River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-10-23

Oh
$50 you are picture IA lovely pic
ture the embodiment OF my perfect
ideal. Say, Madge, beautiful Madge.
will you be my own, my wife, my very
true, devoted, loving wife,"
She looked into his eyes, still laugh
ing.
Dear me, what an amount OF truth
and devotion and tenderness You seem
to require. And pray may | ask how
much you intend to give in return ?"
My thoughts by day, my dreams by
night -eyerything ] have shall be yours
if only you will consent. MY dearest
Madge, do not keep me in suspense, but
| tell me-"
s'Stop your raphsodies, foolish, mani
! Believe me, am not worth them. I'll
acknowledge, however, that am rather
| fond of you, perhaps on account of the
spontaneity there is about You. Hope
it will last, though there, don't gush
again. / believe you'll try and be true
to me, and"-with more seriousness of
manner-''I will never be false to you.
He tried to take her in his arms but
she repulsed him gently, bidding HIM
be rational and discuss their future
prospects calmly, and SO. for awhile,
| they did, no illusion being made to
| Cousin Barbara, or the part she was
likely to play in their lives.
On a sudden Madge's eye fell on the
open drawer.
| "Wilfrid Lanep she exclaimed point
ing to some papers on which that name
was written "Wilfrid Lane? is he
relation of yours? How odd / should
never have thought of that before"
'tWhy? Do you know him?
81 know Wilfrid Lane AS we'll as
though he were my own brother"
How STRANGE He is my half
brother"
Eyes, lie is much older than you are.
When did you see him last?"
II have not seen him for seven
years"
"Ahi of course; he is always abroad.
But you go abroad sometimes; why not
to see your brother?"
"Fhere have been family differences,
Madge."
ooh! 1t will be awkward when we
are married if / may never see Wilfred.
/ wonder what he will say when he
hears that am going to marry you"
A sort of shiver passed over Trevor
Lane.
NV brother Wilfred is scarcely the
sort of man with whom | should care
for my wife to be on intimate terms" he
said.
"Oh, yes, know he is vaurien, but
that can't hurt me, and he is very anus
ing. Quite treat to see his dear old
handwriting in your drawer.
'sHe ruined Cousin Barbara that's
why she is here. persisted Trevor.
Every likely He ruined my father
and my father ruined him; that's why L
am poor. Yet / owe him no grudge.
Trevor; why should you?" and once
more she looked into his eyes with that
strange mesmeric power she had, which
set every nerve in his body vibrating.
And from talk of Wilfred Lane they
| drifted back once more to themselves
and their own affairs, murmuring to-
! gether softly in the light of the pale
moon, which had risen and cast magic
spell over the scene; broken at last,
however, by a little scream from Madge.
"What is it? l heard something
moving. Is it abogey or Cousin Bab?"
ssCousin Bab!' And Trever, indig
nant lest Bah should have been listen
ing, went through the portieres into the
painting room, the moon, as it were,
1 followed him.
mo one to be seen--on into the gar
! den he passed. Barbara was in her
room; he could see the reflection OF her
form on the drawn blind. Instead of
returning to the spot where he had left
Madge he walked down the garden and
called her to come to him. "The night
was so beautiful, the moon so bright, I"
he said, cit was better there than in
doors"
From the garden they strolled into
an adjoining wood, along pathway
leading to the village where Miss
Craigie dweIt. The vicar was her un-
Gle, and she was on visit there for a
while. Nor did they come back to
Trevors cottage that evening; on the
contrary he went into the vicarage and
stayed talking to the vicar till past 10
o'clock.
How he should tell Barbara that he
was absolutely engaged to Madge
| Craigie puzzled him not little during
his walk home, and probably would
have engrosad him even more had not
his thoughts been diverted from
it by almost a feeling of annoyance
that his Madge should be on friendly
terms with the half brother whose very
name was never mentioned in Heath
field Cottage.
When he reached home all was silent
as the grave; the glass door leading
from the sittin G room to the garden was
ajar, as Miss Craigie had left it when
she joined him, the lamp was still burn
ing on the writing table, everything
was as she had left it. No--the draw
was still wide open, but the papers had
been touched. He noticed it at a glance
those which had attracted Madge Graf
gie's attention, with Wilfrid Lanes
name on them, were gone.
Pearly drops burst forth on Trevor's
brow as he perceived it, and staggering
into the seat which Madge had but re-
Gently quilted, he remained there for a
time immovable. What did she know
of Wilfrid Lane was the question he
asked himself over and over again.
Were the details Of this mans shame
full past known:to her-had she aught to
do with them? Could it be possible that
she had made the excuse of sending
him away in search of bogies, while she
possessed herself of letters and docu-
ments inculpating Wilfrid Lane? No
no-the thought was madness.
Yet the papers were gone, and that
they did ineulpate Wilfrid Lane very
heavily there was little doubt, since
more than one of them was forgery of
his half brothers name, and it was by
the holding of them that Trevor sue
ceeded in keeping the yaurien out of
| England, and his own hearth and home
| in peace.
Cousin Barbara's warnings against
Miss Craigie rose like spectres into his
| mind, and would not be chased away,
let him struggle as resolutely as he
| would. Madge and none other had
been in that room, and the papers were
gone-the case was conclusive. And be
had promised to marry this woman
| What should he dol Go to her as soon as
possible, accuse her straightforwardly of
the theft, demand the return ofthe stolen
papers, and then spurn her image for
ever from his heart.
| That was the decision he arrived at
while he sat gazing at the open drawer,
| and the clock struck four before he at
tempted to go to bed.
To bed, but not to sleep; and when he
| met Cousin Barbara at breakfast he
looked pale and haggard, and was very