Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-04-17

I"Whe l remembered how you tried (on
| conscientiously triedD to prevent my mar
| riage-how you predicted the miserable
results that would follow. if Harry's life
and my life became oneAcould | venture
| to hope That you would come here. and
| Judge for yourself? Dear and good friend.
| 1 have nothing to fear from tue result.
/ yOur presence was never more welcome to
| me than it is nOW.'
~ neither it was attributable 10 praiu-
| dice Oh MountjOy's part or to keen or inst
0bSarVat on. he detected something ;..Eifi-
| cial in the ring OF her enthusiasm: there
WAS not the steady light OF train in her
eyes, which he remem 0ered il the past
and better days OF their companionship
| He was nttle-JGSt a little-irritated.
| The temptation to remind her that mis- dis
| trust of Lord Harry had once been her dis
| trust, too. proved to pe more than his
| frailty could resist.
your memory is generally exact" he
said: but it hardly serves you now as
| well as usual"
what have forgottens"
You have forgotten the time, my dear,
| when your opinion was almost as strongly
against marriage with Lord Harry as
| mine"
"Ah l didn't know him then as we'll AS I
| know him nowr'
| Some men, in Mount joys position, might
| have been provoked into limiting that there
were sides to her husbands character
| which she had probably not discovered
| yet. But Hugh's gentle temper-ruffied
| for a moment only-had recovered it's
| serenity. Her friend was her true friend
| still; he said no more on the subject of her
marriage.
''Old habits are not easily set aside" he
| reminded her. II have been so long &C
cuStomed to advise you and help you, that
find myself hoping there may be some
need for my services still Is there nova
in which might relieve you of the hate
full presence of Mr.. Vimpany?"
My dear Hugh, l wish you had not
mentioned Mr.. Vimpany."
| Mountjoy concluded that the subject
was disagreeable to her. After the opin-
ion of him which you expressed in your
| letter to me,' he said, 81 ought not to
have spoken of the doctor. Pray forgive
me-"
| Iris looked distressed.
"Oh, you are quite mistaken! The Door
doctor has been sadly misjudged: and I''-
she shook her head, and sighed penitently
land l." she resumed, lam one among
other people who have tgnorantly wronged
| him. Pray consult my husband. Hear
what he can tell you-and you will pity
such large demands on our means that we
can do little to help him. With your re-
commentator he might find some en-
oloXment
Iris; and | have refused. l can't agree
with your change of opinion about Mr..
Vimpany.'
why not? sit because he has separ-
ated from his wife?''
''That is one reason among many 9TH
Indeed, indeed you are wrongl Lord
Harry has known Mrs. Vimpany for
years, and he says-I am truly sorry to
hear it-that the separation is her fault"
Hugh changed the subject again: The
purpose which had manly induced him
to leave England had not been mentioned
yet.
Abiding to the newspaper, and to the
heavy pecuniary demands made by the
preliminary expenses of the new Journal
he reminded Iris that their long and init
mate friendship permitted him to feel
some interest in her affairs. 81 won't
! venture to express an opinion" he added;
! ''let me only ask if Lord Harry's invest
ments in this speculation have compelled
him to make some use of your little for
| tuner"
my husband refused to touch my for
tune" Iris answered. But" She paused
there. do you know how honorably,
| how nobly, he has behaved?" she abruptly
resumed. He has insured his life: he
has burdened himself with the payment
of large sum of money every year. And
| all for me, if l am so unfortunate (Which
God forbidD as to survive him. When a
large share in the newspaper was for sale
do you think could be ungrateful enough
| to let him lose the chance of making our
| fortune, when the profits begin to come
| in? insisted on advancing the money
! we almost quarreled about it-but, you
| know how sweet he is. Isaid: Don't dis
tress me- and the dearest of men let me
| have my own way.'
| Mountjoy listened in silence To have
expressed what he felt would have been
| only to mortify and offend Iris. Old habit
| (as he had said) had made the idea of de-
! voting himself to her interests the upper
| NEST idea in his mind. He asked if the
money had all been spent. Hearing that
| some of it was still left he resolved on
making the attempt to secure the remains
| of her fortune to herself.
'"Tell me-" he said, ''have you ever
heard of such thing as buying an an
nuty?"
| She knew nothing about it. He careful
| ly explained the method by which mod
crate sum of money might be made to
| purchase sufficient income for life. She
| offered no objection, when he proposed to
write to his LAWYER in London for the ne
her to tell him what the sum was of which
| she might be still able to dispose, Iris hes
itated, and made no reply.
This time, Hugh arrived at the right
conclusion.
1t was only too plain to him that what
remained of her money represented an
| amount so trifiing that she was ashamed
to mention it. OF the need for helping her
| there could be no doubt now: and, as for
the means, no difficulties presented them
selves to Mountjoy-always exec pting the
one obstacle likely to be offered by the
woman herself. Experience warned him
to approach her delicately, by the indirec.
way.
You know me well enough" he said
'to feel sure that [ am incapable of saying
anything which can m0arrass lou or
| cause moments misunderstanding be-
| tween two old friends. Won't you look
| at me, Iris, when l am speaking to yOu?"
She still looked away from him. 81 am
afraid of what you are going to say to me-"
she answered, coldly.
"Then let me say it at once. In one of
your letters, written long since-I don't
suppose you remember it-you told me
| that was an obstinate man when | once
took thing into my head. You were
quite right Ny dear, 1 have taken it into
mv'head that Won will be as ready as ever
| = |||k.z.y. |E If Ef|HfL e