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MOWMWMOMWWW 0R, SYBIL CHAPTER XXIII. The great Black \‘alley f-‘luod. as it tllt ’ VINDICATION BERN ER’S +0+o+o+o+oso¢o+o+o¢o+oo+o+o+o+o+o+o+o+b+o+°fl I am vety glad you have come. though it is another sacrifice on your parts." “Not at all. Lyon Burners; we love came to be called. had occurred on Hallo“: Eva you. and had rather come here and be Befol-x - . . . ' miserable with you than be merry with y ‘i. Lliiislniiis lite many of its, ,1 d 1%.. ,d (-1 . L p. div rayagcg had been revalle ltlll) it) y 9.», Sdl .cmtn ill Lion. The laborers' cottages had been re- ““m'ly- budt and refurnishcd. Other dwellings But Mr. llt-rncrs wits resolved that were in process of reconstruction; Dnd‘llls generous young friends should not the works were only temporarily sus- pended by the frost. jlie as “iiiisei'alile” as they were willing The public build-'10 be in the. merry Christmas season. 11198 were contracted for. to be rc~crected So he wrote a note of invitation for two in the spring. All the missing bodies had been COVL‘I‘L‘LL and had received burial. except those of Sybil Bcrners and her young chilil. neither of which had yet been found. or ever heard ofâ€" a Circumstance that led many to think that the mother and babe had been resâ€" cued and concealed by her friends. And for many weeks Miss Tabby had lain prostratcd in body and idiotic in mind. and thus totally unable to give any account of them. Lyon Berners' anxiety and suspense gradually settled into deep melancholy and despondency. As a matter of duty. he managed the estate as if Sybil or her viitllild might one day reappear to enjoy It may be remembered that when Lyon Howe. the young barrister. man ried Sybil Berners. the wealthy heiress. by the conditions of the marriage con- tract he took her family name, that it might not become extinct. As an offset to this sacrifice on his part. it was stipulated in the instrument fat. in case of his wife dying before h 'in, without leaving children. he should in erit her whole property. . in the present state of affairs. him all the power he needed in the management of the great Black Valley Mair r. H lived at Black Hall. doing his duty for inty's sake. a very lonely man. No \( that Sybil was gone. the neigh- bors tvere all disposed to be too good to him. They visited him. and invited him out. But, with a just resentment, he declined all visits and all invitations. except. from those devoted friends who had been faithful to his wife in the time -of her trouble: Clement and Beatrix Pendleton. young Sheridan. the law- yer. old Mr. Fortescue. the sheriff. and Robert Manson. the soldier. Miss Tabby at length rose from her bed of illness and. to use her mother's words. “was able to creep about the 'house." but in a state of mental imbe- cility. which is not an unusual effect of a long. low type of typhoid fever. She Was obstinate. too. “obstinate as a mule,” her sister said. No one could get a word of satisfaction from her upon the mysterious subject of Sybil‘s late. a. u ioillt'l' I‘D- I Christian guests. and illsptlli’lit‘il it by .ltlt.‘ lto lllackville that very evening. The note was addressed to Mr. Sheri- .dan. with a request that he would come and bring his niece. .oiss Minnie Sheri- dan. to meet Captain and Miss Pcndle- ton at Dinner Black IInll.. Now. this Miss .\linnie Sheridan wast an orphan heiress. the (laughter of the young barristers eldest brother. fly been left to the guardianship of her young uncle. who. with his youthful niece, now boarded at the Illackville Hotel. itliese young people would. on (lhrisb mas Day. willingly exchange the hotel parlor and the society of strangers for the drawing-room at Black [tall and the company of their friends. Moreover. hr. Berncrs had noticed a growing esteem between the brilliant. trix Pendleton. an esteem which he hoped and Lelieved. for their sakes. would ripen into a warmer sentiment. "therefore he invited the Sheridnns to meet the Pendletons at the Christmas dinner. Miss Tabby had. within a few days. Ihousekeeper at Black llall. Her oflice was something of a sinecure. She could ido little more than fret. at the servants. [She was not