San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-11-22

their lives TOT tnelr l0Ve-WOmen OF noble
nature, who would have trampled all lux
ury under foot. But Ismay is of lighter
nature. Her master-passion is vanity.
She will stay with me, because l can adj
minister to her vanity, and her husband
cannot"
at seems to me very like murder" said
Mr.. Ford, remembering the white haggard
face of the young husband, land /, my
lord, should not like to change places with
you, If you sin in this fashion"
81 will take all the risk" was the quiet
reply
Then the old lord began TO tempt his
grandchild. He talked to her of the great
world, of its brilliant pleasures, its gave
ties, its honors; he told her how such beau
ty as hers would command universal hon.
age-that in London, even amid the no
blest ladies, she would be a queen. He
tempted her with the most costly jewels,
with the most magnificent dresses; he Law
ished every luxury upon her. He insisted
that she should learn to ride, and pur-
chased beautiful Arab for her. She had
the use of luxurious carriage; he had
servants to wait upon her.
He tempted her through her love for her
| son. He would take the child in his arms
| and praise his noble face and his frank,
engaging manner.
1T is pitiful to think of Lionel brought
| up in a cottage. with no higher hope than
| to be a respectable game-keeper; nature
| meant him for nObleman. Lionel, Lord
| CarlswOod, would perhaps be the greatest
| man of his race"
He tempted her through her love of the
| beautiful. He surrounded her with every
| thing that was most graceful and choice
| he cultivated her taste-he spoke highly of
her appreciation.
He tempted her through the innate re-
| finement that had always distinguished
| her, he ministered to it in every way. He
spoke always with the greatest contempt
| of poverty, of all approach to vulgarity;
| he spoke with most condescending pity of
those whose position in life was inferior to
| his own.
He tempted her, too. by the wonderful
reverence in which he held his race; he
told her stories of the CarlswOods dead
and gone-of the heroes, the statesmen,
| the warriors, the noble and beautiful wo-
| men.-the heroines of his race-women
| whose names were framed in song and
story; and then, stopping abruptly, he
would say, with strange pathetic earnest
| ness
| II could not bring dishOnor on such a
| name"
Day by day Ismay loved her new life
| more and more. 1t was so pleasant to
| wander in those splendid grounds, under
the shade of ancestral trees; it was so
| pleasant to live in those magnificent rooms,
with their thick soft carpets, their superb
furniture their rare pictures and profu-
| sion of tlowerS-tO have servants to attend
| to her every wish-to have carriages,
horses, jewels, dresses, every luxury that
her imagination could devise. 1t was
| pleasant always to have purse full of
| mOney-tO know that she need never trOu-
BILE about ways and means-tO have re-
speCt, homage, flattery, reverence shown
to her; it was pleasant to be surrounded
by beautiful things-to meet none but
polished and refined people.
She thought with shudder of the little
cottage, the one little maid, the homely
life. She contrasted her husband, in his
| plain working dress, with the polished
| gentlemen she saw around her.
She was weak of soul. weak of purpose,
weak of heart, weak of will The past,
with it's poverty and privations, became
hateful to her. She loved the present; she
dreaded the thought of returning to her
humble home, of giving up her jewels, of
| growing accustomed again to an obscure
| life. How she would miss the grandeur,
the luxury, the magnificence of Bralyn!
| Yet she loved Paul-loved him as dearly
and deeply as her light nature would al
low her to love. There were nights when
her pillow was wet with tears-when she
sobbed as though her heart would break
when she thought all the world well lost
for him. But with the morning sunshine
those better thoughts would fee She
| never forgot her husband-when she saw
anything especially beautiful she would
long for him. She would take her little
! child out into the grounds, so that, I'M
| heard by others, she might talk to him of
his father. There was hardly an hour in
| which her heart did not turn to Paul, but
she was vain, weak, fond of luxury, easily
| persuaded. and the love of self, the love
of wealth and magnificence was stronger
than her love for him
II am in my right place now. " she would
say to herself; II never felt at home in
| Paul's little cottage"
| Then, when Lord Carlswood thought
the love of present surroundings had tax
en- deep root, he spoke to her. He was
calm, firm, and decided: he told her that
nothing would ever induce him to recog-
nize her husband, and he repeated his Of
| fer.
81 shall not seek to influence you," he
said. 81 simply lay both paths in life be-
fore you; you shall choose as you will If
Won make I'M your mind tn RETURN and taxi