Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-04-24
LII.

the snake house.
Two years had passed. The honey
moon had long since been forgotten,
or remembered only to be thought OF
as too many waved moons recalled,
with wonder.
Yet they we're happy, as the world
goes. They had their little tiffs, and
Reggy had more than once been jeal-
Gus, but not of the Count de fourier,
her uncle" of course. The idea of
such an absurdity had never entered
the honest soul of Reggy Gardner.
Mrs. Trentham brought him no mon
ey. Her first husband had sauander
ed it in gaming and speculation.
Reggy had plenty, and he felt proud
to settle handsome sum on his wife,
and to allow her for pin'money the
income of Duchess. The will which
be made in her favor was worthy of
his most generous impulses.
eff we do have a little misunder-
standing now and them he said to
me while we took noon-day rest in
stubbles at his princely palace down
in Berkshire, that's the common lot,
and it gives zest to the fun of making
up"
He wouldn't for the world have ac-
knowledged that he was unhappy,
and she had peculiar power over
him which could charm him into any
mood she desired. If her occasional
bursts OF lll-temper, or indiscretion of
manner toward other men were thun.
derclouds in his domestic life, her
smiles were summer, her acted affect
ion was sunshine. She knew that l
saw through it all. ] visited them
rarely, and only al all for Reggy's
sake. They lived in curious way,
constantly travelling, coming TO town
only for a month in the season, and
going to Berkshire for the 1st of Sep
TENDER, Reggy's mother kept her
own state I'D town.
Two mothers in-law, she would say,
could not be expected to get on well
together, and Reggy's wife preferred
to have her own another with her. and
so between the dear old lady of MAJ
fair and her son had grown up an
arrangement which Mrs. Gardner,
Jr., promoted with insidious persist
ence. Count Tou Ter had latterly been
rare visitor at Reggy's, owing TO
MISUNDERSTANDING with the head of
the house; but he often wrote to his
dear niece" and made special jour
ney now and then TO see her.
mo, | don't know where the Count
lives or how, said Reggy one evening
at the end of our weeks shooting,
when we were smoking after dinner
"He is, as you say, rather a mystery.
Marie's mother is Italian, you know,
on her fathers side, and the Count
belongs TO that branch of her family.
At Milan he is an authority, l .elieve,
III chemical science"
"You don't like him, fear"
Like h1m2 / hate himW
Mrs Gardner entered the room on
the word.
My dear, l thought you had gore
to bed, " said Reggy.
She had been listening to our con
versatlon.
81 have come to smoke a cigarette
with you, if you don't mind, " was the
answer.
Her suspicion had Seen confirmed
for our conversation had been a
long one-that her strange influence
over her husband was in danger of
weakening; that his confidence ia her
was on the wane; that her hideous
secret, whatever it was, might be oCz-
ing out.
by all means; delighted" said
Reggy, and she sat down by his side,
superb-looking womaH, if you did
examine her face critically for indi-
cations of femme gentleness.
During my acquaintance with her
neither she nor | had ever alluded to
the incident at the Zoo, though she
knew it was constantly IN my mind
She had great penetrating powers,
and she was like woman constantly
on the watch. Reggy only saw her
great blue eyes. Der faultless classical
features, her wealth of hair, her tall,
graceful figure, 1.-the and sinuous as a
serpent's From the first he had been
enamored of her beauty, and he was
not in the habit of looking behiud the
mask of what are called perfect fea-
lures, nor did he understand that a
face, to be truly beautiful, must in
some measure reflect a pure soul. One
part of the conversation which she
overheard mot that Reggy ever sus,
pected her of llstening) referred to his
will, about which | had made an in
curry, since he had only lately told
me | was one of his trustees. 1t is
possible she had misinterpreted some,
thing he had said about altering it. 1
think of these and othel things now.
which, under other circumstances, |
r'ight have forgottca.