E-text prepared by Annie McGuire
Laura Jean Libbey's New $10,000 Story
KIDNAPPED AT THE ALTAR
Or
The Romance of that Saucy Jessie Bain
The Latest and Most Thrilling Story Fresh from the Pen of the
Peoples' Favorite Author,
MISS LAURA JEAN LIBBEY
The Arthur Westbrook Company
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.
Copyright, 1909,
--By--
The Arthur Westbrook Company.
CONTENTS
CHAPTERS PAGE
I. Some Young Girls Find Love So Sweet 5
II. Fate Is Against Some People 14
III. When Those We Love Drift Away 21
IV. The Girl Who Plays at Flirtation 27
V. The Mysterious House on Wau-Winet Island 33
VI. The Letters That Ceased to Come 39
VII. Every Young Girl Would Like a Lover 45
VIII. A Mother's Desperate Scheme 50
IX. Gerelda's Escape From Wau-Winet Island 55
X. What Is Life Without Love? 60
XI. Gerelda Could Have Saved Her 67
XII. Out in the Cold, Bleak World 73
XIII. "I Love Jessie With Heart and Soul!" 78
XIV. "Do Not Leave Me!" 83
XV. "Hubert Cares For Me No Longer!" 90
XVI. What Ought a Girl To Do? 94
XVII. Love Is Bitter 99
XVIII. Wedding Bells Out of Tune 112
XIX. The Collision--The Pilot at the Wheel 121
XX. Love is a Poisoned Arrow in Some Hearts 127
XXI. So Hard to Face the World Alone 134
XXII. "Permit Me to Escort You Home" 143
XXIII. Jessie Bain Enters the House of Secrets 152
XXIV. "Oh, To Sleep My Life Away!" 157
XXV. "If I But Knew Where My Love Is!" 163
XXVI. Hubert Varrick Rescues Jessie Bain 170
XXVII. "I Would Rather Walk By Your Side" 178
XXVIII. A Mother's Plea 185
XXIX. Returning Good For Evil 197
XXX. A Terrible Revelation 207
XXXI. The Midnight Visitor 218
XXXII. Captain Frazier Plots Again 227
XXXIII. In the Toils 236
Kidnapped at The Altar
OR
The Romance of that Saucy Jessie Bain
CHAPTER I.
SOME YOUNG GIRLS FIND LOVE SO SWEET; TO OTHERS IT PROVES A CURSE.
It was a magnificent evening, in balmy June, on the far-famed St.
Lawrence.
The steamer "St. Lawrence" was making her nightly search-light excursion
down the bay, laden to her utmost capacity.
The passengers were all summer tourists, light of heart and gay of
speech; all save one, Hubert Varrick, a young and handsome man, dressed
in the height of fashion, who held aloof from the rest, and who stood
leaning carelessly against the taffrail.
The steamer was making its way in and out of the thousand green isles,
the great light from the pilot-house suddenly throwing a broad,
illuminating flash first on this and then on that.
As the light swept across land and water from point to point, Varrick
lightly laughed aloud at the ludicrous incidents, such as the sudden
flashing of the light's piercing rays on some lover's nook, where two
souls indulging in but one thought were ruthlessly awakened from sweet
seclusion to the most glaring publicity, and at many a novel sight,
little dreaming that at every turn of the ponderous wheels he was
nearing his destiny.
"Where are we now?" he inquired of a deck-hand.
"At Fisher's Landing, sir."
The words had scarcely left his lips ere a radiant flood of electric
light swept over the jutting bit of mainland. In that instantaneous
white glare Varrick saw a sight that was indelibly engraved upon his
memory while life lasted.
The dock was deserted by all save one person--a young girl, waving her
hand toward the steamer.
She wore a dress of some white, fleecy material, her golden hair flying
in the wind, and flapping against her bare shoulders and half-bared
white arms.
"Great heavens! who is that?" Varrick cried.
But as he strained his eyes eagerly toward the beautiful picture, the
scene was suddenly wrapped in darkness, and the steamer glided on.
"Who was that, and what place was it?" he asked again.
