Pittston Gazette

              ' wok" J & ' • BSTiittlNHKH IH.1i*. *1.1. N«.l . Oldest "ewsoauer id the Wyoming Vallev PITTSTON, LUZERNE CO., PA., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1889. A Weexiy Local and hamilv journal * Buaiit ne tnougnt mat tne planters caprice might be less powerful than his avarice. He knew not that Augustus Uorton's love for Cora was full of passionate determination. nis wile ana win snare wicn me nis oDvn fortuno. From him I ask no uiore than this. We shall loave America for Paris, and in the delight of my native city I shall endeavor to forget the sorrows of iny youth. But although I am ambitions, I am not u.terlv selfish, and in my triumph I wish to sccu'sq th® happiness of others. Those others are Camilila Moraquitos and the young man it has pleased Don Juan to call Paul Lislmon." "How do they concern me?" asked Silas. nuouo iroin ner tearless eyes; a rami Hush of crimson relieved the pallor of her cheek. CHAPTER XXIX. HE" two men wlDom Pauline |9 ■ Corsi met on her /fi B way from the /M __ B house of Silas ■ Craig to the Villa Moraquitoe, an i "Vm not entirel] Btrangeist to us. -ys$ We saw then WAITING. Dana ot ner ouoice.- "But, Pauline, how in Heaven's name will you accomplish this?" "That is my secret. There Is very little time left me for my work. It is now nine o'clock, I must go out immediately.""Ge out, and at this hour?" "liemember it," answered Pauline, " have good reason to remember it. Tha day was the turning point of my lifo." "And of mine. Ueckless and desperate, I strode through the 6troets of Paris, with my breast rent with contending love and hatred. Love for you, haired for the conventionalities of rank, which elevated an insurmountable barrier between genius and beauty; for I felt that I had genius, ener gy, patience, to conquer fortune—all the gifts which help to make men great, and which the haughLy lordling dare not despise, since they are the root of all aristocracies. The vei? air of France seemed hatelul to me, ior i despised the country in which  of rank could part'those whom Heaven had created for each other. I sailed for America, determined that in a free country I would attain such eminence as might entitle ma to sue for the hand of a duke's daughter. 80 enraged was I against the fate that separated us, that I threw aside my old name, and whatever small degree of dWtinotlota might be attached to it, and called myself Forester TownBhend." so low a tone as to escape tne ears 01 tne two visitors standing by the chlmneypieo. It was only overheard by Armand Tremlay, to whom the entire conversation was unintelligible. Ai tiiis moment a you at: mulattresa entered the room, and announced "CJaptalh Prendergilis." nave ner auverciseu in every paper in Louisiana. I'll spend every dollar I possess rather than let her escape me, and I'll make Gilbert Margrave pay-deany for his insolence." Be Is coming; he is coming! in my throbbing breast 1 feel it; * There is music in my blood, and it whisper* all "My father abandons me to my fate. Ev9n he who was to be my husband can do no more to save me. It IMd Heaven, then, that I turn, and to One above who is stronger than all earthly friends." The apartment to which Cora had been conducted was on the upper floor of the villa; but the ceilings of the lower chambers were far from lofty, and the window from which the Octoroon looked was scarcely eleven feet from the ground. Under this window ran a rustic colonnade with slender pilasters, round which hung the leaves and blossoms of the luxuriant creeping-plants familiar to the South. The roof of this colonnade formed a balcony beforq Cora's window. For some moments the Octoroon stood at the open casement, gazing on the scone beneath her, lost in thought. "If I remain in this house," she murmured, "I am utterly in the power of that base man. Another moment, and he may enter this chamber; again I may hear those words which are poison to my soul; and this time he may force me to listen to his infamous proposals. All those beneath this roof are the slavtfb of his will—It were hopeless, then, to look for help from them; but beneath that purple vault I might surely be safer; and at the worst the river is near at hand." day long mat my love unknown comes toward me I Ah! my heart he need not steal it; For I cannot hide the secret that it murmurs In its song. • 'Five-and-twenty thousand dollars," cried the planter. Gilbert was silent. Throughout this scene the Octoroon had never once lifted her eyes from the ground; but, at tbis ominous silence, she Blowly raised them, and looked Imploringly at her lover. It was a glance of despair which answered this mute appeal. All hope was over. Silas and the planter found Adelaidi Horton and Mw. Montresor seated be Death the veranda of the morning room which opened into a small garden. The weather was so warm, that thC two ladies had left the interior of th« apartment for the airy shade of this veranda. % We have not seen Adelaide Horton since the scene on board theSelmbi-that disgraceful scene, in which the young girl had suffered the pangs of jealousy to goad her to an action unworthy the better fee'lines ot her impulsive hature. Bitter and ii" cliate had been the punishment w!ii .1 followed that action. Despised by the man she had laved, cast off by her husband, Mortimer fer*ty; harassed with the tortures of self*reproach, the unhappy girl had ample* cause for painful reflection and regret. She would have made, any sacrifice to recall her words of denunciation the moment after their utterance. The memory of her old friendship for Cora Leslie sttftag her to the heart, and the mildly reproachful .gaai of the Octoroon haunted her perpetually. Mrs. Montresor had done her best to console her niece; but Adelaide'* gayety and light-heartedness had entirely deserted her. .tfsm a «r&£& before in New Orleans. The ladies looked up from their work as Augustus and the lawyer approaohed them. Adelaide perceived her brother's Ill-concealed agitation, and asked the cause of it He related his adventure on the quay. "Then Cora and Gilbert Margrave have left for St. Louie?" "They have," answered Augustus with an oath, "but theyahall not long escape me. Listen to me, Adelaide; you may wonder at the passion I feel upon this subject, but my pride has been humiliated by the cool insolence of the Octoroon, and whatever motive I may have had for my conduct at the slave-sale yesterday, I have now no purpose tut that of bringingCora Leslie's haughty spirit to the dust. I will have her found and brought back to New Orleans, and I ifrill give her to. you as your lady's-maid; I know that there is little love lost between you, and that I conld not easily InftW* a greater humiliation upon my fine lady." "And you will give her to me?" exclaimed Adelaide with evident delight. "Yes. I thought you'd ftfctf the loea." "You willrive me Cora Leslie?'' j '•I wilL The girl cost me fifty thousand dollars, but I care for nothMg*lbw but my revenge. Make her your lady'e maid —bring her nose to the grind-stone —let her feel what it Is to be the slave oi a woman who hates her." "I will gladly accept your gift, Augustus, ** said Adelaide, eagerly; "but I Mar that you will ohange your'mind." . "No, indeed!" ' "Then suppose yeu write a memorandum of your gift and siga,i% in the oresence of Mr. Craig and my Stint. " "Willingly," replied Augustus, and seating himself a't the tabic serried a few lines, transferring the Ootoroon to his sister, and after signing 1me document, pushed.it across to aUas Craig. "Witness that, Craig," he said, "sines my sister is so mnch afraid of my break- Adelaide took Op the paper, glanced at its contents, and placed it in the poeket of her dress. "I cannot tell you, my dear Augustus, how grateful I am to you for this gift," the said, exchanging a look of mooliar significance with her aunt, Mrs. Montre- Five minutes afterward, Myra, the Quadroon slave, announced Mr. Leslie and Mr. Percy. The planter received hi#, visitors Tjith cold politeness, the rat-like eyes of the attorney glanced with a look of hatred at Gerald Leslie. Mr. Leslie was not alone; Toby,-the mulatto, followed him Into the garden. Silas Cralff started from his seat with "3gp&0?-w,*t brtw w '***■" "Do not Mame him, Mr. Qradg," answered Gerald Leslie, quietly, -it is 1 who have brought Toby here. "Oh, it was yon, was it? and by whai ight do you. order my #la?