Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1886-12-03

A Few days ago he said TO Isabel. u
they stood on the gallery steps;
',Do you know That You have neve
said nor even limited that you cared an,
thing about me, lsabePn Me-i
Haven't 1pn Isabel laughed one o
her rippling little laughs, which wns al
most n carcss. "Pve been clever in eN
tracing promises from you, at an,
rate
Payments, he corrected, echoine
irresistibly her smile, as he laid shape
ly brown hand on her shoulder, and he
said; al love you very dearly, Isabel. y
Poor fellow" Isabel utilized one o
her patient smiles. "Pay all and ge
nothingr' a''''
"But you do love me n lite, dom
youP And You don't love any one else
better" His face grew dark and
stern as he spoke IL couldn't endure
that
Isabel thought of these words as she
half confessed to Maggie lingering
tenderness for Robert Stanope, and a
half resolve formed itself to tell Mr..
Stuart she did not love him and give
herself back her freedom. But the
thought of relinquishing her triumph as
mistress of Shockoe, of all of Mr.. Stu
arts immense fortune, was too much
for her vanity. The wedding was over,
the congratulations had been offered,
the lunch had been served, and Isabel
looking very charming in her much
talk-of-go-away gown, was chatting
merrily with her bridesmaids in the hall
as her brother approached her looking
greatly annoyed and said, with some
hesitation:
| s'Isabel, MIR. Stuart has had a telc-
gram; he must go to Nevada at once.
The train starts in five minutes. He
wishes you to decide for yourself
whether you will go or stay. You are
free to do as YOU choose" ..s
All eyes turned to the young bride,
who was by turns pale and red.
What did he say, Philip she repeat
ed again and again. "surely he can
not expect"
mo, he doesn't expect any thing"
The company had withdrawn 10 the
parlors, and brother and sister stood
alone, only Maggie Storms was near
and more than certain what Isabel's de-
cision would be. Her brother says:
do rs you choose. Life out there is
very hard, and a woman would not find
any society,"" arc IT, ,trC
'"How can decide any thing all in n
moment--somebody help me-Nlaggie
tell me what to do. Isabel turned APP
pcalngly to her friend, but Maggie
only shook her head. This was case
she must assume herself. ..Do you sup
pose he thinks ought to go, PHILIP"
she asked, suddenly; .'but why can the
waltz" '....,., -....'t
"Because he can't, i suppose" her
brother said, bluntly. "ie must 90 st
once. Come, its train time; say
Won't he come TO say good byep"
Isabel asked, in hurt tone.
NO; said he couldn't stand it. He
is awfully knocked up; by the way,
here's n letter-don't want to read 1t,
please, till Tomorrow.
"Let me see HIM off, 1T least.n
mo use; trains OFF, hear the whis-
tie. Poor fellow, Phil could not help
saying-"I believe he half thought
in case you should not"
'fhe letter which Phil Deering had
handed his sister ran thus: O.
"when you read this shall be many miles
away. was an inadvcrtent listener to your
conversation yesterday evening. which re-
vealed more to me than even you yourself
are conscious of, perhaps. To associate with
yon daily with suspicion in my he art would
make life q torture. TO us both. Therefore
go away, feeling that this Is most what you
would desire, andMishing only to conform to
what would be for your happiness. You have
what your ambiu N craved, John stuart 8
fortune and the protection of his name. 1t
is believing that his life can be best spent
looking n IN
| of the states between us that go. believe
that know you-ton we'll to fear to have the
| guarding of my good old name from faint
breath of scandal In your keeping; Il en-.
Join that you goat oncd dttosShockoe-where I,
alas! had thought to be so hnppy-that you
| live there as BELTS John Stuart wife, You
| will find ut your bankers carte.blauche to
| draw as you wish. sbnltwrite o YOU regularly,
and require OF you similar; recogni ion OF
up. s-Let not thought of duty, or les con.
venances induce YOU TO seek to follow me
| II your inclination had ever family prompted
| thereto yOu would have gone with me and
| this would have been burned, undelivered.
wish no unwilling rnlleeiance. You owe me
nothing. saye, us you said yesterday mis-,
| trcss for Shockoe and pou have satisfied
n'ilo'''oh: -si!A e.
The months rolled by--gradEally the
wonder of Percam spent itself in vain
imaginings and the strange absence oi
Mr.. Stuart ceased to be the constant
topic. After the first few months it was
rarely mentioned to. his wife, whose life
at Shockoe was a ceaseless round OF
gayety, which Perear considered rather
questionable taste in view of her hus-
bands prolonged absence. She was
usually gay and apparently careless
when the matter was mentioned, but
rather avoided explanations, dubbed
herself the grass-widow, but generally
managed to mention items of news
from her husbands letters when friends
whose Judgment she might value called.
These letters came regularly. Never
personal, never remotely limiting at his
Inner self, but filled with eciiarnfing acA
counts of western scenes and life,S odd
characters and Incidents of the,mining
world. and Isabel gradually realized
that her husband, whom she had SEEM
ed scarcely to know, was unusually
clever, endowed with . brilliant magi-
nation and very caustic wit. ~ He made
no reference to their odd relat ions to
one another beyond ,that,implied in ex-
acting his weekly letter; nor did he re-
motely hint at his ever returning to
Peream. Isabel had spent the winter
amid the gayeties. of st. Louis and
Washington and returned home to find
Robert otanope in Peream.
II left a charming violet when went
away" he said, gallantly, leaning over
the doorway of Mrs. Stuart's handsome
carriage--and offering its occupant the
hand from which he had just drawn a
dainty glove-"a charming violet, but
the fairies have transformed 1t to a
magnificent lily. Let me claim an old
friends privilege, Mrs. Stuart, and say
you are handsomer than ever"
The weeks flew by. Robert Stanope
was a. daily visitor at Shockoe.s He rode
with its mistress or her guests, rowed
them ON the river, devised means OF
entertaining for her, was ever ready
with attentions, and sometimes vaguely
hinted at the hard fatd which had de-
barred him from competing for the
prize that alone. could. have made life
worth living, which Isabel was accus-
toned to receive with jest or comment
IN his lazy life and habits and wonder