Atlanta Georgian and news. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1912, July 06, 1907, Image 10

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THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS. SATURDAY. JULY «. 1907. THE KIND YOU HAVE ALWAYS BOUGHT In Use For Over Thirty Years. GENUINE For Infants and Children BEARS THE SIGNATURE OF trftl under the EMM Copy of Wrapper. Exact Copy of Wrapper. THE GHOST OF LOCHRA1N CASTLE A Thrilling Novel of Love, Intrigue, Tragedy and the Mystery of a Famous Diamond By MRS. C. N. WILLIAMSON, Author of "The Lightning Con ductor,Eto* Eto, lllustmted by QEORQE KERR and P. NANKIVELL. SYNOPSIS PRECEDING CHAPTERS. Elspeth Dnd, an attractlra younc girl, re ceive an appointment as stenographer for Lochraln, a famous caatla In Scotland, re cently conrertad Into a hotel. She travels with Lady Lambert, who looks wtlh con tempt upon the working class In general; Lady Hilary, her daughter, young, heantlfnl and a lady In.reality, and John Kanrlth, a bachelor millionaire, a collector of rare gems, mentioning a famous diamond, wbtcb he his with him. Elapatb Is Impressed with his gentlemanly manner, and realises that Lady Lamhart, In spite of her years, strives to Interest him. Elspeth Is assigned a room In the haunted tower of the castle, and spends the night hearing weird sounda While examining a faded slip of paper, bear ing the penciled Image of a boy, she Is para lysed with fear when drops of blood fall upon the face of the child. She notices a crack In one of the beams In the celling, through which the blood might " — hare „ Ing taken for a poacher, so It Is rumored. Much to Lady Lambert's dis pleasure. Captain Oxford and Lady Hilary are deeply attached to each other and Els- peth promises them her aid. The stenogra< pber Is called upon to take dictation fot Ur. McGowan, the manager; Mr. Trow- brkdg*. posing aa an American millionaire, who seems to hare s conspiracy on. sided by James Grant, the hotel clerk; Mr. Ken rlth, who la writing a book on socialism: Captain Oxford, Countess Radepolskoi. and Lady Ardcllffs, seed 50, a would-be poetess, ambitious for either the millions of Messrs. Trowbridge or Kenrlth. In spite of gossip ing and questioning, Ktspsth discreetly does g r work, refusing s valuable ring present-' hr Lady ArdcUffe. Knowing little of r Rfcotch ancestry, the Is Interested to hear that Dean la the name of the owner of Lochraln brother In Captain Oi Australis. Elspeth decides that ..lain Oxford resemtdea the picture of tho child which she bad found in a traok. She hears about the Underground syndicate, organised to rob rich aocicty folk. While talking with Mr. Trowbridge she flnda that that gentleman wears a gold bracelet and part ofa woman’s kid glove high up on his •rm. That night Elspeth wakes from sleep with s start and hears the creak of a board In the floor. She leaps from bed to see the faint outline* of a man in one corner of the room tain Oxf< ghostly i lb* girl jSP Elspeth makes friends with Mrs. Ward, the housekssper, who tells her tome of the history of the old castle. Kenrlth asks Lady Lamhart and her daughter to sea his famous diamond and other lewels. end insists that Elspeth be a member of the party. Blepeh is quick to notice the look of elation in Lady Lambert's eyes when she learns where the millionaire keeps his val uables. Rover ill days later Grant, the bott-l Hark, makes violent lovs to Klepetb. Bbe i haunted by the image of Kenrlth and Ives the clerk no encouragement. Rhe motorlog with Kenrlth and Lady sees them and grows goes motoring with Illlaix. Trowbridge grestfv agitated. Lad Elspeth fast she Is fsi ^ Lady Hilary confesses to ispeth that she Is far from happy, explain ing that her mother Insists that she wed Trowbridge. CHAPTER VIII.