«s about '. Leslie?" will learn "It to absolutely necessary." "But, dear Pauline, you will have my caiTlage.you will let me accompany you?" "Neither; I go on foot and alone." CHAPTER XXX. TTGU8TUS HOBTON left the plantation at •faybrvak on the morning after the O the sweet bursting flowed how they open, never blushing, Laying bare their fragrant boaoma to the kiasea of the sun! . And the birds—I thought •?*«* poets only read their tender gushing, Bat I hear their pleading stories, and I know them everyone. / She hurried from the room before Camillia could remonstrate further, and the Spanish girl, bewildered and amazed, seated herself near the table, looking musingly at the two bridal wreaths. "You shall hear. By a foul and infamous plot, the details of which I do not know, but which is doubtless worthy of the person who has concocted it, you have coutrived to braud the name of Paul Lisimon with Infamy. You will reveal that plot. You will withdraw that shameful accusation; and you will Insert an advertisement In every paper printed in New Orleans declaring the young man's innocence. You may call your plot a practical joke If you please. You are so universally beloved and respected that you will of course be believed. That is my first condition. Do you comply with It?" last in the solitude of California, living a life of labor, far_from all civilized society. "Strikes me your pretty well cleaned out, slrree," said one of the men who bad spoken before. They only reached New Orleans upon he evening after the slave auction, and when Pauline Corsi met them, thev were in search of a hotel where they oould spend the night. In outward appearance, they were vory much altered from the day when we last beheld them. That nigbt Silas Craig eat alone in the office in which was the map of America. The lawyer had triumphed over the man who bad scorned him. t c t- n e between himself and Cora 'Leslie. He knew that -He Is coming:" says my heart; I may raise my eyes and greet him, I may meet him any moment—shall I know him when I see? The bidding continoed, the excitement of the soene had become Intense. Thirty, •five-and-thlrty, forty thousand dollars were bid; fortyJive, fifty thousand. The last bid came from Augustus Horton, and the auctioneer's hammer descended with an ominous sound. He had seen Gerald Leslie's proud nature abased to the very dust, and the darling child of a doatlng lather sold to ber most deadly enemy; for the slave has no greater than the hardened profligate, whose guilty passions her cbarms have awakened. he bad the law upon his side, and that Gilbert Margrave might he made to pay dearly for his abduc:ion of the Octoroon. tat my heart laughs back the answer—I can tell him when I see him. Their rough garments were exchanged for thn fashionable attire of gentlemen, tnd their bearing harmonized well with the change In their costume. For our eyes will kiss and mingle ere he speaks a word to me. Cora was his. But what if Gllbertand Cora should escape, and make their way to the Free Stateo of America? \ He wap almost mad witbi fury as this thought at ope to his brain. Immediately upon his arrivaMn New Orleans, he diepatched k messenger for his confederate and evil counselor, 8ilas Craig, and at Dim* o'clock the two men were seated opposite to each other at a well-furnished breakfast-table. Oh, I'm longing for his coming—in the dark my arms out reaching; To hasten you, my lore, I lay my bosom bare! tb, the night wind! I shudder, and my hands are raised beseeching- It wailed so like a death sigh that passed me in the air! Gilbert Margrave sprang forward, an if he would have struck the planter, but a friendly hand was laid upon his shoulder, and he was dragged back by a group of Americans. Let us return to the moment when Pauline Corel met these two gold-diggers. They etitered the hotel, and were immediately conducted to a handsomely 'urnished, and brilliantly lighted apartnent upon the first floor. Silas Craig was a winner in the game of life—what cared he for the dark secrets upon the cards he had played? "And it was thus that my search for you was fruitless," said Pauline; "but go on." Silas Otmig bent his head. H® had scarcely powei to speak. "My second demand is that von produce the real will, signed by Dom Tomaso Crivelli, in which he leaves the whole of his estate to his only and legitimate son, Paul Crivelli, known in this citv as Paul Lfcimon." Again the lawyer bent his head. "Better keep your dander down, stranger," one of the men whispered in his ear, "our folks are not over fond of your countrymen just now, and they wouldn't make much work of taking out their bowie knives. Let him have tbe gal. Was there ever suoh a noise about a handsome slave?" ' He was rich, and he could defy mankind."Under that assumed name I won considerable eminence as a portrait painter, throughout the.United States, and seven years after leaving France, had amas»eDi a considerable fortune. I returned 10 my native country, resolved, if I found you still true to me, to make one moi# appeal to the duke, and falling in obtain ing his consent, to persuade you to agree to a clandestine marriage. On reaching Paris, my first act was to go to the houte you had occupied with your supposed father and mother. I was told that the family had removed to Milan. I lo-t not an hour in traveling to that city, and there I heard from the duke's steward, the story of Jeannette's deathbed confession, and the heartless way in which you had been treated, by those who for nearly seventeen years had caressed you as their only ohiid." The elder of the two men, the one who had called himself Smith, flung himself into aii easy chair, after dismiss In g the waiter with an order for a couple of bottles of olaret and seltzer water, and looked complacently round the room. The younger man walked to the open window, from which he watched the receding form of Pauline Corsi. who, after )bscrving the two men enter the hotel, lurried onward toward the end of the leserted street. —John Boyle O'Reilly. He had dined sumptuously after the fatigue of the slave sale, and the table before him was spread with\ glittering decanters of the choicest wines; This man reveled in the luxuries of a palace; but he had risen from the gutter; and his low and still wore the degradation of the foui haunts in whiabhe bad been reared. II OCTOROON Augustus was terrified at. beholding the change which the last twelve hours had wrjHRhl in the appearance of the attorney. She shuddered as she spoke. To this girl, religiously educated, there was something horrible in the idea of suicide. It seemed a doubt of Providence even to think of this worst and last resource. "In conjunction with Don Juan Moraquitos, you will restore to this young man the wealth of his father, which you divided into equal portions soon after Don Tomaso's death. You will find no difficulty with Juan Moraquitos. Pirate and adventurer as he has been, he is not so fortunate as you. fie has still a conscience."Augustus Horton walked up to the place where Gilbert was standing, surrounded by these men. ills i.ieo nas almost ghastly in ite corpse-like hue; purple circles /suiv round .'d his bloodshot eye*, and his lipe were lilack and dry, like those of a suffered in Wie worn! sta/je of fever. inroiijjrrioiit ine weary he bad ne\ei ceit»ed.to pace up and down the na row space in his office, pondering upou his interview with Pauline Corsl. But on one thing she had determined, and that was to escape from the house to the gardens below; once there, she might find her way to some adjoining plantation! where she might meet with some benevolent creature who would interfere to shield her from her hated master. A MTOBT OW MZjrSBT DAT*. "I've beaten you before to-day, Mr. Margrave," be said, with a sneer, "and I think I've had the pleasure of giving you a second licking this afternoon." He lounged in his easy-chair, sipping wine, which sparkled like melted jewels In tho light of the shaded lamp. BT MISS M. E. BRADDON. He was disturbed from his reverie by the entrance of the slave who waited upon him. "This is a little better than the dig* zlng9, eh, Brown?" said Smith. (costihckd.) Again Gilbert would have sprung upoa him, but again he was restrained by thosd about him. His companion seemed scarcely to hear him. oouuu uuuigs or nun 1 sougntj and at last, wearied by my ineffectual search, my funds nearly exhausted with the extravagant outlay of my travels, I