Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1878-10-03
"You are absurd now," and she
passed Ler hand through his arm, and
looked into his eyes with her look her

| aooASo AHSc nio y 90 VIVA AS1 'OSA AASi
| fresh smile. 49,, ..--..... -.. ....-e
He looked back against his will:
| rapturous, clinging, despairing look
out of the gray eyes, whose express
sion had grown SO grave and dispcip-
ined during these five years. +,
'I wish ] had never been worse
than absurd" he said.
"And I wish you would not judge
yourself so morbidly," she continued. I
II see you are in one of your misan-
trophic moods, rakiug up the spectres
of those two ill-spent years. Take
my Judgment am not called too
merciful as a judge-you have expi-
ated their follies. Let them rest,
forgotten" as.lt.f- .s.
HAlas, they can never be forgotten
nor expiated," he said.
Tina did not answer, only tried to
comfort him mutely, in her womanly
fashion, by shedding the influence of
her devotion around his. path. She
loved hlm, unsonght, unasked ), she
loved him with the intensity and per-
lsistency OF a first, last passion. And
she firmly believed that he loved her.
AS for the mystery which forever
checked any betrayal on Lis part,
she had faith that time would unrav-
! el it.
Celia Lucas had not had brain fe-
vcr, as the physicians predicted, af-
ter her accident on the railway. But
when she came out of the lethargy
which succeejedit her reason was
disturbed. She recognized no one
But she believed herself married, liv-
ing with Victor amid happy and dis
tant scenes, and only disturbed at
times by accessions of jealousy, whose
cause she never named.
She was quiet, cheerful, tractable,
for two or three months. Doctors
said it was local affection of the brain,
which time would remedy. But by
and lhGy she began to manifest extreme
aversion to her itdhfiesss, ttdhfies which increas-
ed till his presence threw feE into
paroxyisms. Further on no one bui
Victor could influence her. Alone
with him, it would not have been sus-
pected that she suffered from me eltal
disturbance. This led him to assume
the best part of the care of her. And
nobly he performed the task.
Six months from the date Of the
accident the physicians said, in an
swer TO his inquiries:
1--WE believe that the cure is in
your hands. If you are willing to
assume the entire care OF her, and to
take her away, travel with her, and
divert her, we anticipate a speedy
, cure.
For the first time in his life, Victor
r Lang forced himself to do what ap-
, peared his duty-his bare, plain,
, hard duty. He forced himself to
confer the only benefit in his power
p upon the woman who had lavished
e all, in the plentitude of her love, OF
e him.
On dismal wintry morning, IL
the Gin, grand parlor of the gam
t bler's mansion, an unmcaning cere
: mony made Celia Lucas his wife
:. She was beautiful as ever, marble
d white, and her sad dark eyes had
strange tenderness in their otherwis
y vacant depths. Immediately afte
II the ceremony close carriage con
C veyed the pair to the steamer, whic
II sailed at noon for Havana.
Is That night, at midnight, all O
board the steamer were startled ou
II of their early sleep by 3 series of ne,
l. er-to-be-forgotten shrieks. The doc
le of the stateroon whence they pre-
l. teeded had to be broken open, an
there they found Victor Lang stretch
l. ed, bleeding, apparently lifeless,
his berth, and his bride crouchin
,e ,e with glittering, maniacal eyes, hold
ing the knife with which she had a,
,e tempted to murder him.
:, OF all the pitiful story which 70
= lowed there is but tile to be tolt
, Victor recovered, and Celia was plat
"a "a ed in a private asylum. He then ds
- : termined to remove to the Wes
- where old friends of his fathers prom
- ised to befriend him. Before star
:. :, ing he vent to see Tina Vanderlyl
- now in her last year at school. Som,
II thing of his story he felt it was be
"a to tell her.
Ih 81 want you," he said, ''to pl
- the care of your money in 9th,
hands. have lost it once, and a
'd ID not willing to run the risk of losir
4 it again"
ve "How was it recovered, If it h
It, been lost?" she asked, in her quic
lie penetrating way. tt
SIT was not recovered, Tina.
mt la1y who knew about you, and WI
ng blamed and pitied me, made good Il
ny loss" ..
or "Where is she now this lady
on suspicioltsly.
in. s'She is sick, Tina-of mind d
se eased. She is inslne.''
nd "How sad!'' she sail coldly.
ST. Some months later Victor "
startled to find that Tina, havi
DC graduated, had secured position
Ike teach in the city where he lived. )
ng came accompanied by 8 relatl
ars whom she called Aunt Jane, and vi
her sat up a small establishment.
w, "Why have you done this, Tina
up he asked. "You had enough, W
lg. your tastes, to live ON without teat
vas ing"
ere s'I have nothing" she replit
ain tersely, shut what / earn
my "Where is your money!"
ina 81 have given it to an asylum
en- the insane where they take some p,
patients for less ON account Of
q L endowment. ~,
be- "Tina, why have you done so?
the 81 did not wish the money.
for thought of giving it back to the ID
you spoke of, but do not know '
ray she is. And she would not und
lick stand, / suppose. Besides, she me
the to be kind to you and to me.
the would not hurt her feelings !"
OPP Victor coald not tell her that
ng. lady, was his wife. He meant
her Month by month and year by year
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