—(Concluded.) "You won't give It to him? You can’t!" exclaimed Elspeth. "I don't know what I shall do. I'm afraid I—must. There seems no alter native. Oh. I would beg or steal, I believe. If I could only get the money which could lave us In some other way." Elspeth would have answered, would have tried to bid the girl havo courage, and wait upon events, when suddenly the car swerved; there was a grinding crash of wood, a sensation, as If a wheel were giving way, an Instant of cold fear with no desire to scream, and then—a cessation of everything. The world stopped for her. "la this death? Have I died, and eolved the great mystery? Am I on the threshold of a new life?" Slowly, falterlngly, the words formed them selves In Elspeth's brain. Bhc was conscious of no suffering; she scarcely remembered what she had passed through, yet the Impression of some tremendous experience Just un dergone, lloated dimly In her mind. Either her eyes were open, and she saw nothing but a soft green and gold, en light changing ^nd pulsing, else It was an Illusion, a waking dream. “I must have died, for 1 seem to have no body," she told hereelf. "What has happened and what Is coming next?" Then, with a flash, she remembered. Perhapi she was dead; but If she were, the lest thing ehe had done In life was to be In a motor car with Mr. Kenrlth and Lady Hilary Vane. There had been no accident. If all had been killed. It was her fault, for ehe had had a warning, and refused to listen The thought that John Kenrlth was dead, and that she might have saved him, made her conscious that she had still a heart to beat, still a body with warm blood to tlow fast through throbbing veins. An ugly aching made itself felt In (he back of her head, and she knew that the great mystery was still un solved for her. She was olive, and lying on the ground somewhere by the roadside. The green and golden light was that of the afternoon sun playing among tall fronds of bracken which spread above her like on emerald roof. "I must find him—I must find Lady Hilary," she whispered brokenly, half aloud, and was glad of the sound of her own voice In the silence, which was like a tragic assent to her fears. Painfully, she eat up, and would have thanked heaven that she had the use of her limbs. If she had thought of her self at all now. Her head ached hor ribly, and she felt bruised and shaken, but there was no unbearable pain to recall her attention sharply to her own needs. She scrambled to her feet swaying giddily for a moment, with sky and treetops whirling before her eyes but In a few seconds she was able to walk, though rather unsteadily, and pushing her way through the bracken, crushed by her fall, she came out upon the road, and almost upon Hilary Vane who was kneeling beside John Kenrlth. As she knelt there In the dust the girl's back was turned toward Elsiieth, and she was so absorbed In what she was doing that she did not hear the rustling of the tall bracken. She had opened Jhe coat of the unconscious men. who was lying close to, the big, broken motor car, with his face stained with blood. Busily her little hands were searching, searching for something, and her whole heart was tn the work. Elspeth stood still, unable to speak, unuble to move. Hut tho spell was broken by the stealthy whirr of on elec tric car coining along tho road by which they had traveled from Loch raln. It was close upon them, and as Elspeth turned with a start, she saw Trowbridge stop the automobile and leap out. Beside him the Counteas Radepol skoi was sitting, but when the car had come to a rest she left It quickly and ran forward. Seeing Hilary kneel ing beside Kenrlth she gave a low cry which sounded strangely In Elspeth's ears. There wss, or ehe fancied It, a ring of anger and the bitterness of dls. appointment. Trowbridge sprang to Lady Hilary, and, ns she struggled to her feet, he caught her In his arms. With a moan she let her head fall limply against his breast, and Elspeth saw that she had fainted. quickly the thought lllished through her mind that If Hilary knew she could not bear to rest In this man's arms. Ho bent over her, mattering something, nnil Elspeth uttered an exclamation just In tlmo to prevent him from touch ing the beautiful disordered hair of the girl with his lips. "Give her to me," she commanded peremptorily. Trowbridge and the countess saw her now for the first time, and without a word the man obeyed. Ho laid Hilary down on the crushed bracken by the roadside and Elspeth knelt close to the white, still llgure. "Mr. Kenrlth—he Is not dead?" she stammered. Trowbridge gave her no answer, ex cept to stoop over the