Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-03-01

and was able to ask calmly for Miss Her
bert
The footman, who had his orders, con
Quoted the young man at once to the
drawing-room, and, opening the door, an
nounced:
Mr.. Charters"
For moment Louis only saw, as if
through mist, tall, slender form stand
ing at the other side Of the room, a glenn
of golden hair, flow of white draperies:
but as the figure moved forward slowly.
the mist rolled away, and he beheld Va
lerie clearly, her face as white as her robes
her large eyes fixed on his with a strange
nlingling Of fear and appeal, and all the
power of her rare and pathetic beauty re-
asserted itself and held him in its spell
He sprang forward; he would have clasped
the girl in his arms, but she stopped short,
and with a wild gesture, with almost a CRY,
checked the impulse. He reeIed back.
''Ealerien' he gasped, half dizzy with the
sudden revulsion.
''Not thatr' said the girl, hoarseIy, her
lips, every limb quivering-''t can never
be again! Louis, bear with me- Oh! what
can l say to you-how shall I tell you?"
But Louis only stood and looked at her.
the flush on his cheek fading slowly away
and leaving intense paleness. He seemed
incapable of speech.
Valerie went on desperately:
1t was mistake from the beginning
on my part. But how should I know it
then? loved you only as 1 had always
loved you, and as [ love you now. I can
not marry you, Louis-I cannot-I cannot!"
'Stayn' said the young man, hoarsely.
He moved q step nearer to her. "Have
they taught you to be untruthful as well
as mercenary and worldly? You loved me
until you learned to love wealth, and ad-
miration, and position more. Ay, you may
shrink from me''-for illstinctively she had
recoiled before the accusation so false, vet
against which she dare not defend herself
but you know that what I say is true
You are breaking your promise to me for
the sake Of q man you do not and never
will love; but he is a millionaire. and l
have nothing. He will load you with Jew
els, and give you all else that you have
learned to value so much moro than love.
And you will count yourself happy. Hap
pyl' he laughed, harshly. And I? But
what is that to you? No matter what
suffer, if you can be the reigning beauty
and the wife of a man whose wealth will
enable you to Outstrip every other woman +"
Not word did Valerie utter; not bv
sign or gesture did she offer to interrupt
this TRADE which Louis poured out, not
standing still, but walking excitedly ND
and down. She only set her teeth in silent
endurance. He wrOnged her, but she must
bear it. Better a Thousand times that he
should believe all that he had accused her
of than even suspect the truth. She had so
dreaded the charge!
ut is Max Beauregard who stands be-
tween us. For his sake you are false to
mer'
She breathed more freely when told that
she was untruthful, mercenary, worldly.
1t was hard to be misjudged by one she
SC dearly loved. But when Max Beaure-
CAD must so misjudge her, and she could
endure it, what other suffering could over
tax her powers of endurance?
Louis paused suddenly, looked at the
m0tionless figure, the white face of the
girl, and drew near to her again.
'What!" he said, 'have you no answer
no denial? For Heavens sake, Valerie"
he stretched out his hands, the words were
almost cry of anguish, 'don't tell me
that you are so false--so miserably I'M
worthyT'
The blood rushed to Valerie's cheek and
brow Passionate denial was on her lips.
Then, with a quick-drawn breath, she
turned away, locking her hands over her
breast. She dared not plead the truth; she
could not speak falsehood.
Louis drew back and folded his arms.
There was a dead pause.
The girls face had grown white again:
she scarcely seemed to breathe; her eyes
were bent down, her head dropping: she
stood before her lover like guilty crea-
ture; but oh, how beautiful-how beautiful
she was! and that beauty she was going to
sell for gold! That thought nerved Louis
to scorn.
''Silent stillr' he broke forth at last, lay
ing a sudden grip on the girls slender
wrist-she did not shrink or tremble now.
you own it, then? own that you are
ready to barter your youth and beauty for
money? You will give yourself, body and
soul, to a man old enough to be your faith
err, not because he is noble and good, and
you love him, but because he is rich! Never
mind that you and l were boy and girl to-
gether-that your word was pledged to me
that have loved you faithfully; all that
is nGthing-nOthing now! 7 am poor, and
Aston Lawford is rich. [ might have
known it long ago; but | was an idiot, and
[ hoped against hope. Very soon the love
of the world began to eat your heart out;
your letters were cold and infreQuent-
your manner when we met was changed!
Oh, have been fool! and you, no doubt,
laughed at my folly"
Louis! Louis!''
"Ay!' he exclaimed, savagely, ''you can
cry out when you are stabbed; but you
may stab me to the heart, and I must suf-
fer in silence! That is a woman's priv
lege. A blight on the wretched code you
have so quickly learned, and on ali who
follow it! 1 have done with you! [ hope
[ may never see your false face againn'
He almost flung her from him as he
spoke, and turned to the door, Valerie
staggered, and caught at a chair near her
Louis" she said, choking back the sob
in her throat, must we part like this?"
But he did not heed-perhaps did not
hear-the words; blind with passion and
pain, he could only see that he was DELHI
erately abandoned for the sake of wealth
and position; could only read conscious
guilt in Valerie's silence, in her dropping
eyes and changing color; a longer expert
ence of life might have helped him here;
but Louis was not yet fOur-and-twenUy,
and knew little or nothing of human ma
ture. Valerie had loved him-loved him
how-but loved the world more. He was
too young to be pitiful; his love had not
the strength and depth for the noble sor-
row that could cry ''The pity ontr Va
lerie was miserably mean and despicably,
utterly without excuse; she had grown
cold and heartless; she cared nothing for
suffering she inflicted; so, with only anger
and resentment in his heart, Louis rushed
out of the room, and a minute later was