strong enough yet to scold them vigorously. j On the night before Christmas it snowed. but just enough to cover the ground a few inches deep. Christmas Day broke clear. bright and beautiful. Lyon Berners arose early in the morn- ling. to be ready to greet his two friends upon their entrance into the drawing- room. Although his heart was aching with Ia cheerful countenance for the sake of jthose two loyal souls who had been so 'devoled to her. and were now so con- Istant to him. He little dreamed how great would be his reward before ~the day should be over. Clement and Beatrix l’il‘lll‘ifin did not keep him waiting long They soon When asked by Mr. Berners how she came down from their chiuubers. and was saved. she answered: “I was picked up by a man in a oat." “What. sort of a man ‘3" “An or'nary man like any other." Did you know who he was?" H '0‘” ‘ Where did he pick you up ‘2" “ 'ot far from the prison." “ \'hcre did he put you down ‘3" “(.1088 by the quarries." “\ ’hat became of Sybil?" “I (don‘t know." “\\'lhen did you see her last?" “The last time I ever set eyes on herI face was when she was lying on her' bed in her cell. and I went and laid the baby by her; that was just before the water rushed in. face or the baby's .face since." {of life. A weary time to wait, Be:i~' And this was literally true. for Missftrix'. Ah! Clement. gOOGAlllOI‘lllllg. I Tabby had not seen their faces in theEmay wish you a merry Christmas at. boat. but those who had not the keyi to her meaning could not detect the equivocation. She was cunning enough in her fool-_ ishness to keep her oath. and to leavet upon the minds of her bearers the imâ€"l pression that Sybil and her young child; were certainly lost. I ain't set eyes on her Lido.’ greeted him affectionately. “This cannot be a ‘mei'ry’ Christmas to you. dear Lyon. but it may be a good one. Will you aceept this from me? See! with the faith or the superstition of the old Christians. I opened it at ranâ€" dom toâ€"day. to find your fate in some text. And this is really what my eyes first lighted on,” said Beatrix Pendle- ton. as she placed an elegantly bound pocket Bible in the hands of Lyon Ber- ners. and pointed to this passage: “There shall be light at the evening- tide." “'l‘hanks. dear Beatrix! thanks for the stirred gift and happy augury!" said Mr. Berni-rs. as he took the book and read the lines: “Light at the evening- That. I fancy. meam the evening least.” he added. suddenly turning to Captain Pendleton. who had followed his sister into the room. And they shook hands and went into breakfast. There were no more Christmas pre- sents exchanged. .\‘o one there. except llcalrix. had thought of giving one. on Christmas Day at: the death of both her parents she had1 It was reasonably to be expected thati Young barrister and the beautiful “Unh‘ ‘eturned and resumed her position ('5‘ grief for Sybil he was resolved to wear- Youth cannot forever be sorrowful. .loe put whip to his horses and started them at a brisk trot over the snow-clad roads. and under the brilliant sky of that clear December day. They reached Black Hall in good time. The splendid Christmas fires \\ ere blazing on every hearth in the house. Beatrix I’endleton took Minnie Sheri- dan to her own bedchambcr. that they might there lay off their bonni-ls shawls and prepare for dinner. Captain l‘cndleton went off alone to and his room. and Mr. llerncrs was just about to conduct young Sheridan to some spare bedchamber. where he could brush his hair. when the barrister laid his hand upon his host's shoulder. and stopped him. saying: “No; stay here. I have something which I must show you while we are quite alone." And he shut the doors. and then drew his companion away to the furthest window. out of earshot of any chance eiivrsilropper. “\\‘hat is it?" inquired Mr. Berners. much mystified. “I do not know; something very im- portanl. I fancy. Hut read this first." said the barrister. placing an open tel- jtci' in his friends hand. Lyon Rerncrs. in great curiosity ex- (lllliilt‘ti it. It was addressed to “~â€" Sheridan. Esq” Counselor - at â€" Law. Blarkvitlc." It contained these lines: “Take the inclosed letter to Mr. Lyon , lerucrs on Christmas Day. when you limit him quite alone. If this should reach you before Christmas. keep it icarclully until that day: then deliver it to its address with secrecy and discre- tion." . “In the name of Ilcavcn. what is this? \Vhere is the letter? When did you get it?