found myself in New Orleans. You know the reat.M "A lady, massa," said the man. "A lady? a lady at this time of night? phsaw ; why you must be dreaming." •'No, aiassa, me wide awake. A lady, a very beautiful lady, with while hands and rings, oh, golly! dey shine like •tars." "16 that all?" gasped the lawyer. I'It is. I think we understand each other a little better njw than we did half an hour ago. Good night." It was not slavery she feared, it was dishonor. The whole wa'foldfng of hi« life had fallen nway, leaving him weli-nigh cru'-hed amongst the ruing. "We've another duel to fight yet, Mr. Horton," said the Englishman, "and in that you may not come off so easily." "We citizens of New Orleans don't tight about colored gals," answered the planter, turning upon his heel, contemptuously, and walking toward the spot where Cora stood, side by side with 1 oby and the other slaves. "That girl's figure reminds me—"he nuttered, "but pshaw I what foolish 'ancles have addled my brain! She Is far away on. the shores of another continent. "  She left the room before he could reply, and before he could summon the negro to usher her from the house. It was nearly eleven o ciock whem Pauline Corel leftthe lawyer's office, but the streets were lighted brilliantly by the full moon which sailed high in the heavens. The Frenchwoman drew her veil closely over her face. She was dressed In dark garments, which shielded her from observation, and she hurried rapidly through the lonely streets. The rope with which ahe had been bound still hung to one of her wrists. This rope might be the means of saving her. The dark laoyiinth of erime was closing ui on hi* sTepa, and be knew not the end which lay before him. "But they never loved me," murmured Pauline. She examined the door of her chamber and found that it was looked on the outside."What are you muttering about over there?" said Smith, who was evidently In algh spirits; "come here, and drink a tumbler of claret and let s talk of our Diana. Tonight has brought us to the jnd of our Journey. The time for silence Is past, the hour has come In which we ire to speak freely." "It has." "Did she tell you her name?" "No, maesa. but she Kib me dis." The negro handed Sila*aeard. This card bore the name of Mile. Pauline Corsi. Beneath the card was written thiwarnlng:"No, dearest; it was an heir for a haughty title, and not a father's affections, that they sought. Providence punished their ambition, and terrible retribution overtook them for their cruelty In visiting upon your innocent head the crimes of others.' The duchese died, broken-hearted at the discovery of her guilty deception, and the duke was stabbed by an assassin in the streets ol Milan. It is thought that this assassli was his kinsman and the heir to hifortune."Pauline bowed her head In silence. But Augustus Hort. Dn wag ignoraat of the darker C• lines which had k-ffc their foul stain ut*ui the lawyer'* Life. He knew him So b ■ .1* unscrupulous rogue, and a-nooiated with him In. cause he was use fid. , CHAPTER XXVI. T twelve o'clock " the day that o n ..alch Gerald He and his 'hter had parted by vltiless at._r, the slave iction c o indeed.Gilbert Margrave released himself from the arms of those who held him. "So much the better," she thought; "ho believes his prisoner to be safe. He thinks that 1 would not dare a leap of a few feet even to escape from him. How little he knows of a woman's power In the moment of desperation I" She hurried to the baloony, and attached the cord, which was about five foet long, to the iron railing, then with the help of this oord she dropped lightly to the ground. She lighted unhurt upon the soft earth of a flower-bed, but the slender ropes broke with her weight, and the best part of it remained in her hand. "I must follow him," he said, "I must speak to him. I pledge you my honor that I will attempt no violence, but I tell you I must speak to him. Life and death hang on this matter. How can I go back to Gerald Leslie and tell the brokenhearted father that I was powerless to save his only child?" Gilbert found Augustus standing at a little distance from the group of slaves contemplating Cora with the insolently admiring glance with which the master surveys his property. She was no longer the woman who had soorned and defied him. She was bis slave, his purchased slave, over whom the law gave him full and indlspu table authority. The first step taken by the two men was to communicate with ;he police, informing i hem of the »b-liD«tjCDn of Cor*, and offering a large reward for the apprehension of the fugitives. This done, Silas Craig told his employer of the advertisement which had been insetted In that day's paper, the advertisement which oleared the character of Paul Llsimon, and described tie whole affair of the robbery as a practical joke. •'There are secrete which Sllaa Craiy may wish to preserve; if so. he will do well to see Mile. Corel." About half-way toward her destination she met two men walking aide by side, smoking cigare. "Remember, I ask your confidence from no spirit of idle curiosity, and, unless you can give It as freely as I ahall live you mine, withhold it altogether." Like all base creatures, Silas was • coward. The card dropped from hi trembling haud, and his bloated fa' grew ashy pale. Suddenly ahe stopped, and, clasping her hand upon her heart, looked eagerly at the younger of theso two men. "It cannot be," she murmured; "it cannot be. It is the moonlight which deceives me." Brown held out hla hand ami grasped that of his companion. "Thiaatory is very terrible," she said, solemnly; "I had long ago forgiven theli wrong to me, In casting me from home and shelter; but 1 had never forgiven them for parting me from him I laved." "Dearest Pauline, the ways of Providence are indeed inscrutable. I left Milan, after vainly endeavoring to ascertain whither you had gone after leaving the ducal palace. My inquiries were vain, and my only thought was to And you in Paris, to which city 1 imagined you would have fled. I remained in ParU for three months, during which time 1 Inserted-numerous advertisements in the papers and applied to the police in order to discover your retreat. At the end o that time I began to despair of ever finding you, and I was seized with a gloomy oonvlotion that you had committed suicide in the first moments of your anguish. I left my fortune in the hands of my mother, iu whose care It has been accumulating year by year, and withdrawing only ruffle lent to pay my voyage to America, I once more turned my back upon my native country." "You returned to America?" -Ae bale was to take place in a Dubllc auction room in New Orleans; an ipartment capable of containing upward of a hundred people. At one end of this room stood the rostrum of the auctioneer, while immediately before his desk was stretched a long table of rough deal, upon which, one by one the slave* took their places, while the auctioneer expatiated upon their merits. 1 "Admit the lady," be said. The slave left the room, and In a tew minutes returned with Pauline Corel. "Friend, brother," he exclaimed, "there ahall be no longer a secret between ua. I will be the first to speak, light your cigar, and fill your glass, for the story I have to tell will be a long one." During those few brief moments, Silas Craig had recovered from his first impulse of terror. What could this woman know of his secrets? At this moment they drqjv near a tavern, the door of which was brilliantly lighted. She waa free 1 His rage and mortification knew no bounds, fie declared that be bad been fooled, duped, played with, by Silas Craig; and demanded what riaht the lawyer had to serve him in this manner. "Scoundrel!" he said; "you have been bribed by Camillia Moraquitos; that Spanish woman has paid you to betray me." • You have no need to call hard names, Mr. Horton," answered Silas; "I have been paid by no one. It was necessary to my own welfare to do this; And I have dpne it. Think yourself lucky that I did not betray you, and let the worthy citizens of New Orleans know your shar* In the transaction," Augustus Horton's cheeks and brow flushed purple with suppressed rage. He felt that he was in the attorney'* power; and that a word from Silas might blast his name forever. "Come," he said; "the business Is done, it seems; it is therefore too lata to talk of it. My first t&hk must be to find this Octoroon and her loyer." "True. Every