Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-02-27
BLACK I5eSs.

BLACK Bess."
ooh, Godfrey, do you want to break
my heart. Sure you know he is the
most vicious animal in the whole sta
bles. Take any horse but that
We'll, if only to orige you, I'll take
Truant.''
"Whatl the horrid brute that puts
back his ears and shows the whites Of
his eyes? Godfrey, once for all, l de-
sire you to have nothing to do with
him."
Anything TO please you,' says Geof-
fry, who is laughing by this time MAY
| trust nay precious bones to Mazerin?
He is quite fifteen; has only one eve,
and has shameless disregard for the
whip
Yes; he will do.'' SAYS Mona. af-
ter seconds careful thought, and even
now reluctantly.
- thint see myself behind Mazerin
at TINS time or Gay, says Er. hou-
ney, heartlessiy. ~ GU don't catch me
at it, if | know it. I'm not sure what
horse | shall have, but l trust to Thorn
as to give me good one. For the last
time, goodbye again, you amiable
young goose, and don't expect me till l
come"
So saying, he embraces her warmly,
and, running downstairs, jumps into
the dog-cart, and drives away behind
the vicious Black BeSS."
Mona watches him from her window,
as far as the curve i'll the avenue will
permit, and, having received and re-
turned his farewell wave of the hand.
sits down, and taking out her handker-
chief, INDUCES i'll a good cry.
1t IS the first time since their mar
rage that she and Geoffrey have been
parted, and it seems to her hard thing
that such partingS should be. A sense
OF deSOlatiOn creepS over her,-a sense
OF loneliness she has never before
known.
Then she remembers her promise to
go down to the girls. and abstain from
fretting, and, rising bravely, she bathes
her eyes, and goes down the marble
staircase through the curtained alcOve
towards the small drawing room, where,
one of the servants tells her, the family
is assembled.
The door of the room she is approach
ing is wide open, and inside, as she
draws nearer, it becomes apparent that
some one is talking very loudly, and
termined not to be Silenced Argument
is plainly the order of the hour.
AS Mona comes still nearer, the WORD J
! of the speaker reach her, and sink into
her brain. 1t is Lady Rodney who is
holding forth, and what she says floats
! lightly to MOna'S ears. She is still adj
vancing, unmindful of anything but the
| fact that she cannot see GeOtfreY again
| for more hours than she cares to count,
when the following words become clear
! to her, and drive the color from her
| cheeks.
And those dogs forever at her heelsl
-nositivelY. she is half a savage. The
whole unIng IS III keeping, anu quito &c
testable. How can YOU expect me to
! welcome girl who is without family
| and absolutely pennileSS? Why, | am
! convinced that misguided boy bought
! her even her trOuSSeaul'
! Mona had no time to hear more: pale,
! but collected, she walks deliberately
| into the room, and up to Lady Rodney.
You are mistaken in one point, > she
says slowly. Il may be savage, penni-
| less, without family.-hut I bought my
own trOuSseau. / do not say this to eX-
cuSe myself, because | should not mind
| taking anything from Godfrey; but |
| think it pity you should not know the
! truth. | had some money of my Own,-
! very little. | allow, but enough to fur
nish me with wedding garments"
Her coming is a thumderbolt, her
! SpttCII ilSnlllIllS- lIdIS hOunGy CIldllgeS
color, and is for once utterly discOn-
! cGTted.
II beg your pardon" she manages to
say. ''Of course had I known you were
listening at the door, should not have
said what I did, this last with a de-
sire to offend.
II was not listening at the door, says
Mona, with dignity, yet with extreme
difficulty; some hand seems clutching at
her heart-strings, and he who should
have been near to succOr her is far
away. Il never" haughtily, ''listened
at a door in all my life. l should not
understand how to do it." Her Irish
blood is up, and there is a distinct EN-
phasiS upon the prOnoun. 'YQu have
wrOnged me tWice!''
Her voice falters. Instipctiyely she
looks round for help. She feels desert
ed,-alone. No one speaks. Sir Mich
olas and Violet, who are in the room,
are as yet almost too shocked to have
command of words; and presently the
silence becomes unbearable
ITO be Continued