“ demanded Lyon Berncrs. in aston- ilSllITlf‘Ili. “It seems to bc a mystery. I got the tlclter only this morning. else in spite of the injunction I should have delivered it to you before. Here it is now." said young Sheridan. placing the mysterious epistlc in the hands of his friend. Lyon llcrncrs examined it in haste and excitement. t It was suprrscribcd: ‘ “To Lyon lrrners. Esq. Black Hat]. To the care ofiâ€"‘~ Sheridan. Esq To be delivered secretly on Christmas Day.“ 5 Mr. Bernch tore off the envelope. when he came to another one. on which was written : “A Christmas gift to Mr. Berners.’ This also he hastily tore off. Then he ran his eyes rapidly over the contents of the letter. and with a great cryâ€"a icry of unspeakable jOyâ€"he threw tip his 3arms and sank to we floor. He who had never been conquered by fear or sorrow or despair was now utterly vanquished by joyl CHAPTER XXIV. With an (\t'lilmtliiOH of dismay Sheri- dan raised his friend and helped him to an nrnh'hair, and sat him back in a reâ€" .cliuing position on it. ' And at the same instant hurrying steps were heard approaching, and some of the servants who had been loitering in the hall, startled by the noise of the cry and the fall. rushed in- to the room to see what the matter could be. ‘ Lyon l'lerners had not quite l0st his consciousness. and men at once restored his senses. Ills first act was to point to the let- iter. which had fallen from his hand to the floor, and say: “l’ick it up and give these people ii\‘.‘ayâ€".qtiicl(l.\'. if you please. The young lawyer immediately went after the intruders, exclaiming: “Conic. come. old Joe. Tom. lill; what do you mean by rushing in upon us in this way when we are having a good- to me, and send Sheridan. humored rough-and-tumble wrestling match among ourselves? Be off with you, you barbarians!" And so with affected.nhrlli. which really deluded the simple darkicc. he turned them out of the drawing-room. and locked the door. Then he went back to Mr. Berners and inquired : “Now what is it. if 1 may ask?’ 1 “She is safe! My dear Sybil is safe! 'â€"safi- beyond all pursuit: beyond all 'possibility of recapture !" exclaimed Mr. Berncrs. triumphantly. “Thank Ileaven. with all my heartl But. how. and where?" inquired Sheri- dan. cxcitedl". “She was rescued by Raphael! She is ton IllldeI‘i‘tlII now. in a British ship. the entrance of thc' lint Miss Tabby had a tender con-illiougli hers had been graceful and up under the protection of the British flag. science as well as a soft heart and H‘Pl'Ul’t‘lith- iGod bless it !" weak head. and the keeping of thisj After breakfast they went to churcht “Amen! But tell me all about it or secret. which she Could not divulgeiftl Blat‘kt‘hie- Tilt"! were drawn thither let me read the letter." Without breaking per min. nor ouncenlilll the roomicst carriage by a pair of] “Step! I must call Pendleton and without trifling with the truth. causedrllie strongest horses, with Joe on the Beatrix. Those two true friends must. her so much distrrss that these frequent. hex: lm‘ “WY PXIIEClt‘d 1° PiCk Ult “10 crugsfxamimipms inyuj‘ialdy “MM. onistieridans after the morning service. and her part. in a fit of hysterics. 'to bring them to Black Hall to dinner. This was the slate of affairs on (itirist- '“ll‘ dismnt‘e DEMON! Black Hall and mas live following the great flood. Blitf‘lit'illt’ “"3 Ctlllstdt’l‘itlilo. and the It was the soonest Christmas eveinruiid was rough. and so it was rather passed at Black Hall. llate when our party reached the Mr. Berners had invited no one. notichurch. even his most intimate frh-uvts. to spi'lhil The it with him. But Captain Peudleton and than-i: l'tlll‘lli SH “191‘? “'35 no opportunity for had come unimitcd. for they were do: our friends to meet until after the bone- termined that ..you Bernirs should uotyilirtl-iu was pronounced. be left alone on his sorrow at such ‘li “um the -cliureh. .