moment is of value to ns if we are not to let them escape." "EscapeI' cried Augustus, furiously; "I would sooner perish in the attempt to overtake them," Free did ahe think. When still within a few pacea of her master? The lamp-light fell upon the face of the younger man. Swift as the wind she flew from the villa in the directlon/6TThp river-aide, scarce knowiug whlclkjpath took la her eagerness to escape. \ Her footsteps made no sound upon the dewy turf, and she did not hear another footstep hurrying close behind her. A broad lawn stretched before her. and beyond that a thick plantation. * Her anxiety was to reach this friendly shelter, for the moonlight night was bright and clear as day, and she trembled lest ahe should be porcelved from the windowa of the villa. * It was past three o'olock, when the two men retired to rest; they had talked long and earnestly, and the reader will soon learn the purport oi their conversation.Who was she but the paid dependent of Don Jui ji Moraquitos? He had nothing to fear, therefore. The two men entered the tavern, and Pauline Corel remained a few paces from the threshold, looking after them. "Mr. Horton," said Gilbert, In a voio e rendered hoarse by emotion, 4 -let ma Apeak to you for a few moments?" The planter bowed superciliously. "Well, sir? ' he said, as they withdrew to a solitary oorner of the auction room. "You are aware that had my means enabled me, I would have outbid you j ust now in the purchase of Miss Leslie. " Augustus Horton laughed aloud. "Miss Leslie!" he repeated scornfully, "we don't call the slaves Miss anrl Mr. down south. I guessed you would like to outbid me for this Octoroon girl, Cora, but I'm happy to say you weren't uble to do it. Had you bid a hundred thousand dollars, I'd have outbid you, and if you'd doubled that I'd have outbid you stiiL No man comes cheaply between Augustus Horton and his will." Bound this table was placed benches, on which the buyers and looker* on lounged during the auction. All the native Insolence of his nature returned, and when the governess entered the room, he neither rose from his ■eat nor offered her a chair. "Can I be mistaken?" she said, "and yet it seems like some bewildering dream. I might—alter thirteen weary years—and toniglrtr!" But late aa they sat up overnight, the two friends breakfasted together early L,he next morning. They were too much excited to sleep long. The plantation bands were the first to be sold, and the sale had lasted for some hours when Toby, the mulatto, slowly mounted the table, and took his stand before the eager eyes of the buyers. The oonntenance of the slave wa3 sad and oareworn; and, as he ascended the table, he looked anxiously round the room aa If seeking among all those eager faces for some one he expected to The impertinence did not escape Paul lne Corel. With a smile of provoking ae~ surance, she seated herself opposite to the lawyer, and threw back the dark veil that had shaded her face. CHAPTER XXVIIL A New Orleans paper,, published that morning, lay on the breakrast-table. Smith opened the Journal, and ran his eye hastily over its columns. » It contained a full account of the slave auction of the previous day. The gold digger's face bianohed as he Dad the paragraph. "Gracious Providence," he ejaculated, solemnly, "how myaterioua are Thy ways! I have but come in time. Cora, the beloved daughter of Gerald Leslie, old In the public auction —ml It is .oo horrible 1" HE game moonlight which llltim i n a t e d the meeting of Pauline Coral and the strangers in the streets of New Orleans, shone on the smooth bosom of the She was nearing the plantation when an iron hand waa laid upon her shoulder, and turning round with a scream of mingled anguish and terror, she confronted Augustus Horton bare-headed in the moon light. "We shall understand one another better, by-and-by, Mr. Craig," she said, quietly. Me there. *-~v But it was evident that he looked rata, tor, after a long and earnest sen tiny of that varied crowd, he sighe heavily, and his head sank upon h breast with a gesture of despair. The bidding lasted for some time, ai •the most persevering Udder was Si' •Craig himself, who sat on a bench clos to . he table, and amused himself 1 ■whittling a stick with his bowie knife. One by one the other purchasers gav way, ana the mulatto fell to the atto ney. As the hammer of the auctioneer c soended upon his desk, thus proclaioiin that the bargain was complete, a sin; lar expression Illuminated the face the slave, Toby. That expression seemed one of n gled hate and triumph; and, as he D soended from the platform, the hand the mulatto mechanically sought fC some object hidden in his bre&bt. That object was the knife with wL Prancllia had stabbed herself—the k' which Toby bad offered the day befor to Gerald Leslie. The mulatto slowly withdrew into eornsr where some other slaves pi shassd by Silas Craig were huddled awaiting the termination of ' "Mav I ask the motive of this rather untimely visitr •'We will come to that in good time, my dear sir," replied Pauline, laughing; "Perhaps there are several motives. Suppose then, that we begin with motive number one." aaedHe had watched her escape from the window of his own apartment, and had lingered long enough to allow her to imagine herself free before he had left the house In pursuit of her. * "I did, but I was an altered man. I had no longer a purpose to uphold me — the motive for Industry was gone. 1 traveled from elty to city, earning plenty of money by kit art. bat spending f recklessly; and, forgive me, Pauline, wasting It often to the transient excitement of the gaming-table. I waa too restless to remain In.one places I bought for change of scene and for a life of action, for I was forever haunted by the memory of your nnhappy fate; and one da? I found myself in San Francisco, homeless and penniless. I had flung away my last dollar at the gaming-table. It was then that I resolved on accumulating a second fortune and returning to France once more to seek you. A sudden Inspiration seemed to take possession of my mind; I felt that in all I had dono, I had not done enough, and I determined to redouble my efforts and devote the remainder of my life to the search fot you." "And you have succeeded." Mississippi, and on the white walla of the villa residence of Auguatus Horton. The house and plantation of Hortonvllle "were some miles from the wood in which the duel between Augustus and Gilbert bad taken place. The acenery which eurrounded the villa was exquisitely beautiful, and the building itself, seen beneath the light of the moon, with its lamp-lit windows gleaming like pale gems In the glory of the summer s night, had the appearance of some fairy palace rather than any earthly habitation. "Tell me," Bald Gilbert, "tell me, what do you want with Mr. Leslie's daughter? Why do you want to become her master?"The lawyer writhed beneath her calm assurance. He put on his hat, and after a few words with hla friend, hurried downstairs to the bar of the hotel, where he ordered a vehicle to be got ready for him, without delay. J 48 / "So, Cora," he said, "this is the way you repay me for my foolish indulgence. This is bow you show your gratitude for being received at Hortonvllle like a princess I Do yon kaerW how we treat runaway slaves in the south?" "No,' answered Cora, with a look of defiance. "I must tell you, mademoiselle," he said, "that these ain't my business hours, and that it you've anything particular to say to me, you'd better call another time. Though I should think," he added insolently, "that the governess of Don Juan Mor&qultos can't have muoh business with lawyors." "But the wife of Don Juan Moraquitoe may, Mr. Craig." "The wife." Again Augustus laushed, and tho hot blood mounted to Gilbert's cheek as be heard the mocking laughter. "If it comes to that," said the planter, "why do you want her?" "Because I love her." "Come, then! the St. Louis packet starts in ten minutes from this time. They may take that opportunity of leaving the city." The two'men hurried to the quay; bat they were too late; the steamer had Btarted half an hour earlier than the time mentioned by Silas Craig. They made inquiries of the clerks about the pier, but no one seemed able | to give them any information. As they were leaving the quay, Silas Craig uttered an exclamation of astonishment on recognizing the lanky dgure of William Bowen, who was advancing