Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-08-04
The Hand of Fate.

The Hand OF Fate.
After " ilford Dumont married Annie
Lee in a fit of pique and jealousy, Ellen
Harland, once his betrothed wife, SUI
fered more than words can tell.
She had loved him in her wild passion
ate way, and had never thought she conld
lose hiH; but she had trusted too much In
her own power, and another woman was
the wife of the young millionaire. She
nearly went mad with rage and pride and
wounded passion, but she had sense enough
TO hide her heart from envious eyes. As
as long as she felt that InWilford's presence
she would turn pale; as long as she could
not bear hfs voice or glance without wiac-
ing, she kept out of his way, under pre-
tence of visiting an aunt at distance; but
in the sPrightly letters that she wrote her
friends, she spoke of being glad that VIII
ford Dumont had not felt her dismissal Of
him 10 severely too be comforted. And
when she was once more mistress of her
self she called upon the bride, and Mrs
Dumont, who knew nothing of the old
love story welcomed her heartily, and told
WilfOrd, on his return home, that she was
delighted with his old friend Miss Har-
land
She cannot have cared for me, " thought
Wilford DumOnt. with psng no husband
should have felt at such thought, but the
little wife never guessed it and it did not
harm her. She returned the young lady's
call and an intimacy began at once. So
that, when the Dumonts went to their
place on the Hudson for the summer sea-
son, Annie sent warm invitation to Miss
Harland.
Ellen thought it over. 1t was an offer not
TO be despised by fashionable girl with
small income.
She desired to marry, and hotels at Wa
tering-places were expensive. All the
men of their set would be at Wilford Du-
mont's at one time or another. The neigh
boring residents were people of position.
She could dress and flirt to her hearts con-
tent. and Wilford could see what prize
he had lost, even while she gave him plain
ly to understand that she was glad she had
escaped the matrimonial yoke. And then
she wrote loving note TO Annie, and held
an interview with her dressmaker.
And Wilford Dumont-weil he had
loved this girl, and had married Annie be-
bause she had made him angry. And
Annie was so sweet and mild and gentle.
And now he was waiting for her coming
with a guilty feeling in his heart. He
wanted to see her, to sit by her, TO hear
her sing As her host, he could do this, at
least. He went 10 the depot TO drive her
home. Annie had, Of course, expected
him to do that, but she had not expected
what followed; for when they were IN the
little waggonette side by side, and she
turned and looked into his eyes, Wilford
Dumont had kissed the girl. 1t was night;
and, though the moon was bright, the
shady lanes which led to Dumont Park
were still and lonely. No human eyes
looked down upon them, and their lips had
met so often-Oh, so ofteni-before.
But Ellen drew back and flushed scarlet,
and said:
You forget you are married man,
SIR"
And Wilford answered:
''Yes, did forget. Pardon me-"
That and nothing more. Then there
was silence, each of those two suffered IN a
different way, and yet somehow there was
pleasure in the pain
After this they could not stand on the
calm, friendly footing they had both hoped
for. He, at least, meant no wrong. She
had hoped that he might be regretful OF the
past, but had not dreamt that he would
dare presume upon it.
For an hour or so after-the evening was
Over-the long dinner, the music In the
parlor. the dark, the walk in the moonlight,
with the young wife's arm about her
waist-Ellen intended to make her visit
very brief In little while, however, she
changed her mind. She would stay. Yes
stay: and this wife, who boasted to her OF
her husbands love, should suffer little
also. What was she to come between themf
And now all that was evil asserted itself IN
ELAN Harland's heart, and where evil once
abidesit grows stronger day by day.
She laughed, she fiirted, she danced with
other men, but she met Wilford alone by
the banks OF the river She sang duets
with this one, looked merrily into the eyes
OF that, but in the lonely woods she sat py
Wilford's side with his arm about her
waist.
They talked freely OF the past now. lie
had confessed that she was yet more W
him than any other woman; more than Ms
trusting, unsuspicious wife. Only that
little life stood between them, and often'
as Ellen looked at Annie, she felt that siie
should be glad to see her in her coffln.
Yet the end of her visit approached. ohe
must 90, since she would have no excuse
for lingering, and in her absence might ho'
thowife win the heart of one who already
respected and admired her, though his pas
sion was another'sl Surely.
So, with the fiend's whisper in her ears
Ellen Harland one day walked out aione'