Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-12-23

and it occurred to me to test it.
Were they very much disturbed In
Heidelberg that summer the war broke
out ~ asked.
She flushed and hesitated.
You were home-weren't you ?"
ell can't remember" she said, in
constrained voice.
"Why it is only FIVE years ago, my
pet; don't your memory go back for
five years ~
ooh, further than that" she said,
quickly; "but Malcolm / have been
puzzled about it very often. I will tell
you, there is just that one year can
not remember anything about"
Great heaven could it be that she
had lost her reason during that time
and been in an insane asylum? The
thought came to me like a flash OF
electric light, and thrilled me with pain.
Was there the faint of insanity in my
darling's blood The doubt stung me.
How else could she have lost year
out of her life?
"Were you sick or sad when you re-
member your life again? -
oh, no; we were full of hope about
the new country, for We were coming
here"
"And did you ever talk to your IA
ther about it?'
"My dear Malcolm, would you believe
It that never discovered till lately that
year had slipped out Of my life in
such q mysterious manner? 1t was
fixing dates about the war that did it,
and then poor papa was in the church
yard"
And she looked 50 sad that kissed
her, saying;
Never mind about that lost year,
darling. | will make the coming years
so bright that you will soon forget il"
az don't care for it now, if you
DON'T" she whispered, with her head
upon my shoulder; " only it makes me
strange, unlike other girls"
80 you are unlike themn | ex-
claimed, in lovers rhapsody $50
much sweeter and purer and saint
Her." and so on through the rosary of
love.
But still, once in while, like a dis
cord among the sweet notes, the thought
Of that year would recur to me. knew
all my darling's life, all her pure, sweet
thoughts, and | grew jealous of those
closed and sealed pages in very I'M
reasonable way.
One night, week before our we'd
ding day, which was fixed in the rosy
month Of June, sat at my window idly
looking out into the moonlit garden,
when thought struck me-the diary
why had | not thought of it before?
Surely that would throw some light
upon this year. own | did not take
it up without thrill, as if | were dis
turbing some dead and buried sorrow.
had very curious sensation about it,
a cold chill creeping over me, as if
were entering II grave. And was not
about 10 interrogate the dead about the
living? ! turned over the pages with
out interest till / came to certain
date, and even then | was not thorough
ly Interested till / saw Hilda's name as
follows:
"July Fin glad Hilda likes her
school. 1t was struggle to let her go,
but best that she should not spend her
young life with an old man SO absorbed
IN science. She is out of the way of
lovers, toe, and will be better guarded.
began TO fear an interest in young Won
Eberstein- -dissipdted young spendthrift
as he is-has Just the kind of romantic
appearance, with his large, melancholy
dark eyes, that would fascinate my fair
little girl But Madam Gerhard will
iook after all this-the child is only SIX
teen-too young to think of love, and |
would rather lay her in her grave than
give her TO Won Eberstein-she knows
il, too.
August Il am drawing near to a
wonderful discovery, and l tremble rs
one who stands on the shore of the in
| finite Mt this new shell Of knowledge
that have picked up. Why should il
not be that one might learn t. forget
Oh, the torture of memory to the sin
ner, it is the hell that is the penalty Of
his sin. If one could"
"Well, | did not finish on this topic
| was so eager to go on about my dar-
| ling, so | hurried over the leaf, till !
saw her name again, and then dropp.
ed the book paralyzcd with terror, fol
this is what | read:
September 30.-God i'll heaven have
mercy My child is gone She went
out on some little shopping expedition
they write me; she was seen walking
under the trees with young man
Ach. Himmel! | know who he was
may God Almighty punish him forever
and that was the last. Oh, Hilda
oh, my little white dove Oh, my
heart is breaking But | will find her
| will kill the miserable wretch, the
There was Il sudden break here, and
| | could have read no more. Ny hear
seemed to stand still, and | wondered
if madness had not conjured up the
whole | passed my hand over my
eyes, stared out into the moonlight a
the familiar scene, took up a rosebud
that Hilda had given me that evening
and dropped it again and crushed i
under my heel. Was she so false and
such consummate actress, too? How
innocent, how guileless. All my brain
burned and every pulse beat painfully
but picked up the book again. Per
haps there was some mistake. | must
know the worst. There was i long
hiatus-no entry till
january 31.-Thank heaven | have
found her-so miserable, SO abiect, thai
1 LldNG bniN NtHl illO ldktll utI III lily
arms and whispered that, though al
the world turn against her, her father
heart and home are open She has
told me the whole story-the lovers
| meeting, and how he wiled her away
with lies about priest waiting. Nc
one would know my girl now, and nc
one shall have chance to see her; the
neighbors do not know She is in the
house But when find the accursed
william who has wrecked her life"
Here followed the most bloodhound
ling threats and vows, but could not
read them, hurried on
February 10 10 not write much
here now what have | to tell? have
forgotten all the other wrecks of hui
mainly Ill the one that sits beside my
hearth, looking with listless eyes on
all. | cannot rouse her to anything.
Life seems at IN end for her. The
horror, the amaze, seems to have
turned her TO stone, and in this marble
image heart pulses painfully, brain
| dazed, yet forever recurring, in terri
BILE monotone, to one experience
throhs on. Ny God. | must do some
! thingl | waken each day with horror
that shall find her dead by her own
handl She was so white thing. Oh,
God, thou knowest that she shoulders
at herself.
.aMarch oa-I laid the first snow