motionless body of the man. The countess, too, bent down, half kneeling, and ae the two were between Elspeth and Kenrlth, ehe could no longer see him lying beside his broken car. It seemed many moments before Trowbridge spoke, though perhaps not twice sixty seconds passed. t "No, he's not dead," the answer came at last. "I can feel his heart beating. If only I could have made you hear In the nvenue, as you drove out. this needn't have happened. I saw that the near driving wheel was out of shape, os the car went by, and called out; but I could make none of you hear, though I took a short cut through the park, and ran after you until I saw there was no hope of catching you up. Then I hurried back, thinking to get one of the hotel motors, to follow, but luckily Lady Ardctlfte’e electric car was at the door ready to take her out with the countess. I’ve driven the same kind, and she let me take It, though she wouldn't come, end I don't think she half understood what I meant. The chaufTeur—a stupid young animal— stood by like a stock, staring sa If he thought me mad, as I spun oir with his auto. I hoped to overtake you before anything hod happened, but 1 was Just too late. The wheel Is matchwood and the car badly smashed. It's a miracle you weren’t all killed.” "Mr. Kenrith's head Is bleeding.” said the countess. "You had better try to lift him Into Lady ArdcllfTe's automo bile. Mr. Trowbridge, and get him home, where he can he taken rharge of by the doctor. Miss Dean could hold his head on her lap, for he oughtn't to he left alone, while you drive; ard I can stay here with Lady Hilary till you come back for her. She doesn't seem to be hurt at all." To Elspeth's surprise, Trowbridge laughed, a singularly hateful laugh. "Oh, you are very kind," he said, "very unselttsh, but I will not trouble you, thanks. Miss Dean will not leave Lady Hilary." As he spoke Elspeth saw his eyes and those of the countess meet, with a look of defiance and understanding. "I hope," said the countess with deadly politeness, "that you will not repent your decision.” Her voice and her eyes were like steel. For the mo ment she was no longer beautiful, but hideous, though sho had evidently re membered Elspeth's presence, and was striving for self-control. "She has some rlan,” was the thought that dashed through the girl's head, "some plan by which she means to make him repent.” Trowbridge, however, no longer look ed at the countess. He bent down and lifted Kenrith's shoulders from the ground, exerting so much strength In the effort to raise the unconscious man that the clasp of the strange bracelet Elspeth had once before noted on his wrist, snapped open ns his sleeve was pushed back, exposing the arm. CHAPTER IX. More Myeterieo. Before Trowbridge woe aware of the thing that hail happened, the bracelet had fallen from his arm to the ground, which It struck with a delicate metallic sound, then rolled away Into the brack by the roadside. Elspeth saw him start, but his eyes did not follow the brncelet. They darted to the exposed wrist; and what they muat have seen there hers saw at the same time, The band of white kid, resembling the top of a long glove from which the hand has been rut off, or another like It, still covered the arm tightly and smoothly, but the heavy band of gold which had masked the end above the wrlstbone had hidden the ragged edge of a curious scar. Elspeth now saw that the flesh was Inflamed and that just above the wrlstbone was a deep red mark. Instinctively she turned her eyes, that Trowbridge might not be aware of her discovery. Shs felt that he glanced quickly at her. to see whether hie secret—whatever It might be—was at her mercy; but her face betrayed nothing. As he was In the act of lift ing Kenrith's shoulders from” the ground, he could not pull down the cuff and coat sleeve which had been pushed back; but he turned In such a way that. If Elspeth had not already seen the scar, she would be unable to catch sight of It. His change of position must have exposed the scar to the Countess Radepolskot's gaxe, but Trow bridge either did not care, or consid ered her knowledge of his secret a les ser evil. Half lifting, half dragging Kenrlth toward the electric