toward them at a leisurely pace. The overseer wore a broad-brimmed straw hat. and the light linen coat and trousers customary throughout Louisiana."You here, William?" exclaimed Silas, with surprise; "I thought you were at Iberville where I left you in charge, of my plantation." Bowen laughed, and glanced with rather a peculiar expression at the attorney."I know you did," he said; "but you see I've left those parts. I guess I wrote you a letter, Mr. Craig, a week of two ago?" "You did." ii mis •uuige, loai, uiuugu 00 evidently anxious to depart, he preferred waiting for this vehicle, to walking through the sunny streets. He had, no doubt, some powerful motive foi this line of conduot. e- I xof"Then one answer will do for both C* ■a," Mid Aafostas. "I want h«r beeauw I iorm her." "OhI vou don't; I'm afraid they neglected your education Jin England. But why, why, Cora, do you compel me to use this language? It is not the right of a master that I would exercise, but that of a lover." In ten minutes, a close carriage was at the door, and slouching his hat over his eyes, the gold-digger hurried from tho bar to the vehicle, into which he aprung, after giving a brief direction to the negro'driver. "No," eri«d Gilbert, "no, Mr. Horton. Do not sully the pur# and holj name ot Love by so base a blasphemy. Yours Is the low passion of the profligate who seeks to destroy that whlcn he pretendc to lore. Mine Is the honorable oontimeni oitne man wno seeas to bestow he adores the name of "Ton Britishers hare another way of thin king to what we have In Louisiana," answered Augustus; "we don't marry our slaves. However, I've no wish to quarrel with other folks' opinions; the girl's mine and I don't mean to part with her, so good day to you, Mr. Margrave." Gilbert laid his hand upon the planter's shoulder. You might almost have expected to see those white' walls melt Into thin air and fade away from your gaze. It was nearly midnight, and the planter's small household had retired to rest. nleofof T "Yes, I see your client does not give you bis entire confidence. I am to be come Pauline Moraqultos before twelve o'clock tomorrow." "You forget," replied Cora, with loy coldness, "that I love, and am beloved by an honorable man. who would make me his wife." Meanwhile his companion lounged over his untasted breakfast. The New Orleans papers appeared to possess little interest for him. lie looked at them tor a few moments and then threw them carelessly aside. He had shaved off the bushy whiskers he had worn in the California solitude, and his face was only adorned by a small brown mustache. pray, Mr. w. . "You will lesi- that In due time; 1 have reason to think that Toby's presence will "be needed." The. attorney quailed beneath the steady gaze of Gerald Leslie. He felt that some hidden danger was threatened by this visit. •« ' "Pray, Mr. Leslie," said Augustus Sorton, "may I venture to a& thC " - 1 I _T_ « 1 -Li • iiich fcnlfe •» The lawyer's cheek once more grew •shy pale. Again a sudden terror seized him. He felt that there was some mysterv shrouded beneath thisbasiness, of which be now heard for the first time. '•I know the question which very naturally rises to your lips," said Pauline, with quiet deliberation. "You would ask what motive can have induced Don Juan Moraquitos to take such a step. I reply to that question before it is asked : The motive is a most powerful one." Silas quailed beneath the look which accompanied these emphatic words. PauMne Corsi had not boasted idly of the power of her will. The guilty lawyer, versed In every art of lying and chicanery, trembled, he scarce knew why, In the presence of this frail sirl. "Do you ask tne nature of this mo tive?" said Pauline. There were only two watchers in that luxurious habitation. / "It Is you who most forget that, Cora," answered Augustus, fiercely. "Henceforth, Gilbert Margrave and you are strangers. You are mine. I have kept ray promise; I have given the fifty thousand dollars owed me by your father as the price of this moment. But It la not as a master that I address you. The rigors of slavery are not for you. Be ward my devotion with one smile, one word of encouragement, and a life ot luxury shall be yours; but, if you value your own happiness, do not force me to remember— The first of these was Augustus Horton; the second was Oora, the Octoroon. The unhappy girl had been brought from the auction room to Hortonville In Augustus's phaeton, the thoroughbred horses of which made brief work of the Journey from New Orleans. Adelaide Horton and her aunt, Mrs. Montresor, were still at their city residence."Ay, Pauline, In so unlooked for a manner, that I almost doubt now If this Is not some strange but rapturous dream." gather He was about flve-and-thlrty years of age, but so slim and olegant In figure, as to look considerably younger; and it was easy to see that he was not a native of America. "You have arrived at New Orleans In time to assist at my wedding." "Your wedding? "Yes, this day I become the wife of a wealthy Spaniard." "Pauline I" "Armandl" notlve which has brought you and my cousin to • housa la which you can hardly expect to be \ery welcome?" '•Ton will very soon knew that, Mr. Horton," answered Gerald. "Our visit to-day Is to Mr. Craig, rather than to yourself; and our motive ia coming to this house Is that you may learn the true character of . the man whom you lave ohosen as your associate." "I iuire no such teaching, Mr. Lesle," Augustus, haughtily. "Silas "*-* 1o you sit there like a stock' For soma momenta there wae a pause. Several among the crowd aaked what the next lot wae to be. The voice of the auctioneer responded from his rostrum, "The Octoroon girl. Cora!"' Again there wae • pause. There were few there who did not know the story of Q*r»ld Leslie and his daughter, and "One moment," he said. "The sum which I offered just now for Miss Leslie was the extent of the ready money I possess; but It was not one twentieth part of what I can oommand; communication with London, or even with New York, will bring me the funds I require. I ask you—as a gentleman appealing to • gentleman, upon a subjest that Is dearer to him than life—I ask you to do a great and generous action. Aooept my note of hand for a hundred thousand dollars —double the sum you have just given— and let me restore Oora Leslie to her father?" Cora scarce dared to t hlnk why Augustus had chosen to take her to Hortonville, rather than to his town house. Half an hour aftor the departure of his friend, the waiter brought htm a not* which had been left at the hotel by aa elderly mulattress. At the first glance at the superscription on this u"Dto. the face of the man who called him«elf Brown, was convulsed by_ a tumult of emotion. The letter wa- addressed to "Monsieat Armand Tremlav." The answer to that question was too terrible. "That I am your slave. Pardon me, Mr. Horton, It is that which I would not forget; but, as my education has left me very ignorant, I must beg you to teaeh me the d'lties of a slave," She held out her hand to him as she spoke, and in the express'on of that one word, "Armand," there was enough to tell him that he had no oause for fear. He lifted the little band to bis lips and covered it with kisses. He was interrupted by'the entrance of the mulattress, Pepita, who brought a sealed packet addressed to Pauline Corsi in the hand of Silas Craig. Pauline took the packet, and glanced carelessly at the address. "Has Mr. Llsimon arrived yet, Pepita?" she asked. "He has, mademoiselle; he is in the drawing-room." o:u •very one present seemed to draw a long breath. The Oetoroon emerged from s group of stares, behind whom she had been hidden, and slowly ascended the platform.Could there be any doubt as to his motive in choosing this lonely villa for the retreat of the Octoroon? "In which I asked you the loan o! a thousand dollars?" "Why, yes," "And 1 guess you refused 'em?" The attorney bit bis lip, and glanced from Augustus to Bowen. "Ah, I don't mind Mr. fiorton knowing our private transactions," said Bill ; "I asked for the loan of a paltry thousand dollars, and you refused me. Now, considering all things, I thought this was rather shabby conduct, so I've discharged myself from your employment, and I calculate you'll have to look out for another overseer." ret, said Dalg, why v _  Why don't you speak, man; and asl Gerald Leslie what he means by this?" "Shall I answer that