Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-02-14
THE LAWYERS SECRET.

It was in a luxuriously furnished
room where glowing CRATE threw genial
light and warmth upon the occupants
that General Langton, lawyer and mil
lionaire, listening with bated breath and
pallid cheeks to a low melodious voice
that told & story of life
The speaker, a beautiful woman of
about thirty, yet ten years younger than
Mr. Langton, reclined in low cushioned
chair, her attitude both speaking of the
ease wealth gives, but her face was full
of the deepest anguish as her lips re-
counted the story.
You love ne, she said gently yet
sadly, and | love you as | never loved
any one before, although | am a widow,
That you know, but did not know my
husbands name. BY my uncle's last
request | dropped it and took his with
the property he had left me. DO not
look al me tenderly, Gerald, do not
shake My voice Or my heart, for when
you know who am you win not repeat
the offer you made me- and which heaven
is my witness | tried to divert.
Let your conscience be at rest there,
said her listener in a grave, yet tender
voice; you have never given me one hope,
Maud. By what instinct | knew that
you loved me | can never tell, Some
thing in your eyes-some tone of your
voice betrayed you. If, as you say,
something in your past life does separate
us, you have been no coquette to tor
ment me with false hopes. But, Maud,
tell me again, whatever stands between
us you love me?
i love you, she said gravely; and il
is because | love you that | will not let
you link your honorable name with that
of the wretch who was my husband |
was very young-not sixteen-when he
came to make visit to some friends
living at Grassbank Uncle Richard
has country seat near the village |
first met Alexander at picnic, where
he was the very life of the party; every
bodys cavalier; courteous to all; full of
wit and animation and service to all /
believe every girl on the grounds thought
she had captivated him, his attentions
were so well divided and yet so impress
sive to each one He claimed to be no
more than a salesman in large whole
sale house with good salary, but he
had the manners of gentleman Of edu-
cation, and the most perfect beauty of
face and form that | ever saw in man
1t was not long before it was evident he
wished to win my love, and he had an
! easy task. Such love as child of six
teen can give | gave him He was the
impersonation of every hero of poetry
and fiction with whom my limited read
ing had made me familiar. Schoolgirl
like | had made an ideal hero, and fitted
this, my first admirer, with all his mag.
mary Projections
From the first, Uncle Richard dis
liked him, pronouncing him false and
shallow, and assuring me that my per
sonal attractions had not won his heart
but the fact of my being an heiress to a
large property had gained me the pro
testations in which | so firmly believed
1T is painful story to me now, Ger
aid. Let it suffice that | have lived in
a world Of pleasant dreams while Alex
ander remained at Grassbank. When
he left me he carried my promise to be
his wife at Christmas.
i think if my money had depended
on Uncle Richard, my marriage might
have been prevented by his threatening
to disinherit me, but both from my
father and mother had inherited money
that made me Independent in pecuni-
airy sense of his control or consent.
Most grudgingly, however, uncle did
consent, after searching inquiry about
Alexander, resulting in no worse report
than that his employers thought him
fast, idle, and just the man to be for
tune hunter Even then my dear uncle
would have protected my fortune by set
Ting it upon myself but with the reck-
less generosity of extreme youth | re
fused to have this done. Never | was
firmly convinced, would my adored Alex
ander wrong me in any way.
For year after the splendid wedding
that made me Alexander's wife | was
very happy. was too ignorant of value
to understand that we were living far be
You'd our income-enjoyed to the utmost
the luxuries around me-the constant
gayety that was in such strong contrast
to the school routine from which | haC
been released
Then began life Of neglect, often o.
quarreling, when objected to my hus
bands course Of conduct-his drinking
his extravaganza and his late hours
Still | found my own pleasures in so
ciety
1t was four years after my marriage
when was thunderstruck by Alexander
asking me to request loan of money
from Uncle Richard, with the informa
ton added that every penny of my prop
erty was gone.
Since then | have known that larg,
portion of it was lost at gaming table
Long before this | had lost all Low,
for my husband Respect had died ou
when | knew the dissipated life he wa
leading. and foolish as was. | could no
continue to love man whom ! despised
refused the errand. and brought dow
a torrent Of such great abuse that
really expected that Alexander woul,
end by striking me
Day after day the request was re
newed, but | would not yield Upon m,
marriage, Uncle Richard had sold tn
city residence and taken permanen
abode at Grassbank, where, knowing m,
husband to be an unweleome guest,
never visited him. | wrote occasionally
but the love of years, like that of
father and child, had been so sadl
strained by my persistence in marryin
Alexander that even our correspondent