Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-12-27
THE UNLOVED WIFE.
By MIS-. E. d. EN- soUTHwoRTH.
CHAPTER I.
Sir Knight, of thy fair courtesie,
Tell me whether dark or bright,
Or little loved, or loved Alright,


masquerade ball, which was given as the
valedictory of the old and the salutatory
of the new year, at the opening of one o.
the most brilliant seasons our natlona
capital had ever seen.
A great war had ended.
A renowned military commander was
at the head of our government, with 6
council selected from among the mos1
eminent statesmen of the nation, and 6
diplomatic corps of the most distin-
guished ministers from foreign coun-
tries.
Certain illustrious personages of royal
rank or lineage-a Brazilian emperor, a
Russian grand duke, and Bourbon
prlnce-were among the transient and
honored guests of the city.
| Besides these, there were gathered at
the capital the usual winter multitude OF
noted politicians, financiers, authors,
artists. beauX, beauties, leaders of fash
ion and queens of society.
Conspicuous among these bright lights
of the world, were two who were termed
one the s'lien," and the other the
''belle'' of the season.
They were both young, handsome,
gifted, and one was wealthy.
The name of the first mentioned was
Tudor Hereward He was an accom-
plished scholar, an eloquent orator, ris-
ing statesman, and although but twenty
seven years of age, he was already an
able party leader in the national House
of Representatives. In person he was
TALL fair and stately.
His dress was always faultlessly neat,
and even fastidiously dainty.
His manners were reserved and cold,
except when he was warmed up in debate
on the floor of the house of representa-
tives, when he would often seem to be
| TRANSPORTED, and inspired with splen-
did ard burning eloquence. Men pre-
dicted for him an lllustrious future. He
was now, as has been said. the ''llon" of
the season.
The 'belle" of the winter was Leda
Won Kirschberg, the only child and heir
ess of Jacob Won Klrschberg, head of the
great banking house of that name.
She was beautiful, stately blonde,
with brilliantly blooming complexion,
sparkling, purphsh blue eyes, small
aquiline nose, pouting ruby lips, and
shining, ripping auburn hair.
Her dresses were the happiest ''inspira
tons" of Worth and of PIngen, and the
envy and despair of her rivals Her man
ners were at once dignifed and gracious.
So much for the social status and
personal appearance of the "lion :"
and the "belle'' of that resplendent scene
and season.
To say that nearly all the young ladies
were more or less infatuated with the
''lion," and that quite all the young men
were in love with the ''belle," would be
but faint statement of the situation.
And that these two were utterly devo-
ted to each other was too apparent to
all.
But all for "the course of true leve'-
there was an insurmountable obstacle in
the way of its happy termination IN mar
rage.
The belle of the season was betrothed
maiden !
The fact was not generally known, for it
had not been ostentatiously announced in
the society column Of the newspapers, but
Miss Won Kirschberg was really engaged
to be married to Mr.. Nicholas Bruyin, a
millionaire, much richer and very much
older than her own father.
So you see
The ancient bridegroom expectant had
not come with the widowed father and
motherless daughter to Washington, so
that few in the city knew of the great
mans existence, and none knew of his
relations to the beauty and heiress.
Least of all did Tudor Hereward, her
devoted knigh, suspect the truth. For
if he had done so, be sure that his fine
sense of honor would have forbidden him
to trespass on the sacred rights Of the
betrothed lover by too marked attentions
to the betrothed maiden.
No. Tudor Hereward was ignorant in
seeking and ignorant in winning the i'm
passioned heart of Lena Won Kirschberg.
Why she had concealed the fact of her
marriage engagement, and why she had
encouraged and even invited the exclu-
sive attentions of Mr.. Hereward, is, per-
haps, not difficult to understand.
In the first instance it was probably
nothing more than vanity promted her to
seek to attract and monopolize the atten-
lions of the most brilliant society man at
the capital. Possibly she meant no harm
at all, and had no ultimate object in view.
But she who plays at flirting" plays
with fire.
Before she was we'll aware of the truth,
she had not only captlvated the famous
Young statesman, but she had irrevocably
lost, to him, her own heart
But that she had ne intention of giving
him her hand was soon quite apparent.
The night of the last day in the old
year, the night of the masquerade ball
given by Senator s., in his splendid new
mansion in the northwest quarter of the
city, was destined to decide their fate.
| Miss Won Kirschberg and Mr.. Tudor
Hereward were, of course, among the
invited guests.
| He took no character. 1t would not
| have been in harmony with his proud,
fastidious nature to play any part, or at
least any conspicuous part in such a har-
lequin ade.
| Pe merely covered his usual evening
dress with an inscrutable black dom
inc of fine cashmere, and his hand
some face with black mask Of fine
velvet.
Shelby some subtle sympathy divin-
ing his thoughts and intentions on the
subject-also eschewed the queens, gip-
sizes, peasants, nuns, and nights and
mornings, into which the ladies would
try to transform themselves for one
evening only, and over her dress she
| c,ora q v-hita oilLr domino apd ovor ha,