The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-10-31
HER MOTHERS SECRET.
CHAPTER I.
THE MISTRESS OF MONDREBR.

THE MISTRESS OF MONDRE8R.
There il a wound within her-'tisa wound
That lies toe deep for tesrs and many q while
When all that Is around her seems To smile,
Within her heart Of heart kneli doth sound.
ISAAC WILLIAMS.
"Mother! Oh. mother! it viii
break my heart!" walled Odalite
sinking at the lady's feet, and drop
ping her head into her hands, face
downward to the carpet.
The lady gently raised her child,
took her in her arms and tenderly ca
ressed her. murmuring softly:
"No, my own hearts never break,
or one heart, l know, must have bro
ken long ago. Besides" she added, in
a firmer t0ne-"Honor must be saved,
though hearts be sacrificed"
"Honor. mother, dear? / do not
understand. do not see what honor
has to do with it. Or if it has,
should think that houor would be bet.
ter saved by keeping faith with LIE
than by breaking with him! Oh,
mother! mother! 1t will kill me p
moaned Odalite.
My child. my dear girl, hear me
listen to reason! Leonidas Force has
no claim to he remembered BY you.
You have never been engaged to him.
You we're but little girl of thirteen.
when he went to sea, on his first
voyage. three years ago, nn,l Wv
have not seen him since. What pas
sible claim can he have upOI y.u
since no betrothal exists between vou?"
gently questioned the lady, tenderly
running her fair fingers through
the dark tresscs of the young
head that leaned upon her
bosom.
"Oh. mother" replied the girl, with
a heavy sigh. 81 know that there was
no formal betrOthal between lie and
observation-disclosures all knew, you
aud father and LIE and I-ail knew
and always knew. that we two belong.
ed to eacn other and would always be-
long to each other all our lives. LIE
and | never thought of any other
fate"
Idle, childish fancies. my poor
little girl! too trivial to cause you
these tears Wipe them away. and
look clearly at the higher destiny
more worthy of your birth and beauty"
murmured the lady. pressing her ripe,
red lips upon the pale brow of her
darling.
''Oh, mother, do not want high
er destiny l do not want any destiny
apart from lie. And these are not
childish fancies, and not trivial to me
Oh, think, mother. LIE and / were
playmates as far back in nv life as I
can remember. We loved each other
better than We loved any one else i'm
the whole world. You aud father
used to laugh at US and pretend to be
jealous; but We saw that you were
pleased all the time for you both i'll
tended us for each other, and we knew
it, too, for father used to say when he
saw how inseparaBle we two we're: SO
mucn the better; / hope their hearts
will not be estranged when they grow
up! And our hearts have never be-
come estranged from each otber!'
oh, Yes, dearest, / know that
there was some speculative talk when
you were children of uniting you and
LeOnidas, 50 that the name of Force
might not die out from Mondreer. But
l never really approved of marrying
OLaiite. merely to keep the
family name on the family estate "
But, mother. darling, LIE and
| never thought of the family name
and estate We Only thought of one
And, besides, we are such
very, very dis ant cousins-only fourth
Or fifth, l think that that objection
could never be raised. On, mother!
dear, mother do not compel me to
break with LIE / can not I! / can not
Oh. indeed, | can not !" she cried.
burying her face in the ladyis bosom.
f1iIriua Force caresSed Der daughter
i'm silence.
Presently Odalite lifted her head
and pleaded
He is coming home so soon now,
and SD full of hope He expects to be
mere by Christmas and he expects
oh, yes, | know by his last letter
that ne expects tO-tO-to-" The
girls eyes fell under the compassionate
yet scruiiuizing gaze of her mother,
and her voice faltered into silence.
To marry you early in the new
year. ] suppose you mean, dear"
"Yes mother"
'He did not say So"
''No. mother, dear. he did not say
%. III SO many words, but from the
whole tone of his letter Inc evidently