Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-03-22


that it might not appear so 0pcaIy to jilt
you for Colonel Beauregard. Now Mrs.
Langley and Valerie can say the girl wrote
it before she knew even that Gerald was
Ill; and Valerie would easily convince
| Colonel Beauregard of the truth of this
though on the face of it, it is a falsehOod,
for she wOull: not, in the first place, dare
| to refuse you without her aunt's knowledge
or sanction; and, in the second place, why
send the letter so late at night-why not
| earlier in the eyening-or tomorrow
Aston Lawford sat looking at his sister
listening to her without Offering to in
terrupt. When she mad finished he rose to
his feet
81 understand it allr' he said. grimly.
You are right. And does that girl think
she will make Max Beauregard believe
such transparent falsehood?''
such girl as Valerie, Aston" said
| Mss Lawford, truly enough, ''can make
any man her slave if she chooses. But she
is as worthless morally as she is beautiful
outwardly. Tear her out Of your heart!"
ayr said Lawford, iercely, ''bEt will
| take care Max Beauregard knows to the
full what manner of woman it is who in
| tends to spread her net for himr' He
stopped and picked up the crumpled letter.
| ''Beauregard shall see this.' he said, and
without word more he went out Of the
room, needless to say, banging the door
| after him.
Mr.. Lawford waited until late the fol-
lowing day, and then he wrote to Valerie.
He owned, he said, that her refusal, after the
undoubted encouragement she had given
him, very much surprised him; but he was
willing to accept the decision as final, since
he could not fail to see the motives which
dictated it. Certainly he would .-ot desire
to place his happiness in the hands Of a
| woman who permitted herself to be all but
engaged to one man, and on the very in
slant that another-h:therto ignored be-
cause he was comparatively rOOr-attained
unexpected wealth, the first lover was
ruthlessly thrown over, in the hope of gain
| ing as q suitor the man who took higher
rank in the social scale in addition to his
| wealth. Possibly Miss Herbert might find
| that she had grasped at the shadow and
| lost the substance; and for the rest, she
| would have done we'll to omit any pretense
of rejecting him Nawford) because she did
not love him, since love had no part or lot
in the question
With lips parched and hot, and dry, tear
less eyes, Valerie read that letter once
twice, thrice through, every word soaring
her heart as with a hot iron-not because,
in truth, she deserved it, but because she
seemed to deserve it.
ut is not chivalrous-itis not generousr'
she said, within herself. MAX Beaure.
gard would never have written like this tC
any woman. It is cruel; and vet, if | were
the wretched fortune-hunter Aston Law
ford must believe me, it is not more harsh
than l deserve. Will not stoop to denial
A girl sunk so low as I seem to have sunk
would hardly hesitate at falsehood 0 save
her credit with her new prey. What does
it matter?" She rose up and flung out hel
right arm with a reckless, defiant gesture
LET all the world think what it pleases
call me jilt. fortune-hunter, anything
Since he must despise me-hOld me shame
less, mercenary, heartless-and yet | live
how should 1 care a jot, though the whole
universe cried shame upon mer'
CHAPTER XXXH-vALERIE' OFFERING.
Not word of her new plans did the jul
dicious Mrs. Langley breathe to Valerie
That point-biank refusal OF Mr.. LawfOrd's
suit had considerably startled aunt Con
stance; and she felt convinced that, in hel
present mood, Valerie would breathe def
ance, and might even rush back to Vel
ford, or run away with Louis Charters.
Things should be left to take their OWL
course; and as Max Beauregard was a par
ticularly attractive man, instead of being
like Lawford, a cumbersome addition t.
his world advantages, the desired match
might come about without any ostensiblt
wire-pulling.
Nor did Mrs. Langley ask if Lawford ha(
written; and when Valerie briefly told hel
that he had, and that the letter was de
stroyed, the elder lady expressed no an
nOyance. She had no wish to force forward
the subject she had at heart, and she wa;
infinitely relieved at escaping an interview
| with LaWford; for, to do a dishonorable act
! is one thing; to be convicted of it, face tt
| face, another.
| Many a well-knOWn face was missed from
| Henley Regatta for not few among the
"Olympian circles boosted connection
| with the ancient house of Beauregard; and
| friends, too, held aloof for on the last day
| of the regatta Gerald Beauregard was
| buried at Abbot's Leigh, in the grand old
| Gothic chapel where slumbered SO many
| generations Of brave and fair Beauregards.
Two days previously Lady Elinor had
written herself to Mrs. Langley asking
her to be present, and Mrs. Langley went.
81 almost wish,' she said to Valerie,
''that Elinor had asked you, too; but you
are too young for such sorrowful scene,
| and of course there are SO many"
Il would not have gone if I had been
asked" Valerie answered, briefly.
Mrs. Langley scarcely liked the tone in
which this was said. Was the girl going
to prove failure after all? But the diplo-
matst said no more.
But when the flowers which Mrs. Lang
| ley was going to take with her were being
packed, Valerie, looking very white in.her
morning garments, came in, with an ex-
quisite cross of the loveliest flowers that
taste could select
"Aunt Constance" she said, her dark
eyes full of tears, will you take this with
| Eou. and ask them to lay it in the grave?"
ooh, Valerier' said Mrs. Langley, under
her breath, what a perfectly beautiful
| cross! Where did you get it,"
81 bought the flowers, and made it my
self"
my dear Valerie, no florist could have
surpassed this! Elinor, and Max, too, VIII
| be very pleased that you sent 1t!
And for Max that cross had been made,
| with many tears and infinite tenderness of
| care.
ASK them to lay it in the grave" the
| girl had said. 1t might be that Max's own
hand would lay it in the grave among the
| hundreds of floral offerings from relatives,
| friends, tenants, counting it less worth
| than any. Never mind; it was precious
| offering from heart to heart, though only
| one heart knew it; it might w1ther and die,
| yet it would be deathless; lost, forgotten,