The New York herald., 1874-11-28
LTAMIRA; Oh, SEVERED LIVES.
A STORY OF A WILD LOVE MATCH.
CHAPTER /.

CHAPTER L.
- ,ad,ss were seated In great dim room
Csrs,env tliumu ted Dy O ts ana starts with CLEANS
nf nrelirnS The large windows showed pale
dark SKY, In which swiiigns was giving Is place g g
the trees rough with the buds OF March, tossed
wildly in q hurricane OF wind, burdened with
dercefy against the windows q handful at a time
then ceased till some new cloud was ready 70 dis
Sonaf and furious was in the storm. 1t looked ant
foit IKE something not addressed TO the world II
general, bot aimed individually by some sngr.
spirit OF the elements At the people who lived herr
high up above the Drawing Esk amid she brown
wintry woods ct Rosscraig House.
old.issnoned Ola furniture, which woua have eA en-
ehanted connoissenr. The two ladies', VINO wer,
m nss, ot tSoUsn tns reliUnt sisamine ABOUT sman
rhe still life, caught here green reflection from
wonderful cabinet OF raress Verni-Martin. anl
strange old mirror, used TO rejecting wizards4 Il
was more easy to make out these accessories o
which occupied and reiened over this stnl and
dsrking chamber. They were IN one corner o.
the room near ear, the % hls; One the prevailing pre- vgn
in II OF mature lie. Just roughened here here
and there y OF wssa
ana came from an ample dark shadow in q
great chair, turned toward the are The other,
which gave forth only moDosylabic sounds OF
assent or wonder sweet and tender but feeble,
belonged to . smaller person near the nrst, and
facing herwnose cogn.eaance tnraea re
dark' This was the central light the highest tone
IN the picture except the pale cleaning OF tne SKY
from the windows ana sne ns'ui reo nasn irom
' .Ricnard's story" said the stronger voice.
s.cannot be supposed TO De very interesting to
Nary NAY w 0
the SOFT repetition-a reproach and an appeal.
aTnat was unKind. did not mean IT, I meant
interest, friendship; but Mary, Mary, friendship is
to them that are AL bound up IN one life as have
been IN my son.
Here there was q little pause, and then the
younger voice answered. ialterng II have known
him all my lille. Ihave seen few men but him.
THIS was 70 the wnon 9a Lady
gentle reader the door OF this great dim room.
She was deep in it by the time we shadows en-
oi us can figure to ourselves what mother would
be likely say OF her only child-the child not OF
tWeen mother and son, and brings them 1 toresher,
1t were, upon the table land OF LIE, sooner or
later-but the child OF her mature age, and there
fore, always q child to her. What she SAID OF MIN
need not repeat. The reader will make acquaIn-
tance with the man for himself different crea-
ture from the man as seen through his mothers
-Pernaps It is not thing to remark to youn
said tae OLD lady, who was old enough not only to
retain Scotch accent, but to use occasionally a
word peculiar to the Nortn-"but, Mary, you are
not bit grille unacquainted with the world.
You will recognize Richard in this that he married
the woman. God forgive me Pm sorely tempted
TO think sometimes that vice ls less deadly for
b0lB WOrlO LH8u Virtue. lou KNOW WudC most
men would have done they would have taken the
girl as they would have gathered a hover. and
neither she nor one belonging TO ner knew better,
nor expected better; but my Richard, God bless
him, was a foo Mary, he was fool His father
says so, and what can | say dnerentS He has
always been fool In that way, thank God He
married the woman, and then ne sent 10 me when
1t was all over, and nothing could be mended, to
come and see, ior Gods sake, what was TO be
done.n
"And you wenrp,
al went alter q struggle: could not thole the
tnra. "A ay1ra n nov nd
1t was ridiculous name-a play actor's name.
They called her Altamira. What do you think Of
that for Richards wiie9 | thought she was some
shOpkeeper's daughter-some scheming dressing,
hali-bred woman. that mad made her scheme to
marry him because his father was Lord Eskside-
though Heaven knows it's poor enough iordship
when all is said. Perhaps we women too apt
to take this view: naturally, when such thing
happens, we think II the woman's fault, the
woman's doing. But Mary, Mary, when saw the
girl"
1.-The biameii cried the old lady, with some
impatience; then, sinking her voice low, she said
hurriedy-'.the girl was no shOpkeeper's daughter,
NOT even a cottage lass, nor out of ploughman 8
house, or weaver's house. or the lowest you can
tramp. Mary, do you know what that meanss-
. creature hanging aoout the roads and fields, at
% ana races & sne
was Richards wife,"
80, Lady Eskside w
"You may well say OH As for me, II had ever
tainted IN my life would have tainted then. She
was q beautiful creature; but tire sight OF her
brought sickness to my very heart. sne was like
q wild hunted tning frightened TO death for me
and everything that was civllized-looking out OF
her Wild black eyes to see how she could escape
shrinking back not to touched, If she thought
! would give her blow. Blame you might as
well blame deer that it let itself be ken, poor,
bonnie painting. senseles5 thilgi ! blamed no.
body Mary was just appalled,, neither more nor
less, the mans folly that mad done 1t. Think OF
The madness Of It, ior It was no question Of max
ing q lazy OF her, woman that could take hts
mothers place. She had to be tanned first out OF
Taught TO live in q house and wear decent clothes
rs she had never done in her llie."
listeners lips, ana strange pang which nobody
knew OF went through her neart-a pang inde-
scribable, mingled or misery, humiliation, and
kind OF guilty and bitter pride-gutity, though she
was innocent enough This was his choice she
SAID TO herself; and that sharp and singing con-
olit-which woman sometimes permits herself to
feel Tor man who has slighsed her, shot through
the gentlest soul in the world.
ri cannot tell yon,r said Lady Eskside her voice
sinking low, so that her companion had TO stoop
forward to hear, ''al that / went through. she
broke away from rs and got back to her people
more than once. Our ways were misery and bon
dage TO her. at first she had to be dressed like a
chIld-watcEed like child Her husband mad no
influence over her, and she was frightened Tor me
the moment she was out OF our sight her whole
mind was busy WIFI schemes 10 get away"
'.But what reason-w1at motrve''-began the
other, ialterIng.
None said Lady Eskslde. Listen, Mary.
good; there was no wickedness in her as wo-
man. What wife meant, Ia any higher sense, she
was ignorant Of; but there was no narm-no
HARM Always remember this, whatever may hap
pen and Whatever you may hear. j say it-Ricn-
ards motner-that Can have no motive to shield
her. she wanted ner freedom, nothing more. She
was not an III woman; nothing uad-in that way
was 10 her mead. She would have put her knife
into the man VINO spoke lightly to her as soon as
look at him. She was proud IN her way OF being
Richards wife, Sne felt the difference 10 made BE-
tween her and others. But she was IKE a Wild
animal or ord. Sne would not be Gagged, and there
was too deep an ignorance In her to learn. There
was no foundation 10 ouild upon-nelther am bition,
nor pride, nor any leelng that the ike OF us ex
pect TO hnd.n
"And was there no love 2r The voice that made
this inquiry trembled and had q thrill ~ IL OF
feeling so mingled as TO be indescr bable-btter-
ness, wonder. pity, and sense OF contrast more
Overwhelming Than all.
Lady Eskside did not reply al once "oiten and
often I've asked myself that question: she said
nj length; "was there lover How can tell 7
There are different Kinds or love, Mary. You and
J even would love very differently, let alone you
her there wOQll he q