car lent by Lady ArdcUffe. he had almost reached It when the unconscious man showed signs of coming to himself. He sighed, opened his eyes, and met those of Elspeth. who hod risen and was watching him anxiously. Instantly he seemed to have remembered all that had happened, for looking straight at her, he said, "Thank heaven, you're safe! And Lady Hilary—” "Doesn't seem to be much hurt, though she has fainted." Trowbridge answered before Elspeth could speak. "Don't worry. We hope you are going all right too. Better not try end help yourself, for fear you may have a bone broken, or a sprain some where. I'll lift you Into this car—" "There's nothing the matter with me. dive me a hand and I'll get to my feet," said Kenrlth. "No"—as he stag- gered up supported by Trowbridge. "I'm all right No bones broken evi dently.” He passed his hand over his forehead, where a few drops of blood trickled down over his eyes. "Just a cut on the head. It's nothing at all. You're sure you’re not hurt. Miss Dean, or Lady Hilary"— "She was up and bending over you when wo came," said the countess, somewhat sharply. "It was only when she saw us that she fainted. There, she's coming to herself now. One might almost fancy she heard us speaking about her." There was nothing actually offensive In the words, yet they gave the Im pression that Lady Hilary had feigned unconsciousness to draw attention to herself, or for some other reason. Els peth felt an Impulse of anger, and would have defended the girl, but It Besides, the color was coming back to Lady Hilary’s face, and the long dark lashes were quivering. A moment later she was looking up Into Kenrith's anxious eyes. "I—I—how stupid of me!” she mur mured, to Ing to sit up, and sinking back on the shoulder of Elspeth, who had bent down again to help her. 'Tm not a bit hurt, onlyi jarred, I think. At (Iret I was up. looking for Miss Dean, and trying to And out If Mr. Kenrlth was alive; but then, suddenly, my heart seemed to stop beating. I suppose H must have been the shock and then the reaction. When did you come, countess—and Mr. Trowbridge " "1 thought you saw us arrive In Lady ArdcllfTe's electric car," said the conntess, with an odd emphasis. "You appeared to before you—fainted." "No. I didn't see you—consciously," Hilary replied. "I called after you all. as you drove past me tn the avenue," Trowbridge repeated. "I saw one of the driving wheels was out of shape, and followed as quickly as I could, with Lady Ard- cllffe'a car. In which the countess was Just going out with her. She thought that shs might be needed to give some assistance; but fortunately you are all able to help yourselves. Even your ear has apparently escaped any very serious damage, Mr. Kenrlth; and now If you feel up to the effort, I can get you all back to the hotel." Involuntarily Elspeth glanced at the, was scarcely a moment fur argument, place where the bracelet had fallen. and where the heavy band of gold had been visible at the side of the road, lu pearls and turquoises gleaming nut among the grass. Would he leave it lying there? she wondered. But al ready It was gone. It could not have been he who had reclaimed It, for he had not once moved away or stooped down since Kenrlth had recovered consciousness. But for a moment or two Elspeth had lost eight of tho Countess Radepolskol's move ments, and now she quickly decided that, while she had not been looking, the countess must have picked up tn« bracelet. "Will she keep It, or give It beck to him?"—Elspeth asked herself curious ly. as she stood aside while Trowbridge helped Lady Hilary Into the car. » was then the countess' turn to her aget, and Trowbridge’s asalstanf' was given to her also, notwithstanding the bitter words and defiant which had passed between them » short time ago. "Now, Miss Pean, said Trowbridge, when the country was seated beside Lady Hilary In U» large tonneau. But he did not come forward to help her. He let Kenritn give her a hand, as she mounted the step, turning his back for a second nr two. Then, when Kenrlth was also ® the tonneau, Trowbridge closed door: and Elspeth had a fleeting glimpse of gold and turquoise under his ruff as he did so. Continued in Monday’s Georm*"-