The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-07-24
VOLUME XXV.-NO. 50.

lTOn you ny pICtty iaSC, IAooSh sh'1s
face had set the artists crazy. Ah
well, you do not even care to listen to
mel"
She had gathered up her gloves and
parasol to depart, but paused.
Laurel" he continued, sin the old
DAYS you were never revengeful or vim
| dictive If you were both now, you
| might gloat over the misery Of my mar
ried life. am utterly wretched. Let
this just decree repay you for my base
desertion."
Baron! where are you?" called a
| querulous voice.
A dumpy figure in blue had paused at
the foot of the rocks. and pair of
lack-lustre blue eyes now looked up at
them, the owner apparently not caring
to ascend. 1t was a blonde, faded
sickly face, fretful and careworn,
though Mrs. Alverton had evidently
| once been very pretty.
| Lifting his hat to Laurel, Baron Al
| verton turned, went down the rocks
and Joined her. A few sharp words
| followed, which Laurel overheard.
The following winter developed a
strange surprise at Nutwood, Miss
| Wales home. Her aunt, Mrs. Pardon
| Ardley, the most well-meaning of dis
agreeable persons, chose to engage
herself in marriage to Mr.. Abel Crab
tree, the sourest of bachelors and Baron
Alverton's uncle. Laurel was speech
less with surprise.
why do you marry him, Aunt Par
donP" she asked at last. ''Are you
not happy here?"
because ne is rich," answered Mrs.
Pardon, "and l want home of my
own. I've no doubt you mean well,
Laurel, but don't always approve OF
| your ways"
! Her niece was silent, and the pre-
parations for the wedding commenced.
If Aunt Pardon did not approve of
| Laurel. she had no hesitation in de-
manding her attention, her carriage,
her servants for this momentous occa-
sion.
With great patience Miss Vale
| allowed herself to be set on one side
in her own house while the arrange
ment for her aunt's marriage went on.
$50 vexatiossr' cried Aunt Pardon.
THAT disobliging Miss Trimmings abb
solutely refuses to come out here and
make my dresses, but says she will un-
dertake them if l will come to town
for few days. l suppose l must do
it; and Mr.. Crabtree proposed last
night that we come to his place, very
nice private clearinghouse, quite ex-
elusive, in fact"
She stopped, beaming; but Laurel,
who felt really too tired for any new
exertion, hesitated to respond.
| stINau1lnft nlcn InpS chn
asked at last. "Some less important
person than Miss Trimmings might be
| found to come here. "
mo, indeed! There's nobody SO
stylish and high-priced. We must 60
certainly we must, Laurel! But, by
the way, Mr.. Crabtree says his nephew
your old beau, Baron Alverton-and
his wife are staying there now."
"Wherep" asked Laurel, bewildered.
''At his boarding house. People say
that his marriage didn' t turn out we'll, !"
Mrs. Pardon ratified on, unheeding her
niece's silence, ''for his wife acted like
! a crazy woman when he lost some of
his money last year-rated him so, it
was really quite scandalous! Did you
see her on the beach last fallp Such a
white-faced thing! They say she takes
arsenic for her complexion. / don't
call her pretty. though she was all the
rage five or six years ago. / believe
she's lost her health-too much dissi-
patton. I've heard that she's awfully
jealous of her husband, though he don t
| give her the least cause and bears it
like lamb"
| Laurel and her aunt were at Mr..
| Crabtree's boarding g-house-certainly a
| quiet and luxurious retreat enough.
| Laurel had been 10th to come; but
here she was, and Mrs. Pardon, at
least, was satisfied, for the mornings
were endless rounds of shopping, and
the afternoons momentous periods of
trying on the new dresses.
AS for her niece, her greatest appre-
hension was that she should encounter
Baron Alverton, but little dissimilar-
ity in meal-hours warded off this event
until the very last night of her stay in
| town.
She had been restless and could not
sleep. At about eleven o'clock she
thought she would 90 to her aunt's
room, as that lady did not retire early,
and get a certain book, which might
divert her mind and quiet her nerves.
AS she passed along the rich halls in
her velvet-shod feet, door was flung
open and wild-eyed maid rushed out.
"Oh," she cried at sight of Laurel,
won't you come in a minute? I'm
afraid she is dying!'
Amazed, Laurel stepped within the
door. A little figure in blue writhed
upon the floor, yet evidently Mrs. Al
verton was partially unconscious.
Call her husbands doctor
quicki" exclaimed Laurel.
With incredible strength, she lifted
the elpless woman in her arms and
laid her upon the bed.
In the next moment of horror she saw
| that Mrs. Alverton had ceased to
breathe.
AS she turned to hasten coming feet
which she heard, she encountered Bar
on Alverton.
White and shocked, he gazed at the
pallld face upon the pillows.
at has come as feared,n he cried,
clinching his hand upon his harrassed
brow. '.She is dead from an overdose
of arsenic
And in few moments all the house
| was St.iI lleu ny INC pau tIulH.
|
The 1st of March, Mrs. Pardon Ard
ley became Mrs. Abel Crabtree.
1t was strange mockery of tiowery
symbols and lovers vows to Laurel
Vale. Indeed. so strange shadow
seemed upon all the world that she
would clasp her hands over her eyes,
sometimes, and ponder as if in night
mare that must break soon, or she
would lose consciousness forever.
! Ever since that autumn day by the
rocking sea peace seemed to have de-
serted her. Outwardly she had long
been calm, but inward unrest now
scared her brain and burned away her
| strength.
All summer she dropped alone at
/ Nutwood. In the autumn her physi-
cian daclare1 that she must 90 down