question, Mr Horton?" replied Leslie, "Silas Craij does not speak because he dares not becaase he knows hfe own guilt, ant knows that the seizure and sale of m] property, which took place yesterday was an illegal one." i "Illegal?'' "Yes, illegal;- because that Belture was made for a debt which I did not owe. The C sole claim which that man, Silas Craig, had upon me, wad a debt ol one hundred dollars. That debt was paid to him a year ago by my late partner, Philip Treverton." •, Silas Craig laughed bnt it was a hollow and affected mirth, which oould scarcely have deceived the most shallow observer. \ "I do," he faltered, pouring out a glavs of wine. His hand shook so violently hat the nertk ot the decanter rattled •gainst the. rim of the glasp, and he spilled half the ooetly liquid as he raised it to his quivering lips. He had no reason to fear thl« Frenchwoman—but the strength of her mdomltable will had a magnetic power over him, and his brutal nature bowed beneath its force. Was it not that the wretched girl might be more fully in his power? The chamber to which Cora .had been conducted was even more luxuriously furnished than her own tastefully decorated apartment in the pavilion on the borders of Lake Pontchartrain, but the Octoroon looked at the splendor around her with a shudde'r. "Those duties are told in one word, Cora," replied the planter, -and that word is submission! absolute and unquestioning submission to every wish ol the master. Blind obedience to every word, to eacti command, however revolt ins to the will of the slave. Body aud. soul. Cora, you are mine. Shriek, and your voice will echo through the plantation, .but will awake no answor; for those who alone could hear It are slaves like yourself, an i powerless to help you. Cease this mad folly, then, and thus let me—" Never in her happiest day—never, .when Burrounded by luxury, wnen sur felted by adulation and respect, had Core Leslie looked more lovely then to-day. Her face was whiter than marble, hei large dark eves were shrouded beneath their drooping lids, fringed with Ion-.- and »«ilken lashes: her rich wealth " raven hair nad been loosened by the rude bands of an overseer, and fell in heavy an—os far below her waist; her slender y«t rounded Sguro was set off. by the •oft folds Of her simple cambric dress, whieh displayed her shoulders and arms in ail their statii*aaiiA hMutv. One murmur of admiration spread through the assembly as the Octoroon took hnr place at the table. All there had heard of the loveliness He tore asnader the envelope, and perused the few lines It oontained, then snatching up his hat, be rushed from the house, to the alarm of the waiters, who were Inclined to think the stranger had suddenly lost his senses. A quarter of an hour afterward, he was at the Villa Moraquitos. It was now ten o'clock, and eleven had been appointed for the performance $t the marriage oeremony, but neither the bride nor bridemaid had as yet assumed the attire prepared for the occasion ;ujd the elderly bridegroom, Don Juan Moraquitos, paced uneasily up and down his solitary chamber. The gold-digger was admitted by the mulattress, Pepita. It was she who had carried the note to his hotel. Augustus Horton shrugged his shoulders."I would be very glad to oblige you, Mr. Margrave," he said; "but as I don't happen money just now, and as I've a fancy for keeping the Octoroon, I beg to decline your liberal offer." Gilbert Margrave glanced at him with a scornful smile. T••I appealed to you as a gentleman," be said. "1 was mistaken. You shall hear from me tonight." She knew It was not thus that slaves were ordinarily treated, and she knew the sinister meaning of this seeming kindness. The young mulattress who led Cora to her apartment informed her that she had been appointed to wait upon Miss Leslie. "I will tell you, Silas Craig," answered Pauline, "there are some seorets which, once known, give to the person who discovers them a fearful and a boundless power over the guilty wretches whom they concern, secrets that are discovered when least the criminals fear detection; words that are overheard and cherished for years by the person who overhears them; words which have powtfE: to drag the guilty to the scaffold; words that can kill. Do you understand meV" "No." He spoke doggedly, but eat with his hands clasped upon tne arm sof his easychair, his rat-like eyes almost starting fiom his head as he gazed at Pauline. "Very good, Pepita; and Donna Camillia, where is she?" "In her own room, mademoiselle." Augustus Hcftton was prepared to see the attorney resent the insolence of this speech, but to bia surprise Silas seemed only anxious to conciliate Bo wen. '•My dear William." he said, "you must remember that yon have driven me rather hard lately. However, suppose you call upon me at my office. We'll settle matters there." He advanced as If to encircle her In his arms, but the Octoroon stepped back a few paces, and raising the cord which she held In her right hand, addressed him thus: The mulattress retired. Pauline broke the seals of the envelope, and took fro;n it a parchment document, folded in an oblong form, Upon the flap of the envelop, were written these words— Cora smiled bitterly. - "Who told you to call me Mies Leslie?" she asked. "One step further, and it is I who will inflict upon you the chastisement of a slave, by striking you aoross the face." Vl send you that which you required of me. The advertisement appears in today's paper.—S, C." CHAPTER XXVII. N the night of the Blare sale, Don Juan Moiaquttos sat alone In the apartment which h o called his atudy. The following day was that ap- "My master, Mr. Horton." "Alas, my poor girl," answered Cora, "I am no longer Miss Leslie. I am a slave like yourself, with no name save that which my master chooses to give me. He has bought me ; bought me at the auction yonder. Name, fame, happiness, honor, ay, and even soul—as he thinks—are his." of Oerald Leslie's daughter, yet few bad expect cd to see bee 60 lovely. Eyeglasses were raised, spectacles pat Ion. and looks of insolent admiration wer« fixed upon the unhappy girl. But she saw them not—the center of every eye, she was scarcely conscious of how much she had to endure. Her whole being was absorbed In one thought. Her father; would he oome, would he rescue Iter? When for one brief instant she lifted her ayes, the crowd of faces swam before her. as if hidddn from her by a veil of .mist. As Cora uttered these words, a whistle resounded through the plantation, near the spot upon whioh she and the planter stood, and In another moment two da k figures emerged from the shade of the trees. / She conducted him to the elegant boudoir, usually occupied by Camillia Moraquicos and Pauline Corsi, but which was now untenanted. "We will settle matters, I reckon, Mr. Craig," answered Bowen, and a close Observer might have detected a peculiar significance in his tone. But Silas Craig was too much agitated to perceive this. He had not yet recovered from the extraordinary revealments made to him in his interview with Pauline Corel. He felt like a man who walks blindfold upon the verge of a precipice, and who knows that every new footstep may hurl him to the gulf below. Augustus and the attorney were leaving the quay when William Bowen c&lleO after them. "Come, Armand," said Pauline, "I have changed much since you first knew roe; the bitter wrongs of my youth had a terrible influence upon my womanhood. I have been ambitious, heartless, mercenary, designing; but with your return my old nature comes back to me, and the fresh feelings of my girlhood revive.""You are either a, fool or a madman, Gerald Leslie," he said. "If Philip Treverton had paid the money he would nave naa a document; wno can prow the payment of the debt?" "I can!" exclaimed William Bowen, emerging from the window of the morning room. "You refused me a paltry thousand dollars, Mr. SilaA Craig, 1 reckon I've paid you out for your shabby conduct. Here's the receipt—the genuine document—in your own handwriting, signed with your own name, and given by you to Philip Treverton." He thrust an open paper into the attorney% hand. Silas sat gasping at the document, as if he had been rooted to the spot. | •*Ay, you may stare," said Bowen. '•You told me to burn that paper, didn't you, upon the night of Philip Treves ton's death? And vou saw me burn It as you thought, but'l knew the slippery customer I had to deal with, and I changed the papeis. You thought you heard footsteps outeide the door, and while you turned round to listen I substituted a blank sheet of foolscap for the receipt, and thrust it into the tire. You saw the blaze, and you were satisfied. 