"It was Fisher's Landing, I said," rejoined the other. "The girl is
'Saucy Jessie Bain,' as they call her hereabouts. She's Captain Carr's
niece."
"Has she a lover?" suddenly asked Varrick.
"Lord bless you, sir!" he answered, "there's scarcely a single man for
miles around that isn't in love with Jessie Bain; but she will have none
of them.
"There's a little story about Jessie Bain. I'll tell it to you, since
you admire the girl."
But the story was not destined to become known to Varrick, for his
companion was called away at that moment.
He could think of nothing else, see nothing but the face of the girl he
had seen on the dock at Fisher's Landing.
This was particularly unfortunate, for at that moment Hubert Varrick was
on his way to be married on the morrow to the beautiful heiress, Miss
Northrup.
She was a famous beauty and belle, and Varrick had been madly in love
with her. But since he had seen the face of Jessie Bain he felt a
strange, half-defined regret that he was bound to another. He was not
over-impatient to arrive at his destination, although he knew that
Gerelda Northrup and a bevy of her girl friends would undoubtedly be at
the dock to welcome him.
This proved to be the case, and a moment later he caught sight of the
tall, stately beauty, who swept forward to meet him with outstretched
jeweled hands and a glad welcome on her proud face.
"I am so delighted that you have come at last, Hubert," she murmured.
But she drew back abashed as he attempted to kiss her, and this action
chilled him to the very heart's core.
He was quickly presented to Gerelda's girl friends, and then the party
made their way up to the Crossmon Hotel, which was only a few yards
distant, Varrick and Miss Northrup lagging a little behind the rest.
"I hope you have been enjoying your outing this season, my darling,"
said Varrick.
"I have had the most delightful time of my life," she declared.
Varrick frowned. It was not so pleasant for him to hear that she could
enjoy herself in his absence. Jealousy was deeply rooted in his nature.
"Is there any special one who has helped to make it so pleasant?" he
asked.
"Yes. Captain Frazier is here."
"Have you been flirting with him, Gerelda?" he asked.
"Don't be jealous, Hubert."
"I am jealous!" he cried. "You know that is the curse of the Varricks."
By this time they had reached the hotel. Throngs of beautiful women
crowded the broad piazzas, yet Varrick noticed with some pride that
Gerelda was the most beautiful girl there.
"You must be very tired after your long journey," she murmured. "You
should retire early, to be fully rested for to-morrow."
"Do you mean _you_ wish to retire early?" asked Hubert, rather
down-hearted that she wanted to dismiss him so soon. "If you think it
best I will leave you."
Was it only his fancy, or did her eyes brighten perceptibly?
A few more turns up and down the veranda, a few impassioned words in a
cozy nook, and then he said good-night to her, delivering her to the
care of her chaperon.
But even after he had reached his room, and thrown himself across his
couch, Varrick could not sleep.
The sound of laughter floated up to him.
Though it was an hour since he had bidden Gerelda good-night, he fancied
that it was her voice he heard in the porch below; and he fancied, too,
that he knew the other deep rich voice that chimed in now and then with
hers.
"That is certainly Frazier," he muttered.
Seizing his coat and hat, he donned them hurriedly, left his room,
stepped out of the hotel by a rear entrance, made a tour of the thickly
wooded grounds, until at last, from his hiding-place among the trees, he
could gain an excellent view of the brilliantly lighted piazza, himself
unseen.
His surmise had been but only too true.
Mad with jealous rage, Varrick turned on his heel.
He rushed down the path to the water's edge. A little boat was skimming
over the water, heading for the very spot where he stood. Its occupant,
a sturdy young fisherman, was just about to secure it to an iron ring,
when Varrick approached him.
"I should like to hire your boat for an hour," he said, huskily.
Varrick wanted to get away, to be by himself to think.
The bargain was made with the man, and with a few strokes from his
muscular arms the little skiff was soon whirling out into the deep
waters of the bay. Then he rested on his oars and floated down with the
tide.
Suddenly a clear and yet shrill voice broke upon his ear.
"Halloo! Halloo there! Won't you come to my rescue, please?"
Varrick could hear the girlish voice plainly enough, but he could not
imagine whence it came.
