Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-24
HER MOTHERS SECRET.
CHAPTER 1.
THE MISTRESS OF MoNDREER.

CHAPTER 1.
THE MISTRESS OF MONDREER.
There is wound within her-'tis a wound
That lies too deep for tears; and many a while,
When all that is around her seems to smile,
Within her heart of heart knen doth sound
-IsAAo WILsLAA1s.
"Mother! Oh, mother! it will break my
heart!' walled Odalite, sinking at the lady's
feet, and dropping her head into her hands,
face downward to the carpet.
The lady gently raised her child, took
her in her arms and tenderly caressed her,
murmuring softly:
"No, my own! hearts never break, or one
heart, know, must have broken long ago.
Besides" .she added, in a. frmer tone
"Honor must be saved, though hearts be
sacrificed"
Honor mother, dear? do not un-
derstand. do not see what honor has to
do with it. Or if it has, should think that
honor would be better saved by my keeping
faith with LIE than by breaking with him!
Oh, mother! mother! It will kill mev'
moaned Odalite.
my child, my. dear girl; hear me! listen
to reason Leonidas Force has no claim to
be remembered by you. You have never
been engaged to him. You were but q
little girl of thirteen when he went to sea
on his first voyage; three years ago and
you have not seen him since. What posi-
BILE claim can he have upon you, since no
betrothal exists between your" gently
questioned the lady, tenderly running her
fair fingers through the dark tresses of the
young head that leaned upon her bosom.
ooh MOTHER" replied the girl, with 3
heavy sigh, 81 know that there was 10 for
NAL betrothal between LIE and mysely-
but-but- we all knew, you and father
and LIE and I-aU knew and always
knew, that we two belonged to each other
and would always belong 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" murmered the lady, pressing her
ripe, red lips upon the pale brow of her
darling.
"Oh, mother, do not aUant higher des-
tiny! Ino not want amy destiny apart
from LIE. And these are not childish fan
cies, and not trivial to me! Oh, think.
mother, LIE and were playmates as far
back in my life as I can remember. We
loved each other better than we loved any
one else in the whole world. You and
father used to laugh at US and pretend to
be jealous; but we saw that you were
pleased all the time; for you both intend
ed US for each other, and we knew it, too,
for father used to say when he saw how
lnseperable we too were: SO much the
better; hope their hearts will not be es-
tranged when they grow upw And our
hearts have never become estranged from
each other!'
"Oh, yes, dearest, know that there was
some Speculative talk when you were chill
dren of uniting you and Leonidas, SO that
the name of Force might not die out from
Mondreer. But I never really approved
of marrying cousins, Odalite, merely to
keep the family name on the family es-
tate.''
''But, mother, darling, LIE and I never
thought of the family name and estate; we
only thought of one another. And, besides,
we are such very, very distant cousins
only fourth or fifth. think-that that OBJ
lection could never be raised. Oh, mother!
dear mother! do not compel me to break
with LIE! I can not! can not! Oh, indeed I
cannotv' she cried, burying her face in the
lady's bosom.
Elfrida Force caressed her daughter in
silence.
Presently Odalite lifted her head and
pleaded:
HE is coming home so soon now, and 80
full of hope! He expects to be here by
Christmas; and he expects yes, I know
by his last letter that he expects TOTO
to" The girls eye fell under the COM
passionate yet scrutinizing gaze of her
mother, and her voice faltered into silence.
ITO marry you early in the new year, I
suppose you mean, DEAR
"Yes, mother"
"He did not say So"
mo, mother, dear, he did.not say 80, in
so many words, but from the whole tone of
his letter he evidently meaas to. Father
thought he did, and even tried to tease me
about the New Years wedding asking me
how many hundreds should need to buy
my wedding clothes"
"What was it he said in his letter that
leads you to suppose he has any such OK.
Pectatlons? l confess that saw nothing
of such an intention when read the let
ter"
"Only this, mother, but it was very sig
| ni6cant. He wrote that now he had inner
tied Greenbushes and all his Aunt Laura'l
money, he was rich enough to resign from
the navy, and he need not 90 to sea any
more, nor ever part with me again; but
that he could stay home, repair and refur
nish the house, improve the land, and farm
it on all the new principles, and make tn,
place paradise for us to live in. HI
wrote, mother, dear, as of certain fxet
facts"
HE was very presumptuous, my dea
little girl, for there is nothing certain i,
this world of chances" gravely commente,
the lady.
"But Les heart has not changed, nor ha
NINE"
'My poor darl ing," said Elfrida Force
smoothing her daughters dark hair with
gentle hand, my precious child! I
grieves me to do 50, but must prepare 70,
for what seems inevitable. You must for
get all this youthful folly, and think o
Leonidas Force only as a cousin. You d.
not really love him as betrothed maide1
should love her affianced husband. Yo,
/ klok