Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1884-07-11
Newport, and had there met Viola

~ 0Eocidu btatu6, WIN IJb COIOudl oi
cleaning golden hair-and her haunt |
ingly beautiful face, with its complex |
on like lilly leaf flushed with pale |
roses, perfect features, and wonderous- |
ly radiant violet eyes.
He soon entered the field of contest
for her hand, and wrest.d from his
Tany competitors the prize for she
became his betrothei wife, and a costly
diamond solitaire, his gift, flashed upon
her engagement finger.
1t was perfect summer day, and
Raymond and Viola were standing on
the shore watching The cleaning sun
kissed waves rs they rolled toward
them with their ceaseless melody.
Raymond Delamere was the happiest
Of men, for he was thinking how soon
the happy day would dawn when he
could call the beautiful, queenly wo-
man ut his side by the sweet name of
wife, and with all the eloQuence Of a
Cicero, he pictured to her the beauties
Of River View Hall, the beautiful home
to which he would soon bring her as TO
mistress.
She listened in silence until he had
concluded, and then turning to him,
she asked
Raymond, who is Norma, of whom l
have SO frequently heard you speak ?
Is she your cousin %
90 No. Viola" was his answer, " she
IS my ward, the daughter of my dead
college chum, Victor Linwood.
"Then, AS she is neither your sister
nor your cousin Ray, she will, o course,
leave River View when am its mis-
tress," said Viola, after o moments
silence, as with averted face she gazed
sea ward.
leave River View, Viola % he eoh-
DEL in astonishment. "Why, River
View l. her home, her only home. for it
was her fa,her's dying wish that it
should be 80 until she left 1t to become
the mistress of another"
cannot help that, Raymond" was
Viola's coldly spoken reply, while her
eyes still remain fixed on the cleaning
waves beyond. "You must provide her
with a home elsewhere if become mis-
trees Of River View, for will not con
sent to share my husbands home with
| another woman when she Is neither his
sister nor his cousin"
Her words fell like an icy spray on
Raymond Delamere's heart as he looked
upon the beautiful, queenly woman be-
fore him and realized what a blank his
life would be to him without her; aud
for time a terrible struggle between
love and duty ragged within it.
Duty WAS the couquerOr, for after a
| moments silence he cried out passion.
ately:
ooh, Viola, my love, my queen, take
back those cruel words, for l cannot he
false to my dead friends trust He
saved my life once at the risk of his
own, and cannot turn the daughter he
bequeathed me in his dying moments
from her only home"
"Then, Mr.. Delamere, you are free, u
was Viola's answer. "I bid you choose
between this Norma and me; and, at
she Is your choice. relinquish the
honor OF becoming mistress of River
View"
AS she spoke, she took the diamond
solitaire from her finger and extended
1t to him.
But he did Lot heed it, and 1t fell
with flash like a falling star 10 tn,
white sauls at his feet, while Violi
turned a',I left him.
He stood like figure carved in ice
while the waves seemed chanting ,
dirge for his lost hopes and happiness
phtil she was far out of sight, and tber
he turned and strobe rapidly away
leaving the cleaning ring still buriet
', In the sands, feeling that he had lef
there buried with 1t all that was bright
est and hest in his life.
Three months had elapsed, and Ray
mond Delamere looking graver ant
handsomer than of yore, after vainl,
trying, amid other scenes, to find peac
, for his weary, troubled heart, and t
/, forget the beautiful face of the womal
he had learned to love 80 madly, ha
come home at last to River View, an
as he neared his beautiful home hi
thoughts turned to Norma, the littl
child woman he had bid adieu Their
: Ave long years before, who had promis
: ed with tear-suffused eyes to become az
: coinplished for his sake.
y Ashe walked through the beautiful
= grounds leading to River View, anon
the rose wreathed pillars on the will
/, porch he could nee the flutter of whit
dress and the CLEAN of golden corona
!. of hair.
! at is Norma" he thought, "waitin
! to welcome me-"
But the next moment the graceful
a form had emerged from her hidin
q place among the tall, rose- wreathe
:. pillars, and came down the broad ston
; steps to greet him and then he sa'
y that 1t was viola Lynn, the beautiful
woman he had loved SO madly and ha
.. parted from with such bitter agony Of
= the sea-washed shore of Newport, VIII
! stood before him.
VIOLA" he could only gasp in III
!. astonishment, and the next momer
. her golden head was pllowed on hi
a breast, while her red lips softly mul
n INJURED Forgive, me Ray, for l al
!. Norma"
More astonished still, he release
!, her and listened, while with man
bushes and downcast eyes she told hil
!. how she accepted the invitation {
. Madeline Somers, dear school frient
a To join their party at Newport, an
u how, when she bad learned that /
~ was also there, she had decided
20 know II he would recognize in her
"a the beautiful, queenly, accomplishe
70 vio.a Lynn-the quaint, plain. lookin
: Norma he had parted from at Riv,
/" cit was hardly false name that
4 took, guardy," she added in concil
- sion, "for Viola is my middle nam
y while Lynn was the first part OF IN
~ last name; and could not resist IL
u, tenn ptation-when, knowing rs l di'
"a that you learned to love me as Vic
IL Lynn-to test your noble nature ar
% nee if you cared aueht for the lit
Norma you had left behind at Riv
n View. Right nobly you have stood Il
:, Test, and although it was very sweet +
! me to know that had won your lo'
- as Viola Lynn, it has been far sweet
~ for me to learn that you still cared Fl
:, little Norma, and were not willing