Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-10-23
HER MOTHERS SECRET.

TER MOTHERS SECRET.
BIZ MRS. s0UrawoRrn.
utasr OF The Hidden Aand.' % .. The Un. |
loved Wife," Etc., ETC.. Etc.
CHATTER 1.
THE MISTRESS OF NoHDREER-
There is a wound within he1r'tfs wound
Mat lies too deep tor tears ana many While
a hen All that Is around Ecr seems 10 smile,
Viihin her heart o, heart @ knell doth sound.
" '''"''' ''' ISAAC WILLIAMS.
Mother! Oh, mother it will break |
nv heart ~ walled Odalite, sinking at the
feet, and dropping her head into
her hands, face downward to the car
The lady gently raised her child, took
her in her arms and tenderly caressed her
softly:
No. my own! hearts never break, or
one heart, know, must have broken long
400. Besides" she added, In > firmer
tone" Honor must be saved, though
hearts be sacrificed"
"saonor, mother, desr / do not un-
derstaud. I do not zee what honor has to
do With it. Or, If it hss, / should think
that honor would be better saved ty
NV keeping faith with LIE than by
breaking with him Oh, mother mother
Il will kill me !" moaued Odalite.
MY child, my dear girl, hear me lis
ten to reason Leonidas Force has no
claim to be semembered by you. You
have never been engaged to him. You
were but little girl of thirteen when he
went to sea on his first voyage three wears
AGO and YOU Lave not seen him since. What
possible claim can he have upon you, since
no betrothal exists between you ?" gently
questioned the lady, tenderly running her
fair fingers through the dark tresses OF the
Young head that leaned upon her bosom.
&" Oh, mother" replied the girl, with q
heavy sigh, "i know that there was no
formal betrothal between lie and myself
but-but-we all knew, you and father
and LIE and I-aH knew-and always knew
that We two belonged to each other and
would alsoays belong to each other all our
lives. LIE and l never thought of any
other fate
"Idle, childish fancics, 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, I do not oant a higher
destiny | do not want any destiny apart
from LIE. And these are not childish fan
cies, and not trivial to me Oh, think,
mother, Le and l were playmates az fal
back in my life as can remember. We
loved each other better than We loved any
one else in the world. You and father
used to laugh at US and pretend to bt
Jealous but We sdw that you were pleased
all the time for you both intended US fo
each other, and We knew il, too, fO
father used to say when he saw how in
separable We two were: So much til
better hope their hearts will not be es
tranged when they grow up! And ou
hearts have necer become estranged from
each other -
IOh, yes, dearest, know that ther
was some speculative talk when you wer
children of uniting you and Leonidas, S
that the name of Force might not die Oh
from MOndreer. But | never really az
proved If marrying cousins, Odalite
merely to keep the family name on th
family estate"
"But, mother, darling, LIE and neve
thought Of the family name and estate
we only thought Ct one another. Ant
besides, we are such very, very distar
cousius-ouly fourth or fifth, l think
that that objection could never be raiset
oh, mother dear mother do not con
pei me to break with lie can not
ern not {! Oh, indeed, l cannot ~ 81
cried, burying her face in the lady
bosom.
Elfrida Force caressed her daughter
silence.
Presently Odalite lifted her head al
pleaded
HE is coming home SO soon now, an
so full of hope He expects 10 be here
Christmas and he expects-oh, yes,
know by his last letter that he expects to.
tc-to-" The'girl's eyes fell under tt
compassionate yet scrutinizing gaze Of HI
mother, aud her voice faltered into silenc
"To marry you early in the new yea
suppose you mean, dear"
Yes, mother"
"He did not say So"
"No, mother, dear, he did not say s
in so many words, but from the who
tone of his letter he evidently meant g
Father thought he did, and even tried
teaze me about the New Years weddil
asking me how many hundreds | shou
need to buy my wedding clothes"
"What was it he said in his letter til
leads you to suppose he has any such e
pectatiOns9 confess that saw nothi
of such an intention when l read the II
ter"
"Only this, mother, but it was We
significant. lie wrote that he had inherit
Greenbushes and all of his Aunt Laur:
money, he WIS rich enough to resign fri
tho navy, and he need not 60 to sea q
more, nor ever part with me again b
that he could stay home, repair and refi
nish the house, improve the land, a
farm it on all the new principles, a
make the place paradise for us to 1.-Two
He wrote, mother dear, as of certain fix
facts.''
"He was very presumptuous, my d.
little girl, for there is nothing certain
this world Of changes" gravely CONNIE
ed the lady.
"But Les heart has not changed,
has mipe.'
"My poor darling" said Elfrida For
smoothing her daughters dark hair wit
gentle hand, "my precious child!
grieves me to do 50, but must prep
you for what seems inevitable. You m
forget all this youthful folly and think
Leonidas Force only as . cousin. You
not really love him as betrcthed mait
should love her affianced husband. Y
only fancy that you DO. In reality y
know nothing of such love as that.
was brought up in the house with y
You have no brother. LIE has no sis,
You therefore love each other as brot
and sister. BY and by you both may 4
cover-but not for each other-the high
doaner RtronDer love which unites the n