Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-01-22

heath.
A pretty little maid with bright
eyes and rosy cheeks opened the door
in answer to Georges ring, and LIE
Roy followed her into a quietly fur
nished parlor, where a young lady
was bending over some needlework.
"Madgei' SAID George, putting his
hand on her shoulder, 'let me intro
duce you to the best friend [ have
in the world-Wilfred LIE Roy; VIII
fred, this is my wife"
| They looked at each other, and
| CHASTITY pallor came over LIE Roy's
face, while the girl seemed as If about
to faint They with a warning glance,
as quick as fash of lightning, LIE
Roy held out his hand to his friends
wife, and expressed his pleasure at
making her acquaintance.
"Where is Bertie 2" asked the un-
conscious George. I'm the garden,
as usual l suppose. I'll go and look
for her."
And he hurried out of the room,
leaving his wife and Wilfred alone
together. Madge leaned back in her
chair, white as the lacework that had
SlSuOST HuSCfS.
"You won't tell him" she said
piteously, lifting her beautiful eyes
to Wilfred face.
Wilfred was silent for moment !;
he could scarcely trust himself to
speak. But he controlled his anger
by mighty effort, and said calmly:
Let the past rest-it is gone for
ever. I wish to remember only that
| am your husbands friend"
1t cost him geat deal to speak these
words, for Madge had treated him
very badly in days gone by. They
had been engaged, and she Tilted him,
on finding that mis- prospects were less
bright than people had led her to inn
agine. 1t had been a secret engage
ment, and he had never told the
wrong she had done. But it was
rather hard on him, to find that she
was the wife of his friend, and that be
was expected to look after her during
Georges absence.
f The worst of it was that he loved
her still, although he felt that she was
unworthy of his love. Weak and
tickle as she had been, he could not
help the memory Of the sweet past
coming back to him, when he looked
at her beautiful face.
''Then you Will keep nay secret?"
said Madge, anxiously; George has
such strict ideas He would be angry
| if he knew | was engaged to you. I
don't think he will ever forgive me. !"
'YOu can trust my word; I hope, :"
returned Wilfred, coldly all the
more coldly because of his love he
could not subdue.
And then he held up his hand,
warningly for he could hear voices in
the hall, and in another moment
George entered the room in company
with young lady whom LIE Roy had
never seen before, for she had been
at school in Germany when he had
first known Madge.
George introduced her informally
to LIE Roy as his sister-in- law, and
then left her to entertain his friend
while he took his wife out of the
room to break the sad news to her of
his speedy departure to Egypt.
| She cried little. for although she
did not love her husband very much,
he had been kind to her whes her
father s failure and death reduced her
and her sister to poverty, and had
given them both a houae by making
her his wife.
But for that she reflected with a
shudder-they would have had to go
out IN the world and work for their
living. Bessie would not have mind
ed it SO much, but Madge had recoiled
from the prospect of working for her
daily bread with horror.
They went back to the drawing.
room after time, and Madge sat
down to the piano at her husbands s
request and played for them, but she
did not sing she could not, while
Wllfred was in the room.
She had liked him better than she
had liked George, although her hus-
band was better looking than his
friend, and the old fascination was
creeping over her.
If she had been 2 wise woman she
would have objected to be left under
WIifred's guardianship, but unfor-
tunately y she was a very foolish one
and it seemed to her a very pleasant
arrangement.
Now that he had promised not to
speak of the past to George, she was
quiet cordial and frieodly to Wilfred.
1T will be SO nice for US to have a
friend to look after us while George
is away" she said: will it not,
Bertie?"
Very" returned BERTHE, rather
dryly. Girl as she was, she thought
LIE Roy altogether too young and too
handsome for the responsibility he
had undertaken.
Berthe was very sweet and girlish,
with soft blue eyes and closely crop
ped head that gave her quite child
like appearance. Not so brilliantly
handsome as her sister, perhaps; but,
nevertheless, a very pretty girl
/ When George was on his way to
Egypt LIE Roy called daily at the cot
tage, often staying to partake of af-
ternoon tea with the two sisters, who
always gave him aawarm welcome.
HE is very handsome" said BERTHE,
as she watched him riding down the