Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-09-03

that moor could not be endured"
MY sister 10 mistaken" said Kenneth:
lett Tor other reasons, and did not par-
tlcnlasly like coming away from my soil
1--WE will teach you the pleasures of
society," Mrs. Vernav cried. Solitude is
horrible. Man was not made to live
alone"
Did see Kenneth vince? could not
Then Grace came, asking Mrs. vernay to
write IN her birthday book. And the beauty
inscribed Lilly Nernay," in a clear, beauti-
ful writing, matchless as herself.
Kenneth read it over Grace's shoulder
Your name is Lilith," he said to Mrs.
Vernay.
who told you that?" she asked, and he
replied:
II know it," without Offering any ex-
PLANTATION.
"Lilith! horrid!" murmured Grace, as,
With Frank. Mrs. Vernay moved towards
the piano.
II think it pretty; why horrid?" Marie
asked.
"Dou you not know about Lilith?" her
friend remarked. "She was Adams first
wife, and for transgression was turned ont
of Paradise. She is the enemy of all little
children, and when Jewish babies are born
the nurses write 'Lilith avaunt! againstthe
wall, lest she should come and kill the
child. And tradition says that she haunts
The world as beautiful woman, who en-
tees men to marry her and then strangles
them in her golden hair"
"a tradition" said /. something like the
| legends OF the Greek lanai"
Glow do you know that there is not
truth in traditions and folly in rejecting
them" Kenneth asked.
| Meanwhile Mrs. Vernay was singing song
after song, and with every note stealing
away bit of Franks heart. And her music
won Kenneth to her side, for he took his
brothers place at the piano and stood there
turning over her pages-I believe in all the
wrong places, for he looked more in her
face than mt the music.
confess that in those days l was vexed
with Kenneth, for he seemed to have taken
:, sudden and uneXplicable plunge into the
had abjured forever. There seemed only
one explanation-his ideal life had proved
dull and inksome. Everywhere I-met him.
chiefly with Mrs. Vernay; often Frank was
with them. q woe-begone, undesired third
party. And the girls declared that it was
a shame Kenneth, who rallied against mar
riage, should come and steal her away from
his brother.
| A few women there were who disliked
Mrs. Vernay. My wife was one of them,
and we'll enough we all knew the reason.
For when, with maternal pride, she one
day showed off the children to the
pretty widow, Mrs. Vernay turned from
them with cold look of disgust, saying,
81 detest children" An insult no mother
could forgive. "That unnatural woman, u
| e., lad
| How lovely she looked Mt the Christmas
| ball whe.l, radiant with delight, she crossed
the room to saw to me, "Look at the pro-
gress of my conversion. Here is Hermit
Kenneth in this frivolous scene"
II wish 1 was at the chapel" Kenneth
himself remarked; and certainly no man
looked so uns,litcd to a ball room. He
had grown pale and thin during his solitary
life, and wore q thoughtful air never be-
fore had noticed in him.
"Why on earth don't you go back?" said
I. Nothing has surprised me more than
your appearance here
II knew it would be so," he answered.
II had to come"
gan telling me his experiences in that wild
solitude.
II began TO think my life there useless
mere indulgence Of my own tastes.
read and thought, but the mysteries of life
seemed unfathomablc us ever. One even
ming l felt myself no longer alone. saw
nothing, heard nothing, yet l absorbed
this command into my being: GO into
the world, fore there is a life you must
save, demon you must vanquish, and the
life YOU have led has given you power to
fight and conquer. The world will mock,
and your friends misunderstood you, bu,
heed them not. by this token know both
DESTROYER and destroyed Then across the
floor of my room gliled glittering snake
unlike anything we see upon Engllsl
moors. And l, obeying the command
came here to find the destroyer"
At that moment he trembled. touched
nv arm, and bid me look across the room
There stood Frank and Mrs. Nernay-sh'
with the jewelled snake twisted i'll her hair
he with another, bracelet of hers, claspet
around his wrists; some joke had passet
between them, and she had slipped it on.
"AIy dear Kenneth, these are fancies
nothing but fancies," I said. for hi
manner alarmed me. "You can't thlnl
that ANYTHING more dangerous than boy
ish love affair can result from Frank
friendship with Mrs. Vernay."
!. "Lilith!" was all he said.
"Tell me, how did you guess her name!
"It came to NE MS that comHituu Gi. ~,
when saw her write" he replied. Ihe1
, crossing the room he asked the beauty t
dance, taking her away from Frank.
I believe bets passed between the me-
Mt the Torremouth clubs as to which OF tn
brothers would marry beautiful Mrs
r Vernay. I confess 1 wondered mysei
. whether Kenneth would relinquish n
|, noble schemes and marry like any othe
: ordinary mortal. rarely saw him wlthou
+ Mrs. Velnay. He rode with her, drov
' With her, spent long hours in her prett
= drawing room, and walked with her on tn
i esplanade. 1 asked him what was comm IN.
( from all this, and had for reply, III
i don't marry her, Frank wili"-an answe
= which at the time struck me as strange.
= And one day Frank came to my my, wire
pour into her sympathetic ears wild 1k, mere he
y rawlings against his brother Why ma
q Kenneth talked all that nonsense abou
- celilucv and seclusion, when ne came an
= look away the only woman Frank eve
y, would. ever could love?
a And thus we heard OF henne'h ) el
oooement 10 the beautiful Mrs. Vernay.
All the men in the place envied NM ~
y never in nv life have seen SO grave an
= gloomy a lover. Yet, like oil the otne
- men who met her, he seemed TO ADORE ne
II 1AAOAA 49, ,,octio1, his devotion