Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-09-28


full for most every trifing attention.
They sailed the lake by sunlight and by
moonlight climbed the Rigi by half dozen
different routes, deied the storms of Mont
PLATE visited every shrine of William Tell
and explored every corner Of the quaint old
town before they babe farewell to the Lake
Of the Four Cantons and took their way
over the Brunig down to Interlaken.
When Kathleen stepped to the balcony Of
her room in the big Interlaken hotel where
Jack had taken her, she turned pale with
excess of delight. Before them the jung
frau and her abundant giants rose majesti-
cally into their own calm region Of silent
beauty, their silhouettes sharply defined
against the background of azure sky, closing
in the lovely Lauterbrunnen valley with
mighty rampant of peak and glacier. Kath-
Ieen watched the sunset that night, and saw
Ahe famous "colorization" steal slowly over
the dazzling snowfelds, changing their silver
radiance to a tender, pearly flush, like moth
:ng else in nature
"Can't we get nearer to them, Jackg' she
asked in whisper Of hushed delight. II
would sleep in hut and live on a crust, If need
be, just to be for awhile in the very heart OF
those mountains"
So Jack took her up the valley, and for q
few days they were very happy in little
inn at the foot of the Staubbach. But be-
fore long, Kathleen said the giant cliffs on
either side of the valley seemed pressing on
her like prison walls, and begged to be taken
cup higher"
Her word was law to her husband, SO, after
two or three hours of steep and rugged
mountain path, they took up their abode at
Murren, thousands of feet above their late
dwelling place, and level with the untracked
SHOWS of the great range across the valley.
Behind and above the narrow green shelf
which affords room for the tiny Alpine ham
let rose 'horns'' beyond all power of count
ing or remembering, and below them pine
forests clothed the mountain sides with
mantle of somber verdure. Hero they de-
cided to make halt of several weeks.
1t was during this stay at Murren that Mr..
Collingwood was first puzzled by a certain
indefnable change in Kathleen. Not toward
himself. To him her manner was gentle and
affectionate as ever; but she grew quieter as
the days went on, fonder Of solitude and
| often absent minded.
dull.
"Certainly not" she answered without
hesitation. GLOW could l be dull, Jack,
with YOUR
The glow on her cheek and the clear bright
ness of her eye vouched for bodily health not
being in fault, SO Jack told himself that the
little change could only exist in his over anx-
| ious imagination. One thing, however, was
! plainly no fancy: Kathleen was fast losing
the timidity Of girlhood and assuming the
self reliant dignity of her matronhood. When
her husband one day proposed, half teasingly,
to undertake difficult ascent, which would
necessitate his leaving her for at least two
| entire days, to his surprise she not only made
no objection to being left alone in big hotel,
but SO urged him to carry out the idea that
he was at last obliged to give way and
depart
The ascension" was most successful one
so the guide pronounced it, at any rate
occupying five or six hours less than the
usual time allowed for it. But to Jack, un-
deniably the pleasantest moment of the
whole excursion was the one in which he
once again caught sight OF the wooden bal
comics of the long, low hotel at Murren In
voluntarily he quiekened his tired steps in
his impotence to see Kathleen's flush Of
happy surprise at their Unexpectedly speedy
| return.
She was not to be found, however, either
in the garden or at the salon, so he FASTENED
up to her own room. Neither was she there,
though there were traces of her recent pres.
ence in the writing material spread out on
the table, The windows stood open, and the
summer breeze had scattered some of he1
papers about the floor. AS Mr.. Collingwood
stopped to gather up the flying sheets his
eye was caught by closely written page Of
Kathleen's pretty writing. All things were
common property now, and his eye rested Oh
Of fo. o,>Ioo -
ing her hand again, then in awakened curl
osity, then in utter bewilderment.
The letter was without formal commence
ment, and ran thus:
cit would be wiser and better not to write
this at all, but cannot any longer bear thu
pain of knowing that the news of my mar
riage will find you wholly unprepared
Max, you will say 1 can never have lovee
you; and, i: it will spare one useless pang O.
regret, it is well you should think SO. Yet
did speak the truth when 1 told you NJ
other could ever be to me what you were
I know I spoke truth by the very difficult,
of forgetting now that it is sin to remember
But was friendless and penniless, and Ion,
years must have gone by before we coult
even have dreamed of marriage. You con
fessed it yourself. How was to live through
these years2 Some women, no doubt, woul!
have bsen strong enough to fight the worl'
alone and wait; but it was not in me. wa
weak and frightened; and when good, gen
erous man offered me his hand and home
resolved to forget the past and the foolisl
promises had given. Blame me as little a
you can, Max, or, still better, forget me alto
gether. l am not altogether unhappy. NJ
husband is very kind and good to me, an
by and by hope to love him as he deserves
Good-by, Maxi May you one day win th
love of better woman than can ever be!'
The letter fell from Mr.. Collingwood's III
nerved hand futtering quietly away agai
beneath the table as he left the room, ~ ~
slowly, in half dazed fashion, made his wa
to quiet nook in the garden, where Katl
leen and he had spent many a happy hot
together.
The discovery was terrible blow to hin
Like many men who had married rather la
, in life he had found a special charm in IL
idea that the very first emotions of his your
, wife's heart had been awakened by his ow
wooing. A hundred times he had exulting
said to himself, as his eyes rested on her ia
girlish f,!ce-"She is all my own! No ms
.-.=> .zs ooaiG ns,zzs5 OF uinIesU corner
her hearth Never has she even dreamed
any other love than minel" And he ha
oSOSSA
+ destal of unworldliness which raised her fe
: above the possibility of a mercenarY though
! or motivel 1t was very bitter to avail
, from his sweet dream to find that, after al
: he had been married for home; and for
little while his wrath ran high against tt
woman who had deceived him. Thoughts
his sisters repeated warnings crowded upc
;, his mind in unwelcome number. Why ha
he not needed them more9
d But never in his whole life had the sauil
), been able to keep his wrath at boiling poi1
through two consecutive hours, and befol
the last Of the cigars in his case had go1
" the way Of all tobacco, he was hard at VOL
9 trying to frame excuses for Kathleen. S
young, so lovely, SO gentle-was it any wol
der she had shrunk from life Of toll ar
dependence which lay before her through I'll
years of waiting? This MAX" too, who WI
8 he after all, that she should sacrifice herse
10 for his sakea Some staggering, beer quaf
ing German student, who had sung sent
/ mental "Standchen" under her window
night and filed her school girl head vii
, - romantic rubbish-rubbish which, howeve
- even now stood in the way Of her returnir
" the love of an honest man. How willing
. would he have taught that fellow what
:, sound British horse whipping meantl