Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1884-11-15
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@ WAS TEMPTED.

] about me, the terrible emptatiOn of nv
4 life came. Not for my own sake was
this temptation strong, but when I
thought Of her, my little baby girl,
there came to me the knowledge that I
would yield. .
Yield-and to WHAT?
To be the wife of q man whom nv
soul loathed, while my darling, the one
love of my life, lay under the dark blue
waves. ,sT e. -
I would not believe this terrible story
they told me-this man who sought me
fol, his wife, and the coarse, iIl-bred
woman who now seemed to be mistress
of the Grange, where for that short
bright year of my married life I had
reigned as q queen.
The terrible words burned in my brain
the words they had spoken to me, or
rather, Vance had spoken; for thought
" felt there was some secret understand
= ing between the new ouse-keeper and
him. ~outwardly they were distant
enough. -
This is what he told me?
I had not been my darling'se legal
wife, for far away in another land,
another wife had claimed him, a wife
who died-at least, SO he proved to me
six months after my marriage.
Oh, Heavens! how could I believe ftp
Believe that my love could be guilty of
such a crime?
This man, Vance Eldridge, whom I
so hated and despised, and my husband,
Guy Ashton, whom 1 had worshipped,
were second cousins, and both hadbeen
my lovers before I had chosen Guy.
When Vance had asked me to be his
wife l told him l had already given nv
promise to Guy, who had spoken two
days before him..
His face had grown black.
g! will not give you up to him. he
cried. you are mine by the passion
of love | bear you. What does he know
of love?'
The next moment he had caught me
in his arms, and, despite my struggles,
had kissed me on my lips and brow.
Coward! Shame! Disgrace to FOUR
name!' l cried hotly. Then 1 half pit
led him, his face had grown 50 pale.
,"Violet, l cannot ask your pardon,
for I would peril my soul for those two
kisses. The day will come when all
your kisses will be mine, for 1 have
sworn it, and will manage some way
to keep my OATH
The next moment I was alone, the
terrible dread of Vance Eldridge, which
v left me after, conquering every
other feeling.
Three months later I was married to
Guy, and then Vance left the home that
had sheltered him from childhood.
had Oovor croCon fo G,,r of %hok
scene, nor of the kisses that vet made
my soul burn with anger at the remem-
brance of them. The offence had never
been repeated, and o n my wedding-day
he went abroad.
Then one year passed, q year whose
. brightness fingers with me now, so full
it was of passionate bliss and days
bright with loves glory.
Merciful Heaven! could it be that the
lovcr-husband, who kissed my lips with
passionate tenderness, and surrounded
me with every sign of love, the husband
who had seemed to idolise me, had
made me - Oh no, no; it could
not be!
II will not believe it," I cried in my
agony. "He was my husband. I was
his wife,
Even this I cried aloud when Vance,
who had come home shortly after the
new of Guys death, held before my
eyes the tsrrible proofs of his story-the
rarriage-certiticate of Inez Vanessa
and Guy Ashton.
"You were not his wife, Violet"
mot his wife!" I repeat, staggering
blindly towards a chair; but before I
reach it. Vance leaps to his feet, my
enses leave me, and then-thenI know
no more.
When I open my eyes again, I ami y-
ing on the sofa all drenched with CO.
logne-water, and Vance and the house,
keeper are bending over mt.
'fShe is better,"I heard Vance say,
as I opened my eyes, and then I closed
them again, but I had seen the express
sion of relief on his face.
"She is fragile a. the flower whose
name she Bears he says; ''but-'
l hear the woman say "Hush!' then
something is held to my lips, which I
drink without opening my eyes.
One week later my temptation came
to me when Vance asked me again to
be his wife.
"Your choice is this, Violet" he said,
''to leave the Grange with your name a
by-word-for the truth must be told if
you go-to leave it with your nameless
little one in your arms, and his, Guys,
name a word of dishonor and reproach,
or to become my worshipped and hon.
ored wife, and bury the terrible story
from all human knowledge"
The temptation was terrible, and I
yielded-yielded for my little yellow
haired baby's sake-the baby who look
ed at me with its fathers eyes, and
smiled with its fathers smile-for her
sake, my little Leoline. and for his as
well-for Guy. who had wronged me
so. but whom I had loved, nay. did love
still, though he slept beneath the wave,
with my heart and soul.
For his sake and the sake of his child
I would sacrifice myself, that his name
might rest in peace, not be remember
ed with dishonor.
Near the Grange, or, rather, below it
for it was built on an e~minence-was
a little Gothic cottage, owned by a gen.
tleman who lived at some distance from
It.
The cottage was exquisitely furnish
ed, and the owner willing enough to let
it, but found it hard to get a tenant it
would suit in size, considering the
rent.
One day, however, I was passing,an
at one of the windows I saw. a dark
beautiful face, whose rare loneliness al
most startled me.
As her eyes-met mine she drew back,
but not before I saw a strange interest