\fr. Berners sought out “\\‘e have rejoiced with you in many-iy'uung S eridan and his little nit-cs and a (ihristtniis holiday. shun \\I' ;.-itiilf‘i‘1' buying them the CL'thliinents of come and mourn with you now 1--a-; the season invited them to take seats m trix gently inquired. l|.\ with hrr broâ€"i‘his carriage to Black flail. lhpl' 5pc cum-9.1 1pc phi-bu: “hm; \h-,i 't‘hry accepted his offer with thanks, Berni-rs on ihlx Chrishuas t'w \\..|si and allowed him to conduct. them to the grimng “101m icirii'h. in which the I‘endlctons were He got up and \\’el»-oi:.~,-il his ti-i-n.l~.;:li|-i|ti.\‘ bellied- and thanked lili‘m fi'i!‘ tir‘ir \‘i~il. ' ‘l'bere wus‘ d merry "Noun? l"‘i\\‘€‘vn “i would not find it in my heart In in- HIV .‘Wt'téf l'ml‘lt’. “OlWlm-‘ti‘l'dlllg Ult‘ hit any one. even you true souls: but sadness of sonic reminiscences. congregation were already in ltll-‘ll' Si'ulS. and tilt“ l'iHSliir was in his‘ '1”..“_ as the people were all leaving" hear my secret and share our joy." said Mr. Berners'. rising and going to the door. tut there was no need to call. for he ‘had scarcely turned the lock before he heard the light steps of Miss I’endleton l approaching. | "\\‘hat is the matter? Lyon. you are happy or crazy! \\'hich is it? I am sure something delightful must have happened to make you look so! What :is it 2’" demanded Beatrix. as she slided into a seal. li-foro Mr. Berners could answer. the door once l’endleton entered. “\\'hat is up 2’" was hi.s first queslitm, on seeing the excited countenances or his friends. “We have good news. Butâ€"where is Miss Sheridan?" inquired Mr. Berners. suddenly remembering his youngest guest. “0h. Minnie is curling her hair in my I‘fli'llll. more opened. and Captain' V. . it over again. for her." exclaimed Beatrix. “It is just as well.‘ added Mr. Sheri- dan. “Minnie is it good girl. but she is little, more .ian a child: and though I could answer for her honesty, I couldnt for her discretion." “Then.” said Lyon Ilcruers, very ginvely. “flu-n let what 1 am about. to tin-ad to you remain an inviolable s0;- cret between us four.” “Certainly.” answerel Sheridan. “Shall we swrar it?“ inquired l’endle- ton. "Yes! yes t if necessary. But. oh! do go on! It is Something about Sybil." impatiently exclaimed Beatrix. “Yes. it. is something about Sybil. You need not swear to be secret on this subject. You have given me your words and that is suflicient. Indeed. I fen-l sure that. without any request on my part or promise on yours. you would still have been secret. for you would stil have seen the necessity for secrecy. Now I will read you the letter. which will explain iiself." said Mr. Berners. as he unfolded his mysterious epistle. and read : “tritish Merchanhuan Deliverance. “At Sea. Lat. 35 deg. 15 m.. Lon. 40 deg. 27 min., "December 1st, 187â€". “To Lyon Rerncrs. Esq...: Sirâ€"As you and your set made such a mess of it in trying to save Mrs. Sybil Berncrs from the injustice of ‘justice.’ I. who am an outlaw. undertook to take her from out of all your hands. ‘.he instrument of my work was my dutiful son. Raphael. We had intended. with the help of our brave band. to storm the prison, and deliver the fair prisoner by force of arms. But before we were quite ready for that difficult enterprise. the flood came and made all easy. We had only to hire a boat. get into it. and permit ourselves to be lifted by the rise of the waters to the level of her cell window. teat it in. and take her tout. We did that and saved her. and also. incidentally. the infant girl and the old maid. “\\'e put out the woman at the foot of the Quarries, having first bound her by an oath to secrecy as to the means of her rescue and the safety of Sybil Ber- ncrs~an oath, by the way. of which you hereby have the authority to release her. should you see fit to do so. “\Ve placed the child at nurse with a woman by the name of Fugitt. who is the wife of the overseer at Colonel Poin- dexter‘s plantation. not far from Black- ville. The nurse knows nothing of the child. except. mat she was paid a hun- dred dollars down for taking care of it. and asking no questions. “We took. the mother to the old ruined windmill. where we had a snug room or