PRIMROSE DELORAINE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10282, 10 July 1911, Page 2

PRIMROSE DELORAINE

OUR SERIAL.

THE MISER'S DAUGHTER.

By MAISIE PENDENNIS, Author of "Sir Reginald's Whim," "The Forgotten Heir," "Rival Beauties,' 'etc.

CHAPTER Vll.—Continued. "We are getting quite tragic," lie said, "at least I. am. But don't be annoyed with mc, Valerie. I won't disobey you again. I wanted to say that to you—just that. Now, I think we had better go." And as they went out together Mrs Vivian's face looked strangely pale, and her eyes shono brightly. If, .she thought to herself, if he only know tho truth. If he only should ever konw the truth! What would he say ? What would he do? She dared not think of itAll shs dared to do was to hope and trust and pray that she would be able to keep the knowledge of the truth from him until too late. CHAPTER VIII. CAPTIVE AND HELPLESS. Far away in the mountains that stretched beyond Red Tree Camp was a little cave that Poker Bill hacf stumbled on by accident one day tfhen he was out on a solitary hunting eSpedi-

white, set face, with weird, gleaming eyes, and a loose framework 6f redgold hair; and Primrose's overwrought feelings found relief in a stifled cry as she recognised Eve, of the Red Tree Camp. Evo lighted a large lantern that she carried, and flashed the powerful light round the cave, turning it searohingly on every nook and cranny. Then having satisfied herself that they wero alone, she went back to Prim-

tion. It was a small hollow far away from • the beaten track, and the narrow en- ; trance to it was so screened by great boulders end a hf.avy growth of scrub that Poker Bill regarded his chance discovery as little short of miraculous. It was a discovery that he prized very highly, too, and ho Kept, the. secret religiously to himself for he foresaw that the day night ccme when the cave would be a veritable godsend to him. In his wild, lawless life, that was, if possible, even mca-u wild and lawless than that of the rest of the camp, he ran many risks and braved many dangers. More than once he had passed . through hairbreadth escapes, and, to all intents and purposes, he carried his life in his hand. He was hated by all, by every man, wen?an and child in the camp, save only one, and feared by most; and ho knew that any day the rough law that pievails in such places as Red Tree Camp might be set in motion against him, and that in such a case this cave might prove his salvation. Therefore, he guarded his secret with jealous determination. It was to this cave that he conveyed Primrose when he took her from her hut, as he had threatened to do; conveyed her in spite of her struggles and tears, prayers and wild entreaties. Her struggles had proved unavailing against his giant strength. Her cries j and prayers h ( e had silenced by the I somewhat primitive means of tying a. i handkerchief over her mouth, and winding a thick vshawl round her head. Thus blindfolded, captive, and helpless, he had bound her to his horse, and then, throwing himself into the saddle, had galloped away with her to the fastness of the mountains. In the dark and gloomy recesses of the cave, a stormy scene had followed, a scene that ended in Poker Bill dashing out of the cave in a fury of vindictive passion, leaving his victim to silence and solitude, darkness, desolation and despair. Poor Primrose! What a terrible fate was hers 1 All alone in the world, bereft of the kind and indulgent father who had been so much to her; without a friend, and unprotected; and now utterly in the power, entirely at the mercy of a hardened, unscrupulous villian who knew'neither pity nor re- .; morse.Choking sobs shook her slender frame and seemed to tear her very heart out, as she fell on her knees in the impenetrable darkness, and covered her face . with her hands, praying as she had never prayed before. How long she knelt there, sobbing out wild prayers to a God that seemed to have deserted her, she never knew. In the blackness of desolation she took no count of time. The sorrows of the moment were so overwhelming that they engulfed past, present and future alike. Suddenly she heard a sound —a very slight, stealthy sound; a sound that she could not define—and her heart j stoodstill with terror/ What was it, she wondered? Was it some terrible wild animal that, coming to pounce upon her in the darkness, and tear her limb from limb, or was it—oh, horror of horrors—Poker Bill coming back to j torture her yet further?. • The sound Came again 5 a Httle louder this time, and closer to her; and a moment later a match was struck, and its flickering flame flared up feebly in the inky blackness. The wavering light fell faintly on a

rose. 1 "How do you like this," she asked, j and her weird eyes gleamed weirdly and" balefully as they rested on the lovely, girlish face. Primrose pressed her hands convulsively on her throbbing heart. No presence in all the world could have been more unwelcome to her at that moment, save only the presence of Poker Bill. Of all" the women in Red Tree Camp Eve alone had never shown her any kindness. Eye had always stood aloof. Eve alone had looked at her with dimly veiled hatred and antagonism. "You!" she said. "You!" "Yes," said Eve. "I!" She smiled her strange, hard smile, "You don't seem to be pleased to see me," she added. i Primrose looked at her with a swift appeal. "Have you come to help me," she cried. "Oh, if you only knew all that I have suffered to-night. All that —" She stopped short, as Eve laughed scornfully. "That's enough," the woman said. "It's nothing to me what you suffer. I don't care." Primrose looked at her again. "I know you have always hated me," she said i-.ervously; "but, oh, surely you wouldn't have come here to-night only to mock at me in my mis- , ery! Surely you mean to help me. However much you may hate me, you are a woman, and Oh, surely, any | woman would help another woman." I Eve's scornful laugh rang through the silence of the cave again. "There are women and women," she said, 'and why .should I help you? You, whom I hats more than anything on earth. Why d<t I hate you? You know why. It is because you have stolen the man 1 love from me; because Poker Bill loves you! If he had never seen you he would have loved me. He does love me now—when he forgete you. But when he is with you he thinks of nothing else and- ——'' She broke off sharply. ] Primrose put oui her hands with a J pitiful, imploring gesture. "Oh, help me," she pleaded. "It isn't my fault. I doa't love Poker Bill. I am frightened to death wherj he is near me. Oh, for Heaven's sake help me." Eve turned on her in a whirlwind of passion. "Why should J help you," 'she cried, and her voice rang with the passionate hatred that filled her stormy toul. "You have done me more harm than any woman in the world. Lhate you! I' hate your innocent blue eyes and your innocent smile, and your soft, baby ways, that seem to deceive all the men in camp. Men are always ready to make fools of themselves about you—Heaven only knows why—and Poker Bill is the readiest of all. But he shall never have you! I will see to that. Never! Never!" She drew her tall figure up to her full height, and she looked at Primrose with a frowning menace. Her < pale face seemed paler than ever in its setting of golden hair. Her mouth was fixed in rigid, scornful, mocking lines. Her great, green -gary eyes gleamed with weird tfildness and passion. Primrose shrarilt back, white and trembling; but her hands were still outstretched. "Help me!" she sobbed again. "For the love of Heaven, help me!" Eve's eyes still gleamed into hers with a look that seemed to 6corch into the depths of her shrinking soul. j (To be Continued).