Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-11-06

90 to them: children to be taught, maid
ems to be counseled, widows to be COM
forted, orphans to be cared for-all came
to Miss Quincy, and went away happier
and better for her gentle ministration
That little sofa in the window was the
Jordan where many destitute wretch
was healed from want and misery and sin.
Ay, sin, for none were too depraved or too
guilty to be reached by Miss Gurney's
mercy. The rector was her guide, I her
prime minister; and between us, as the
years went on, we provided her with work
enough to do and to spare.
Sometimes I feared she was wearing
herself out; but one could not see the
white, wistful face and wasted form in its
long black dress, without feeling that any
work would be blessed which led her to
the home for which her bruised spirit
craved.
That home was reached at last
Nearly twenty years had passed from
the day of that fatal letter, when | was
called to attend an Invalid nobleman at
the West End. He had been i'll for some
time; but crisis in the disease had come
on, and the family surgeon called in my
assistance to his noble patient.
The first day l went / was received by
a young and very pretty girl, whom i'm
agined to be my patients daughter until
she introduced herself as Lady Scarsdale,
with merry littly laugh at my mistake;
and then, though the name struck me
painfully, | never guessed at its belonging
to any one but some distant relation Of the
young lieutenant of former days, till on
being taken to the sufferers bedside, |
recognized at once in the stern-looking,
bearded man the individual of all others
whom | most despised.
lie did not recognize me at all. From
a thin, pale, fair haired man, had grown
into burly, bald-headed, gray-whiskered
old fellow, as unlike my former self as
possible; and as for my name, that was
too common to attract attention.
1t was not pleasant for me to be attend
ing Lord Scarsdale; but he was in very
bad way, and had consented to give my
services before l knew who required
them; besides, the illness under which he
labored was supposed to be my specially,
so | could not in conscience throw up the
case.
You may be sure | said no word to Miss
Quincy of my new patient.
| soon found out that Lord Scarsdale's
home was anything but happy one. He
had married thus late in life young and
giddy girl, whom he loved warmly, but
with jealous, moody, exacting affection,
which rather repealed that attracted its
object.
She had indeed fallen in love with him
for the name Of his past conquests, and
for the fascination of manner he still re-
tanned; but the marriage had turned out
worse than i'll. He had drunk out pleas
ure to the dregs, and now only wanted
rest and quiet for the remainder of his life
She was beginning hers, wilful as child,
restless as a kitten, and desperately fond
of love and admiration.
OF course he was furiouslv Jealous; men
who have been false and tickle all their
lives never believe in the fidelity of 9TH
ers; and in consequence he made himself
so disagreeable to his young wife, that she
took to flirting in real earnest; and at the
time was called in, "Scarsdales jealousy
and his wife's beauty and frivolty" had
become by-word with the inhabitants of
Belgravia, male and female. Some one
else had become q by-word, too, in con-
nection with Lady Scarsdale, and that was
a certain Captain Swinburn, of the Tenth
Royals, who came to the house pretty well
every other day, and seemed to be work
ing on little Lady Scarsdale's vanity with
| impunity, now her lord lay i'll in bed
VI COulSc IL was no DUSIUtSS Oh mine,
and | ought to have been rather glad of a
breakup in the home of one who had
shown himself such an utter blackg
in days gone by; but somehow the affair
| troubled me- [ could not help liking the
| pretty, childish little wife, who with all
| her nonsense and vanity seemed innocent
enough at heart. Besides, like most En-
glishmen, | object to seeing mans
household goods furnished and destroyed
| did not know how frail were the Lares
and Penates in this case, or perhaps Miss
| Quincy mad inoculated me with some of
| her mercy, for [ confess to feeling terribly
| shocked and grieved when, one wet win
ter evening, as | was on my way home
from Lord Scarsdale's for the last time
he having been pronounced cured, and
able to go out again into the world on the
morrow encountered shivering, half
sobbing female in the street, who asked
me which was the turning to the South
kensingtOn railway station, and whom |
recognized as Lady Scarsdale! When
she recognized me she tainted.
| | took her into a chemists shop, and
| there it came out that she was in the act
of leaving her home and husband forever
HE was cruel; he did not love her; he
hated her ways; and she had written to
tell him she had gone, and would never
| 90 back-never!' 1t all came out in
foods Of hysterical tears; and this much
more, that Captain Swinburn was waiting
for her at the South Kensington station,
and had promised to take her to an aunt
of his-some lady living in Jersey, |
think.
| In plain words, half in innocence, half
in Wilfulness, she was rushing into ire
trievable ruin.
| l don't know all / said to her, nor yet
half. 1t was of very little avail. l know
| | found myself insisting on Lord Scars
dale's trust and love with an eloquence
that astonished myself, and finally threat
ening to take her straight back to him I'M
| less she would give up her project, at
least for the night.
1t was an awfully hard task. She
sobbed and wept, and would gladly, |
know, have returned home but for fear of
her husband. "He was so harsh; and for
her own people, they were worse, and
would simply hand her over to his JUS
tice" (she shivered at the mere ideal; land
Captain Swinburn said his aunt was SO
kind.''
Then l spoke my mind to her, and ST.
fenced any further mention of Captain
Swinburn's aunt, though when she saw
how far she had gone on her downward
path, it only increased her terrified refusal
to trust herself to her husbands mercy
was at my wits ends.
1t was getting late. We were near the
station, and Captain Swinburn might ap-
pear at any moment looking for the run
away, in which case my influence would
be NIL. or Lord Scaredale might have cot