two. There she was skillfully nursed by our old housekeeper through the dan- gerous fever that followed her confine- ment and her exposure. After her re- covery and her full restoration to rea- .son. we. avoiding every other reference Ieither to her long imprisonment. ir maternity. both of which events she .had forgotten in the delirium of her illâ€" ncss. we took her away to Norfolk. where we went on board the British merchant ship Deliverance. I write this letter from the see. about half way it by some houicward-bound ship. “December Stiltâ€"The man on the look- :out reports a sail in sight. heading this Iwny, if she should prove to be 1111 AIIlt'I'itfiln-llollntl ship. her name ought to be tie surprise. for when I send this letter b her she will take you a very .great surprise “If this should reach you in season. ipmy accept it as a Christmas gift. , “Mrs. Berni-rs is still improving. jthough not yet well or strong enough to accommodate herself to the motion got the ship sufficiently to enable her to write to you. Nor will she send any confidential message through me. she will not even see or speak to me. She iki-eps her stateroom. attended by my wife. “She still resents hcr resene. which ishe calls her abduction. and she feels grief and ind‘gi'ation at being taken away from you. rather than joy or gratitude at being saved from death. But then, it is true that she thinks she was only rescued from orowning in the flood. She does not know that she was saved from a still more horrible fate. “The mild insanity which appeared several months ago. and disappeared at the birth of her child. and which then shielded her from all realization of the horrors of her late position. still saves her from all knowledge of \tht it was. Although now perfectly sane. she is enâ€" tirely ignorant that she was ever put on trial for her life. or condemned to death. or sent to prison. “.\'or would I enlighten heron that subject lest the fate of the sleep-wallii‘r should be hersâ€"who. having safely walked over the parapet of a bridge above an awful chasm. fell dead with horror the next morning at li'holding the peril he had escaped. I would adâ€" vise you to maintain the same inviolable secrecy on that subject. She does not know the dangers she has passrd. and she need never know them. “They have spoken the ship. and I will Igo up and see what she is. I “Laterâ€"She is not the Surprise. as she ought to have been. She is the Sally Anti. of Baltimore. homeward bound. with a cargo of silks. She will lay alongside for half an hour to exchange letters and some provisions. “A few words more. Don't forget where I told you you might find your child. and then go and accuse me of stealing it. “Remember that you have my author- ity for releasing the old woman from her oath. that she may give you every detail of the rescue. But I counsel you Ilcr ringlets verc so blown by that as soon as you shall have heard all the wind that it was necessary to drassdliat she has got. to tell you. you will She wouldn't let me waitf across the Atlantic. and I wait to send. â€"â€"____ seat up h-‘r lips with another oath even more binding than the first. “The continued existence of Sybil Rerners should be kept a profotni se~ cret froiu all others. except those few devoted friends who will follow her into exile: and it shhild be. kept so. for this reason: that sometime. (sooner or later. there will be an extradition treaty be- tween all civiitzrd nations. for the de- livering up of fugiliu‘s from justice. which impending treaty may or may not h:i\e a retinispi‘w'tive action. There- fore it is better that Mrs. llei'ners should be supposed to have perished in the flood. and that the seer-l of her rescue :tltii (‘ilntllllti‘il life sltlittlii lii‘ i‘nli'lltlly kept from all. except those already lllCIb- tioued. “A last word. The only way in which my wife can keep her quiet is by pro- mising that you will follow her imme- diately. Come as soon as you can. I am weary of my charge. “by I ever undertook it is my secret. We will await you in Liverpool. .\ letter ad- dressed to ‘llaphacl.', through the gen- cral postofhce in that city will find us. "And now I must suit up. wishing you a merry thrishnas. From your Unknown Friend." (To be COIlllIlUL‘U). â€"â€"â€"+ “'IIEN MEN .