Again the shrill cry was repeated. Just then he observed a slight figure
standing down near the water's edge of the island he was passing.
Varrick headed for the island at once, and as he drew so near that the
face of the girl could be easily distinguished, he made a wonderful
discovery--the girl was Jessie Bain.
"I am so glad for deliverance at last!" she cried.
"How in the world came you here?" exclaimed Varrick.
"I came out for a little row," she said, "and stopped at this island for
some flowers that I had seen here yesterday. I suppose I could not have
fastened my boat very securely, for when I came to look for it, it was
gone; and, oh! my uncle would be so angry; he would beat me severely!"
Somehow one word brought on another, and quite unconsciously pretty
little Jessie Bain found herself chatting to the stranger, who vowed
himself as only too pleased to row out of his way to see her safely
home.
"Your home does not seem to be a happy one," he said at length.
"It wouldn't be, if they could have their way. It used to be different
when auntie was alive. Now my cousin beats me badly enough, and Uncle
John believes all she tells him about me. But I always get even with
her.
"In the morning my cousin went to her work (she clerks in one of the
village stores), but before she left the house she picked the biggest
quarrel you ever heard of, with me--because I wouldn't lend her the only
decent dress I have to wear. She expected her beau from a neighboring
village to come to town.
"I would have lent it to her, but she's just the kind of a girl that
wouldn't take care of anything, unless it was her own, and I knew it
would be ruined in one day.
"It took me a whole year to save money enough to get it. I sold eggs to
buy it, and, oh, golly! didn't I coax those chicks to lay, though!"
Varrick could not help but smile as he looked at her.
And she was so innocent, too. He wondered if she could be more than
sixteen or seventeen years old.
"About four o'clock she sent a note to the house, and in it she said:
"'Dear Cousin Jessie, I am going to bring company home, so for goodness'
sake do get up a good dinner. I send a whole basket of good things with
the boy who brings this note. Cook them all.'
"Well, I cooked the supper just as she wanted me to do. Oh! it was
dreadfully tempting, and right here let me say, whenever there's a
broken cup or saucer or plate in the house, or fork with only two
prongs, or a broken-handled knife, it always falls to me. My cousin
always says: 'It's good enough for Jessie Bain; let _her_ have it.'
"I prepared the dainty supper, ran and got every good knife and fork and
plate and cup and saucer, and hid them under an old oak-tree fully half
a mile away.
"I left out on the table only the broken things, to see how she'd like
them.
"By and by she and her beau came. I ran out the back door as I heard
them cross the front porch.
"Oh! but wasn't she mad! I watched her through the window, laughing so
hard I almost split my sides, and she fairly flew at me. Then I went
down and jumped into my little boat, and pushed away for dear life, to
be out of her reach. I rowed down to this island, thinking to fetch her
back some flowers to appease her mighty wrath; but I was so tired that I
fell asleep. I was frightened nearly to death when I awoke and saw that
it was dark night. I had a greater fright still when I discovered that
my little boat was gone--had drifted away."
Varrick had almost forgotten his own turbulent thoughts in listening to
the girl.
"Are you not afraid of punishment?" he asked, as they neared Fisher's
Landing.
He could see a quick, frightened look sweep over the girl's face.
"I don't know what they will do with me," she said.
"If they attempt to abuse you come straight to me!" cried Varrick, quite
forgetful in the eagerness of the moment what he was saying.
By this time they had reached Fisher's Landing. He sprung from the skiff
and helped her ashore.
"Good-night, and thank you ever so much," she said. And with a quick,
childish, thoughtless motion, she bent her pretty head and kissed the
strong white hand that clasped her own.
He had been so kind, so sympathetic to her, and that was something new
for Jessie Bain.
He watched her in silence as she flitted up the path, until she was lost
to sight in the darkness.
Then he re-entered his boat and made his way slowly back to the bay.
The spacious corridors of the grand Hotel Crossmon were wrapped in
silence when he reached it.
He half expected to see the two whom he had left in that
flower-embowered lovers' nook at the end of the piazza still sitting
there.
Then he laughed to himself at the folly of the thought.