Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-10-05
MONH'S CHOICE
BY MRS. ALEXANDER.


ment. Can it be that the hero Of the re-
jected addresses has found favor IN your
eyes after alba great overgrown school
boy, who is weak enough TO let himself be
robbed and plundered by professed game
sters and designing promoters, and then
skulks off to hide himself in the wilds Of
California, like other defeated desperadoes.
Your first instinct was right when you re-
Jected a man who was unfit to be your pro-
tector"
''StopW cried Mona, moved by sudden
generous impulse to do justice to the man
she loved. Your judgment was right.
Ny instinct, If it was instinct, was wrong.
Mr. Warning deserved my love, and he has
It'll You are again right, you see. He has
shaken off the early feeling which made
him so eager to throw himself between me
and the ruggedness Of poverty, and have
learned to know him when it is too latei
Your confession deserves confidence on my
part feel can trust my secret to the
loyalty OF gentleman; and though ] am
not the woman to throw myself at the feet
OF one who is Indifferent to me. as Leslie
Warning is now, am not ashamed to own
that he has my gratitude, my respect, my
heart, and in it there is no room for an
other"
The tone in which she uttered these
words, the indescribable dignity and ten
derness of her air. Of the slight gesture Of
the hand with which she emphasized her
speech-touChed and silenced Isle
''You are an extraordinary girl" he said
at length; land If Warning does not love
you q suppose you must know, it seems
incredible. Well, If he does not, do not
despair You are worth winning 1 will
not trespass on you any longer; but / will
not say gOOd-bye-I shall seek you again
when the sea rolls between you and the
most unlucky dog have ever known or
heard Of To be loved by you, and not TO
know It. What irony of fate For the
present-sweetcst and most provoking Of
women-farewell."
CHAPTER XXvu.-"THE LAST STATE OF THAT
MAN"
81 dinna ken what's come to ye," said
Uncle Sandy, in very discontinued tones
ms he pushed away his plate and held out
the tca-cup he had just cmptied. to be re
plcnishcd. "Thcre Gamma be better or
purcr mir than Mt Craigdarroch. It's aye
west or south; yet there's Mona WI bad
headache, wantin' her breakfast in her
room, an Mr. Leslie loOkin'-nae, but ye
look better than ye did yesterday" glanc-
ing at him, "only ye dinna eat. What's
bit haddic an mouthfu' O. toast to stay
mons stomach i the mornin'?"
con- am all the better for my ramble
with Kenneth yesterday"
"You IRE well-nigh yourself again; but
was feared ye'd be goin' too far when l
heard We hadna come back Mt tea-time."
al left Kenneth because he was going
farther on. came back by Monkscleugh
and the lakewood. | hope Miss Crais's
headache is not very severe"
"Shc's more tired ike than in pain. She
wants quiet AwecI, she went to bed air
ly enough" quoth Uncle Sandy, "to get It,"
81 dare say she will come down soon.
Jessie says there is n new brood of chick
ems out Mr. Craig said Mary. Twelve
wee brides all strong and lively"
"Ay, that's varra good. Now, there's
anitner fast carly train to Glasgow, We'll
dispose O good part o the poultry varra
prontably. I'd 20 down and look Mt the
chuckics. If Mona were here"
"And wouldn't you take my arm, Mr.
Craig, for want Of better?" said Mary,
blushing very sweetly.
Yes, ! will, my bRirnic." said the old
man looking ut her indulgeutly. Sandy
Craig had great liking for pretty face.
''Wo'll 90 and hive crack WI the hen
wife"
Later Mona, thinking from the profound
stiffness that she had the house to herself
came from the srcusion of her own room
to the drawing-rUom. She had been great
ly agitatei 10y her interview with IIisle,
and greatly distressed, ON reflection, to
think she had trusted the secret Of her love
for Warning to n man whom she could not
help considering an enemy. Yet she did
not quite wish her words unsad. She
wished to honor the man she preferred, In
the eyes of the rival who dCBpiscd him; but
she hoped and prayed that the knowledge
of this admission might never rcHch War
ing Perhaps indeed probably-he had
formed some fresh attachment, which held
his hcnrt against her after ALL" she
thought, M she stopped TO look ut herself
in long glass at the end Of the room, and
saw that the long straight folds and close
fitting bodice of her dark blue serge, with
tho broad band and buckle that showed
the easy rounduess of her waist, the scarf
OF old lace round her thront. the soft wavy
masses of her reddish gold hair, became
her wcll-''aftcr all, am not worse look
ing than used TO be: but that docs not
matter"
With sigh she opened the piano, and
began to play dreamily. How fast the
days were slipping away Tomorrow
would be his last at Crligdnrroch, and
then goodbye forever
''ls the headache quite gomez" said War
ing, coming up behind her,
Mona started and changed color.
Yes nearly gone. You startled mel 1
thought hou were out"
She met his eyes as she spoke, and some
thing Of indescrbable tenderness in them
made her heart stand still. She rose and :
went TO the window.
1T is cold and raw to-day" she said,
with slight shiver.
Returning to tho fire, she leaned against
the mantcl piece. Warning put his arms
on the top of n high-backed chair opposite
her, and said, with quick sigh
Tho days cannot be too dark and dreary
to suit my spirit | cannot gather courage
enough TO think of MondayI
ut is coming very fast" said Mona, soft
ly, and keeping her eyes fixed on the fire.
but feeling that Warnings were fastened
on herself.
'Ntll you think me weak, selfish, worth
less, if cannot leave you without saying
how dearly love you'll To think how near
came TO calling you my wife: and now we
are but strangers TO each other. Don't
you see how bitterly hard il wasf Obi you
were right TO break with me, If You could
not love me. Il would have been misery
to us both II you could not have loved me.
But 1t was all utter despair at the time. To
think that You preferred poverty and the
desertiou of your relatives to me. and all |
could have given you then"
'Ah, Mr.. WarinSl' cried Mona, covering
her face with her hands, can you forgive
me?n
Il do not reproach YOU" he returned.
IL was not worthy of you, or should not
have gone to the bad rs | did, because |
was disappointed. But when came back
to life from that terrible fever, | felt an
other man. felt had a duty 20 myself
that forbade this unmanly Abandonment,
and have been stronger ever since. ]
was oven getting over the painful longing
for you. And now we have met, and am
worse than eyerl And you, you seem
sweetcr than everl feel as if could not
leave your
He pushed the chair from him, and came
to stand beside her, his eyes full Of love
and sorrow, his plain face Geautified by the
spirit that animated him.
The fire Of heaven seemed to Mona TO
have descended on her heart, and filed It
with Joy uuspcakable. She let her hands
drop, and, quivering from head to foot, she
almost yhiSDprpi--