\RE snwwnucnnn. That's the Time They Really Can Eat Their Boots. Shipwrecked persons have been kept alive on the most repugnant and |i“' wholesome of foods. Probably the. hard- est fare that six strong men and a boy of 15 ever kept alive on was the daily menu of tho \\'indover‘s survivors. who wire cast. up on the Irish coast near Ix'ilsegg not long ago. They tivel six- teen days on stewed rope yarn. When they took the ship's small boat they had water enough for a month but only a small amount of provisions. 'l'nese lasted four days. After having no- thing at all to eat for the following, two days they tried boiling lengths of tailed hemp rope. into pulp and swall nving it. They had a keg of paraffin wax. which they boiled to iidd to the noiiritiiizent. ’I‘hc sickness they experienced as a re. sult of the diet was only tempomry and they landed in comparatively g 0:.' health. (iiapt. Maboly of the foundered steam or Gwalior and his second otticer cre- ated a record 1985 than two years ago by living for seventeen days on boot leather and a pint of water a day each. Of course no teeth can tear cowhide boots; they have to be cut up and shredded with a knife and the shreds chewin and swallowed. Boiling. even when possible, it is said. does no good. but takes from the nourishment of the boots. A few ounces of leather being very hard to digest. slay the stomach for fifteen or twenty hours. . A diet of boats andxshoes is one of the commonest of last resource foods. and though it is hard for a well-fed person in imagine that any one could masticate and di;.est the leather. a pair of long see boots will keep a man alive for a fortnight if he has a little water. Two men who went. to a small island off the Irish coast not long ago kept themselves going for ten days on a diet probably worse than this. They land- ed in a boat which was smashed by a. wave on their trying to relaunch her. and they w. re kept on the bare rocky island without food. .‘ I-‘oi tunately there was a spring on the island. but nothing in the way of sea gulls, which hey could catch. and no- thing with which to make a fire as a distress signal. There were not even any shell fish. :is there was no beach. and the pair had to subsist for ten days on cold. raw scam/cod washed up by the tide. The best known and most useful of starvation diets for wrecked or cast- away people. however. is that of bar- nacles. Three Englishmen and a crew of Lascars who had been forced to aban- don the sailing vessel North Star a few months ago kept themselves going for more than a week on barnacles. and only two of the crew died. The worst of this diet is that. the barâ€" nacles give one internal cramps and cause an insufferable thirst. but they do nourish the frame. You have to reach under the veSsel's side and pull them off. taking care not to leave the best half of them sticking to the planks. .___.'§...___ All.\BI l’.\.\‘ll.5.. In a little house up a ivy-street of the Mohammedan quarter. old. friendless. broken. lives the man who might have ruled Egypt. Says a writer in the Pall Mall Gezette. If you ask twenty people in Cairo to-dny. “Where is Arabi Pasha?" fifteen wiil tell you that he is dead. while the other five do not know. In fact. after the brunbardment of Alex. :indria he was Sent to exile for life in Ceylon. but was allowed some four years ago to return to his native city. It was only after a week's hard ferreling that [ discovered. through a native journal. ist. the whereabouts of the great. man. Even now. in his seventieth year. he is a big man; in his prime he must have been immense. \Vhite hair and beard; a broad. thoughtful forehead. surmounted by the Turkish tarboosh: kindly cyes._ dulled a little by age but lighting up wonderfully when he talks about things which interest him: a straight. powerful nose; a large month. which must iflICt“ have been hard and cruel. now softened bv adversity. though the day is warm.‘ he wears an overcoat. and he walks heavily on a massive ebony stir-1;, â€"â€"â€"+â€"-â€" 'l‘herc are some people who neverthinkv of heaven except when they see at graveyard. .