River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-12-29

/ sat motionIess, not needing whether
it was night or day.
| Hilda my saint with the holy eyes
| knew why had seen strange vanish
| ings of expressions 50 hard to interpret
in those eyes; why there was an mex
| plicable sadness about them as of eyes
accustomed to tears; why her mouth
held such possibilities of pain. She had
not deceived me, after ALL There was
nothing in her past, as she know it, that
could bring blush to her cheek.
And yet | knew, and the knowledge
seemed to build up an invisible wall be
tween us--a gulf that | could see al
though she could not. How could !
betray her childlike trust in me? On
what plea could | break the bond be-
tween us?
Her wedding-dress was made. She
had shown it to me in innocent, girlish
pride, and it was wreathed with white
lilies-of-the-valley as pure and as
sweet as herself, | had said. would
write to her; | could not look her N
the face and give her up.
| No: it would be dastardly to write,
to give her the stab in the dark, and
not know what she suffered After all,
she had been sinned against, and the
very memory Of it was past, her heart
was pure as little child's. So the
reader will guess the sequel. Love
conquered and we were married. Never
more innocent, girlish face beamed
beneath bridal vail, never purer, shy
er eyes were raised to receive hus-
banG's kiss.
/ was happy; only now and then a
| torturing thought would torment me.
Could that certain tangle of nerves of
which the doctor spoke ever regain its
power? A pAralyzed limb sometimes
RECEIVERS feeble motion. What hor-
ror if the slumbering brain woke and
the terrible past, with all its hideous-
ness, should dawn suddenly upon my
Hildal
found her as good, as gentle, as
had dreamed, with a tender, loving
heart, and quick, generous impulses.
We did not go to Germany on our we'd
ding journey, although she urged it,
and it was my first negative to her
wishes. am afraid-afraid of an echo
from the past.
But we vent to Paris, and | dazzled
my simple wife's eyes with the pretty
things | bought for her. We went in
and out of the grand old galleries, too,
and she developed a taste for the old
masters, and knowledge of art that
charmed me. Each day seemed to
bring up from the clear pellucid waters
CT this young life some pearl of purest
ray serene" that ! accepted with new
delight.
One day we had gone back to our
hotel weary of the days work, although
it had been all pleasure. | did not
notice the unusual crowd at the en-
trance, being somewhat absorbed in
my own thoughts, when / felt Hilda' S
grasp on my arm.
"Oh, poor mani" she cried, che must
be terribly hurt"
Then | saw that several persons were
supporting young man, with q ghast-
ly death-like face and closed eyes, into
the nearest room.
"Run over" vouchsafed q stranger
near = Unjust have been blind or
drunk"
At that moment the young man open
ed pair of large, dark, melancholy
eyes, and looked at us.
"Hildal Godw he groaned; Hilda,
you are avenged"
Aud he was dead,
No one seemed to- notice the words
no one but |. Even Hilda, who had
heard them, looked only shocked and
full of pity.
"Come, we cannot help him: let us
get awayW / exclaimed, shaking as
one IN palsy.
How very, very sad!" said my wife,
as she laid off her hat. Perhaps he
has little wife at home, for he said
'Hilda.' There are so many Hildas
Oh, my darling | am glad | am not
that Hildia. And he looked as if he
had led an evil life, though he was
very handsome?"
held her close to my heart, for il
seemed to me ghostly hand was
plucking her away.
was not surprised when, on asking
the name of the unfortunate man the
next day, l was informed that on the
letters in his pocket was this address
''Graf Rudolph Won Eberstein."
"a hard nut" some one volunteered,
''thev say he'd swallowed three for
tunes, and would have soon been in the
gutter, SO he slipped out of the world
in good time, to save him the trouble
of shooting himself"
"His name was Won Eberstein, Hill
d." l said, with wild desire to know
| the worst.
German, them" she said, quietly.
Malcolm, won't this be pretty for a
table-c cover in our new homer"
Then my heart was at rest, and
thanked God and took courage. The
lost year was dead and buried beyond
the power of resurrection in his life.