1 kept the genuine document, thinking it might be useful." The stranger gazed around him in bewilderment, but before he could ask a question of Pepita, she had hurried from the room. "Think again, Silas Craig," said the Frenchwoman; "surely I have spoken plainly? Can you not understand me?" "No," he repeated with a terrible oath. In the bitterness of her despair she buried her face in her hands and sobbed aloud. Before Augustus oould interpose, Cora was seized in the arms of one of thes« men, and carried into the plantation, wnne tne oiner grasped the sftoulder ol the planter with a hand of iron. The moonlight on this man's faee re vealed his identity to Augustus. He took the note from his waistcoat pocket, and once more devoured its brief edb tents. pointed for the Spaniard's mar- ."My dearest Pauline! but this marriage—that bridal wreath." rl«Be with Pauline Corsl, and preparations had been made for the celebration ol the ceremony with the splendor worthy of snch a wealthy bridegroom. Pauline and Camillla were together in the young girl's apartments. On one of the sofas lay the dresses of white satin and lace, which the bride and brldemald were to wear upon the following morning. "I must speak more plainly still then. It appears. Silas Craig, thirteen years ago it was my good fortune to become acquainted with Buch a secret as this !" The mulattresa was touched to the heart by this burst of grief. "If Armand Tremlay would ascertain the fate of her whom he once loved, lot him call without delay at the Villa MoraquitoB.""My dear mistress, pray do not weep thus," she said. "You will be no slave here, I know; for our master had these beautiful rooms prepared on purpose for you, and you are to be treated as a queen." "A queen 1" said Cora, hysterically. "Yes, the empress of a profligate's hour of pleasure, to be trampled beneath his feet when the whim has passed. Go, my good girl; why Bhould I distress you with my griefs. You can never understand my misery." It was Impossible, indeed, for this poor ignorant slave to comprehend the feelings of the highly educated aqd refined woman, torn from a father she adored, and from him who was to have rescued her from slavery and made her a happy English wife. '•Shall be worn by me, but not to-day. Tell me, Armand, do you still love pie, the nameless orphan, the spurious child, as you did, when you thought me the heiress of one of Italy's proudest dukest Have your feelings for me undergone no change since you learned that secret?" •'Ay, Gilbert Margrave, the afflanoed htioV»or.H of woman von wai|M 1MBIIIJUL xoo rotoaou uxmy vo mooeo* to His appeal made by- one gentleman to aaotfaar. Too gave m* the answer of a ruffian; tonight It Is I who've the ruffian's argument, foroo!" "The law shall make you pay dea'ly forthi%" .cried Augustus,hparse with rage "Bo It so. I am willing to suffer tne worst penalty the laws of Louisiaua can inflict upon me, rather than sacrifice the honor of my affianced wife." The man who had seized Cora, disappeared beneath the shade of the trees. Gilbert tried to follow him, but Augustus Horton sprang toward him, with an open bowie knife in hand. " I am armed," cried Gilbert, " and wrong has mado me desperate, follow me at your peril." He bounded through the brushwood, ind reached the bank of the river, by the sideoif which was moored a boat, with three men, who held their oars, ready to strike the water at the first signal. The man carrying Cora had already taken his place at the stern of the boat; Gilbert sprang in after them, the oars lipped Into the water, and before Augustus Horton reached the brink of the river, the boat had shot out toward the center of the stream. ••Gilbert Margrave!" ho exolalmed, The sounds of the many voices fell as tconfused murmurs upon her ears. She was listening for the roloe which rihould announce to her that help was But that longed-for voice did not ooma, and she heard instead the harsh accents of the auctioneer dwelling upon the charms wbich were to be sold to the * highest bidder. At that moment two men entered the b« tiding from opposite doors. One of these was Augustus Horton, the other Gilbert Margrave. Oerald Leslie and the engineer had passed a night of utter wretchedness. All the ready money that the ruined planter could command consisted of a taw thousand dollars, and Gilbert Margrave had only the sum which he had brought with him tor his traveling ex- The lawyer raised one of his trembling hands and wiped the perspiration from his icy forehead. "Talrteen years," he muttered. "Yes; I see you remember the date. I was a penniless girl of seventeen when I discovered this secret. I am now thirty; I have kept it long and patiently, have I not?" He read and re-read these words, during the brief interval he bad to wait, hectare he heard a light footstep approaching the door of the room. "I guess you were up to something down here, gents," he said; "you were looking after somebody, weren't you?" "We were," answered Augustus; "we were in search of a runaway slave." "The gal as you're after Is Gerald Leslie's daughter, the Octoroon, I'll lay a hundred dollars?" cried Bowen. " I hey have, Pauline, a very great change. ' The door opened, and Pauline Corsl stood before him. Another moment, and she was clasped in the stranger's arms. "Ai uiand!" On a table near stood a box, which contained the wreaths selected by the Frenchwoman for herself and Camlllla. "Yes, my beloved, and the change is that you are ten times dearer to me today t han you were ten years ago; for 1 have known what it is to loae you." They descended to the drawing-room, where Paul Lisimon was seated in company with two of the most fashionable men in the city; guests who had been invited to witness the intended marriage ceremony. Every citizen in New Orleans had seen the advertisement in that morning's paper, an advertisement which declared the entire innooence of Paul Lisimon of the crime imputed t* him, and described the whole affair as a practical joke. The young man rose as Pauline Corsi entered the room, and averting his face, said to her, "I received your letter from the hands of Captain Prendergllls, and am here in answer to your summons." "And you have seen the advertisement?"He did not answer her. "Paulin#," he exclaimed, "my bclovtd, my darling, what magic Is this? How Is it, that after thirteen weary years 1 find you here in America?" The overseer laughed aloud— '•I'm darned if I didn't calculate as much," he said; "then I'm sorry to tell you, Mr. Horton, that the young lady's bolted with that Britisher as was so uncommon peart on board the Selma. They left by the St. Louis packet half an hour ago. I thought there was something in the wind, but I'd no authority to stop W "She is." This box bad not as yet been opened. "Oome, dearest Camillla," exclaimed Pauline; "hats yon no wish to see the Parisian flowers which are to adorn that beautiful head tomorrow? You certainly are most devoid of that feminine weakness—curiosity. " "loan trust to jour taste, Pauline," answered Camlllla. "I have waited my time. I knew that this secret would bring me wealth and power whenever it was told. It concerns two men. Those two men are my slaves! At a word from me, they stand before the tribunals of this olty branded with orime—loathed by their fellow citizens. A word from me, andi they go from homes of luxury to ths gloom of aprlson, from which but a few steps will lead them to the gallows. Shall I tell you who those two men are, Silas Craig?" "If you please." He tried to speak with his accustomed insolent and mocking smile, but the white lips refused to do his will, and his words came In a hollow whisper. "The first is Don Juan Moraquitos, the second is—you I" "Because I came hither to see you, Armand! But teli me, before I say another word, have you been to France during the past thirteen years?" "Seven years ago I was in Paris—seven years ago I returned to my native country, wealthy and distinguished, to fiiDg all at the feet of her, whom I dared to hope might still be faithful. A bitter blow awaited me on my arrival." Cora dried her tears; and, affecting a calmness which she did not feel, dismissed the mulattre-s. "That's