain had set in, and the evening had promised to be lonely. More than once, as the wind sighed in the trees and the rain pattered down upon the roof, had been recalled Bryant's appropriate lines : "The molanoboly days have oomo, The saddest of the year." Dr. Anthony's coming put quite anew face upon the evening. They indulged in some little cheerfulness. They did not forget Aline, but they tried to take some little comfort in their lives. It is impossible to grieve always. "Ws beer the blows that savor, Wo oanaot weep forever." Papa sat by the shaded reading -lamp with a new book. Mamma was resting in her low, reclining -chair, looking pale but pretty In her soft garnet cashmere and the little lace cap on her wavy brown hair that began to show some lines of grey since Aline had gone. liar idle white hands were folded in her lap. They were mostly idle now. She had no heart to work, but a g.entle, pensive smile illumined her face this evening. Effie had opened the long disused piano and was singing softly, while Dr. Anthony turned the leaves of her music. She wore 'a blue dress and a late Sep- tember rose in her soft braids of hair. Max had fallen asleep on the sofa. Tho quiet repose of each figure, thepretby, simple parlor, the autumn fiowere in the vases, the low fire that burned upon the hearth to dispel the chill of the rain, all made up is pretty picture of home- comfort that feed a very alluring appear- ance to the passers-by, who ohanood to gienee threugf"the 9ishuttered windows at the armee. E:ie s song, too, as it floated out upon the night air, was very sweet and sad : "tfother,now sing me t0 rod, For She long, long day 1s done; Fold me to sloop on thy. breast ., bimbo night folds op the syn. • "Far my boarb•is heavy with fears, And my foot are agreaky with- plop; Htda Ma from life's lengthened yehrs— Fold me from weeping away. "lase flowers so blessed anti sweet, "yaw gathered from far sus peeps nat.;I layy Mom all down at thy NA— T/on/aro eet—Their ro wet with men* a tear. pend. Tta.MOnw47 i, Arleta. 7s o vA Co. This Company is Loaning Money on Farm Security tit Lowkls'r 11AT320 of Interest, MOIITGAO.P:S PURCHASED. SAVINGS BANK BRANCH. 3, 4 and 11 per cent. Interest - Al- lowed on Deposits, according to amount and time left. OFinag.--On. corner of Market Square and North street, Goderich. 'Horace Horton, li'IANAGER. Goderich,Aug.5th,188b MONEY TO L' OAN. MONEY 003159 area property at LOWEST RATE.S.t; PRIVATE ANC COMPANY FUNDS W. B. DlcxsoN, Solicitor, Brussels, Ont. Money to T1oan. PRIVATE FUNDS. $20,000 of Pr.vateP undshavej ustbeen planed in my handsf or Investment • AT 7 PER CENT. Borrowers can havethsirlo ens complete in three day s if title is satisfactory. Apply to E. E. WADE. JUrNII 4, ttiba. CUSTOM TAILORING. The undersigned begs leave to intimate. to the pnblio that ho has opened tt tailor shop in tbo Garfield llouso blcek, over Powoll'a store, whore he is prepared to at- tend to the wanbs of the imblie in nutting, fitting and making clothing in the letoob incl meet fosbieuabie stylus. lily long ex. porienco bog'tlior with a course of ihstrno. Lion under one of the best cutters in Toros. to is a guarantee of being able to do satis- factory work, Satisfaction giuirantead, 00 -Ern (1. A. 11Rl;li. MONEY TO LEND. Any amount of Money to Lean on Form or Village property at 6 & 4, PER CENT, YEARLY. Straight Loans with privilege of repaying when required. Apply to • A. HUNTER, • Division Court Clerk, Brussels. BRUSSELS PUMP WORKS. The undersigned begs to inform the public tbat they have manufactured and ready for use PUMPS OF ALL KINDS, WOOD to IRON. Cisterns of Any dimension. GATI1S or ALL Slzl:s. CLOTHES Eurus of io superior construction. Examine our stock before purchasing elsewhere. A Call solicited. 1Ve are also Agents for MlcDougall's Celebrated Windmill. Wilson & Pelton, Shop Opposite P. Scott's Blacksmith Shop. P. S.—Prompt attention paid to all re- pairing of Pumps, Sc. :,.9ST WEL WOOLEN MLLS. d For the Season 1886. Cash Paid. • I am prepared to pay the highest cash price for good fleece wool delivered at the towel Woolen Mills. Raving been eleven years in business here, it has always been my endeavor to pay higher than the market allows, and in the past years have paid city market prides. Wool being so low in price, ib will afford me pleasuro to paythe highest price going. In exchanging wool for goods will allow a few cents more. Will also guar- antee to Bell my.goods at Cash prices. I don't have two prices—cash and trade—my rule is one price only. Banning the year round enables ane to carry a large stook. This year having a larger stock than usual, will offer you The best Stock of Tweeds in the Donliniom to choose front. Double and ' Twisted Full Cloths, Flannels, Blankets, all Goods of the Newest and Latest Desi; jus. Come early with your wool and you will find us ready and willing to give you our bost attention. We will be happy for you to Inspect Goods and Prices before disposing of your wool. I remain, yours respectfully, }3. _ 1 y_ .r.. QO • NATI CHA PP,USS]t[i, 0Ja'. GE OF PR PRET ientuientematnunwerwamerniewynentra Having leased the well known and splendidly equipped Roller flouring Mill. from Messrs. Wm. Vanstone & Sons for to term of years, we desire to intimate to the farmers of Httron 'Co. and the public generally un out -the best brands of Flour, look after the Gg Trade, supply any quantity of Bran, Chopped stuff, &c., that we aro prepared to t anal buy Any Quantity 'Of Wheat. 1'he mill le recugliized as ono of the best in the County and our long experience in this business gives us confidence in saying MI gAtbetthithr satisfaction,_ Flour grid Feed Always on hand. 18F'Gristing and Choppiiti promptly attended to. A CALL BOLIOITI;D.• Stewart & L© of , PROP 1;itT'ORS,