Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-08-31


entertaining, and everready tact in
using them.
"Blood will tell !" declared Mrs Lord,
for, at least, the hundredth time. II
never saw slch perfect charm of man.
ner as Kate Haggerty possesses. There
is som ething in 1t more suggestive of
the court circles Of Europe than of a
poor, obscure governess. | am sure
| shouldn't know what to do without
herr"
Perhaps it never occurred to Mrs.
Lord to dream that her cool-headed,
unimpressible brother might come to
have the same opinion; or quite likely,
if it did, the idea would not have
troubled her, since Miss Haggef.y, in
al save wealth, which Mrs. Lord was
too thoroughly well-born to care for,
was unexceptlonable az any lady III the
land.
At all events, as time wore on their
governess became more indispensable
to both sister and brother, and her
quiet, gliding grace and singularly fas-
cinatlng cOuntenance came slowly to
usurp the place in the latter's heart
hitherto held sacred to the memory of
|
Flora Blake.
Fred. Marbug, being man of the
world, was not likely to pledge himself
too hastily to any one of Ewes beguil-
ing daughters; yet, like all men who
reverence the sacred name of mother"
he bad his womanly ideal, and Flora
Blake had come nearer to filling this
than any other woman he had ever
| known.
Had she been here now her lovely
character, shining forth in every line
ament of an innocent, and winningly-
| fair face, might have held his heart
! against the dangerous charms to which
he was hourly exposed. But far away,
az she was, in her quite home among
the hills, the memory of the past sum
mer and the part her sweet face had in
it was gradually fading like dream
from his mind in the warm dawn of a
new experience.
Before Fred. Marburg knew it his
long unyielding heart had surrendered
to this graceful siren and was beating
with guickened pulse at the lightest
sound of her low thrilling voice. But
what wonder? She was one Of those
rare women who, apparently uncon-
scious Of their own magnetic power,
seem born to exert it with strange sue
cess over all with whom they came in
contact.
1t was u warm, lovely night in Ccto-
Der when Fred first seriously admitted
to himself that he was conquered. His
sister was away, giving himself and the
children late holiday at the old
family homestead in New England, so,
for a week past, Miss Haggertys only
task had been the pleasant one Of max
ing home attractive to the lonely young
bachelor who was left iG her ch arge.
No one understood that art better
than herself, and the highes. proof
of her success lay in the fact that ut
this very moment the handsome object
of her tender care was restessly
pacing his chamber-hoo trying man
fully to put away q temptation that
was tugging at his heart-the tempta-
ton to ask her, at once to become his
wife.
Life with her would be sweeter than
the poems which she read to him, with
such world Of meaning in her hexi-
BILE LIQUID tones --he had no doubt of
that. And the question of her poverty
he never thought of-for he had wealth
enough for both But somehow Flora
Blake's sad eyes arose before his mind
tonight and he felt strangely troubled
by them.
70 be sure there had been no direct
pledges of love between them only
those sentimental drives and strolls SO
common at a summer-resort that half
! tender interchange of words ana
glances which mean so much, or
nothing; no tangible sign of its being
anything more than u summers tlirta.
ton. But he had meant more, and
she knew it. Even now he could
fancy that earnest, loving little face
sad with hope deferred Yet he
knew that ne did not now love Flora
Blake as he loved this other woman
into whose sweet thralldom he had
drifted half-unconsciously. And Fred
Marburg, who believed himself TO be a
man of honor, felt his cheeks flushing
painfully in the darkness, rs he threw
himself into y chair beside the open
window and tried to think it out.
As he did so, he observed two fig
ures entering through the side-gate in
to the grounds, having Just turned off
from the street, and alf-mechanicallv,
he watched them steadily approach,
too busy with his own thought TO no.
tice who they were. But as they came
nearer he became aware that the lady
was Miss Haggerty, for there was no
installing that graceful, gliding figure,
partially disguised, though it was in n
long, dark cloak, which completely
enveloped her. He saw, with surprise,
that she was in company of some
strange man at that late hour of the
night when he had supposed her to he
sleeping the sweet sleep of innocence
at home. They were speaking rapidly
and in " low tone the Italian language,
but he could distinguish nothing save
the feryent 'dd{io" which the man
muttered rs he lett her.
| A Jealous pain shot through Freds
heart at the sight, What could that
| T..