Just as much as to say you don't care a straw about the matter; and that you are thinking of nothing bat that stupid lover of yours, who is, no doubt, thousands and thousands of miles away." Camillla sighed. Her face was averted, and she did not see the arch smile which lighted up the Frenchwoman's face. "However," continued Pauline; "I shall insist on your approving of my choice." She unfastened the cord which was tied about the box; and, lifting the lid, took out the two wreaths. "D—n!" muttered Augustus Horton; "that Englishman has foiled me at every turn. The next packet for St. Louis starts the day after to-morrow. They'll have eight-and-forty hours start of us, and they'll make their way to a Free State." He' waiKea away from the quay fol. lowed by Silas Craig. •'If there's law in New Orleans, he cried, "I'll have them overtaken and brought back." William Bowen stood for some minutes watching the two men as they walked j away. (T ) HE COXTWCCT ) The girl had lighted a shaded lamp upon an elegant little inlaid table, and had brought a tray loaded with delicacies for Cora's refreshment, but the Octoroon turnod with a sickened heart from the rich food set before her. She had eaten nothing that day, and her Hps and throat wore parched and C-burning with inward fover. She pourud out a glass of iced water and drained the cool liquid to the last drop. Then, throwing open the wide Venotian shutters, she looked out into the caliu niirh' ... "What if there were yet hope ! What if she could escape?' A Big Show Suggestion. The agitation tn the newspapers of New York for suggestions for a grand central idea for the World's fair of ltj92, with a reproduction of the Eiffel tower idea clear oat of the question, has resulted in a lot of chimerical ideas that Would seemingly .have emanated from Bedlam. The suggestion that a hole 1893 feet deep be.dug, in which elevators could be placed, was no doubt the sarcastic effort of some one to get as far away as possible from the Eiffel tower idea. But one suggestion struck me as not only practicable, .but in every way admirable, and that was with the results of recent archaeological researches in Arizona, New ilanco, Old Mexico and Yucatan in view, that an ancient Pueblo of the prehistoric American be constructed on a large tract of land surrounding a mammoth ideal Toltec temple, to be constructed on an iron framework of cement in imitation of stone, and utilized as a grand archseological museum, embracing the relijcs of Toltec, Aztec, mound buil(Jer and the red man of 700 years ago. Such an enterprise is feasible and distinctively American.—Interview in St Louts Globe-Democrat. To communicate with England waa In possible, though the young man had ample resources there; be had letters of credit on a banking-house In New York, but he well knew that nothing but ready money could save Cora from her . Infamous persecutors. The entire sum at his command was a little over twenty thousand dollars. Gilbert Margrave was the first to bid. "Five thousand dollars I" "Six thousand!" cried Augustus Hor- "Stay, Armand," said Pauline, laying Her band lightly upon her lover's Dps; "tell me all aa it occurred from the Bret." She pointed to a sofa and seated herself by the side of Armand Tremlny. Upon a table near her lay the bridal wreaths which were to be worn by herself and (femlllla. The Frenchman perceived the floral coronets, and asket. eagerly: The words seemed to whistle from her lips like the bullet of a pistol. The lawyer fell back in his chair as if he had received a blow. "Yes; tell me in Heaven's name—how did you work so great a miracle?" . Paulino smiled with arch significance. They were both of the same pattern —coronet-shaped garlands of orange flowers and buds, purely white amidst their glistening green leaves; as true to nature as if they had been gathered from a hot-house, and breathing the delicious perfume of the flower. • They were the perfection of Parisian taeie and art. "Why. Pauline," exolaimed Camlllla, they are both bridal wreaths." I ,'£*n y°" 8«e#s why It is ?" "No, Indeed." "Because there will be two brides tomorrow. I never break a nromlse. To,uan Moraquitos will divide his fortune; one half he will re- \nd his wife, the other ha will jthre to his dawlttaD Dui u_- "The secret ooncerns the night upon which Tomaso Crivelll died, and the will which on that night was forged by you, after the real will had been made away with. The secret also concerns the young man called Paul Lisimon. The m»n whom you dared to accuse of theft." Upon his own estate, and within a few hundred yards of a regiment of slaves, the planter had been defied and defeated In his hour of triumph. "These orange blossoms, Pauline, for whom are they Intended?" "When a woman has a powerful will, there Is scarcely anything she cannot accomplish. When last we met, Paul Lisimon, I made you a proposal, which you rejected with scorn.* In spite of my anger I honored you for that rejection; I am now about to avenge myself."ton. A iaugh circulated among 1 bly. "I guess jou begun a bi said one of the plant* "Seven thousand." ••Ten r cried Augustus. "Guess we'll teach yon what «Ue is, Britisher," said anotl ■ear Gilbert, cutting a lump of Into his month. J&SStSSLtftr was not to be beaten. " Twelve thousand, " ••twwHy." War • moment there was i "I think I managed that job rather neatly," he said, with a malicious chuckle. "I've paid you out, Mr. Augus* tus Horton, for any impudence I've evei taken from yon; and in a couple of hours more, my friend, Silas Craig, you and I will have squared our accounts for the last time." the HHn. too low, n. A thrill vibrated through her inmost foul as the asked herself those questions. She {ell on her knees, and lifting her clasped bands, exolalmed in an outburst of enthusiasm: ••Oh. Merciful and Benefloent Oreato-' I cannot believe mat mo a wcmldsi utterly abandon the meanest of thy creatures. Even here, on the brink of terror* more hideoua than the most cruel death. I still hope, I still believe that Thou wilt show me a way of deliverance!" The Octoroon arose from hor knees, a "You shall know that by and by," she answered, with an arch smile; "not an other word, until I have heard your story." The Octoroon had fainted from the excitement of the moment, but the cool breeze from the.river quickly restored icr to consciousness. ••How—how did you dlaoover this?" "No ijiatter how. Enough that I did make the dlaoovery. Shall 1 tell you now the price I aak for my secret?" "Tea." An observer tfould have wondered at the transformation whloh the presence of Armand Tremlay effected la Pauline Corsl. She was no longer the cold and ambitious woman, but * loving and gentle sirl, with the tender light of affection beaming la her blue eyea. • slave ler man tobacco When she re-opened her eyes, she Tound herself reclining on the shoulder if the man who had seized her. •'I no longer address jou as Paul Llslraon; that name is In Itself a lie; Paul Crivelll, read this document; it Is the genuine will of your father, Don Tomaso.",••How, mademoiselle?" Augustus and the attorney walked back to tho house of the former, aftei making arrangements for the pursuit of Cora Leslie anil her lover. The planter was maddened by his defeat, and utterly morciless to the unhappy girl who had, for a time at least, escaped from his power. "I'll have her brought, back," he cried, "and lashed as a runaway slave. I'll , jw pala; deal with That man was her Leslie father, Qerald All attempts at Insolence or defiance upon the part of the lawyer was now abandoned. P (Hands fir Pierce. the wonderli.l doctor, Providing safe remedies, of which he is con- "TeH me," she repeated, "tell me all, Armand 1" As she spoke, she plaoed the parchment which had been sent her by Silas Craig, in the hands of the bewildered jrouac man. * Tnis brief dialogue had been sookan Id fifteen, " Silas Craig cowered before the Frenchwoman as humbly aa the criminal who awaits the sentence of his judge. "Don Juan Moraaoitoa will uir. —. new ereatare after the uttermnoe of this "You remember the day upon which the Duke B dismissed me from his honu!" pause; Gil« 1A- I heart-felt prayer. Her very countenance i seemed as if transfigured by the sublime emotions of the moment. A holy light coct »r, Pleasmt to taste, and easy to take, l'urgative Pellets now "bear off the oake." To ppnecvte the unfortunate is lika throwing stones on one fallen into a well.