Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-07-02
CHAPTER XIII.
RALPH wAHRINGHAN's DEcIsIoN.

ceiYed the news OF his mothers death
and the stipulatiOns of her will.
But still he feared that decision.
Betrayed, tOrmented. Inundated, dis
graced, as he felt himself 10 be by his
wife, still his love for her was alive.
But the decision meant that he should
lose her forever.
His life itself would go with her, he
thought.
He would not act hastily. Clear, I'M
deniable proof he must have Of her guilt.
Then he would act
What became of her he cared not.
She might drag on her miserable, dishon-
ored existence il she liked
But her partner in guilt must die!
And then-then-
He dared not think out the idea that
suggested itself.
Yes, he would think it out Should
he heap the disgaee Of cOwardice upon
the other dishonors with which he had
been covered?
After he had killed Count Won HOhen-
fels he would die himself!
What awaited life for one like him
one who had thrown away all he had
position, fortune, family, the love of a
mother-for what he imagined the pict-
ure OF deity, only to discover at last
that his idol. instead of soaring in olym-
puS, was wallOwtng in the mire.
What could he do but die?
Then he considered whether he should
tell his wife of the will at once, or
whether he should wait until the last
fateful interview.
Here was another wound that added
torment to his lacerated heart.
He was not without guilt himself. He
also had lied to her, although it would
have been a small matter to one who
really loved him.
But she loved him not. Should he al
low her to stand before him with re-
proach on her lip, a reprOach to which
he could make no answer?
No, he would give her no advantage
over him. Before she could utter q
word of reprOach he would crush her
with the proof Of her treachery.
Toward discovering such proof he
bent all the energies of his will and
every reSorce of his ingenuity. He even
stopped TO spying upon the secret acts
of his suspected wife. He would watch
her from behind a tuft of shrubbery,
when she was walking or sitting in the
garden. He even bribed walters and
chambermaids to report to him what his
wife was doing in his absence, and es-
pecially whether she saw the Count
At times he became conscious how
mean and despicable a part he was act
ing. Then he would laugh hoarsely and
mutter to himself:
what matters it! One who has bedded
himself in the mire must not expect to
rise with spOtless linen!"
Poor Ralph
The thundercloud on the horizon
darkened, but still the storm would not
burst forth.
Notwithstanding her all-eonsumlng
passion Lucy still preserved prudence
enough not TO commit too fragrant an
indiscretion. She had not yet seen her
lover alone n single time. and conse-
quently Ralph's en6eavors to find the
proof OF her infdelity were idle. Be
sides, Count Won HOhenfels was. If not a
cold, at all events cautious lover, and
not very anxious to come into direct col
lisiOn with the offended husband. In
truth, the whole affair had hardly
touched his heart, but was merely bold
and frivolous game.
Ralph might. indeed, have made an
end Of all filtration between his wife and
HOhenfels by simply leaving the place.
The Count would hardly have followed
them.
But he would not think of such a
thing. Could a mere separation from
the object of her criminal love restore
her again 10 her former place in his
heart? Could such a separation give him
back his peace of mind?
Neverl Angels, once fallen, forever
out, will never return into the desOlate
heart.
The cloud hung on the horizon The
hour would come when the tempest
would break loose, with dire destruction
in its train.
1t was a mere accident that led Mrs.
WarrinRham and the young diplomatist
into a situation which the impassioned
woman lOnued for. vet dreaded
1t was in the last days of September.
Many of the summer residents in the
little city of Eisenach had already left
for home. Many others were still linger-
ing, for the days were warm and mellow.
DIR. Warringham and his wife saw very
little of each other now. In fact, they
never met except at the table. Then
they treated each other with a studied,
cold politeness that did not fail to attract
the attention OF the host of gossips
whose stamping ground every watering
place is.
The gossips knew very interesting
story of the Doctor, his wife and the
Count
The beautiful American lady, it was
said, had been forced by a cruel parent
TO marry the Doctor, who was fabulous
ly rich. But her heart belonged to the
young German diplomat, whose acQuaint-
ance she had made in the palace of the
President of the United States
Everybody pitied the cruel fate of the
beautiful young lady, and pronounced
her husband a monster.
The gossips knew it all. All, yesi
The world always does
Ralph had made q number of &C
quaintances among the gentlemen, both
Of the summer colony and the town.
With these he rode on horseback, under
took extended pedestrian excursions into
the mountains, and did whatever else he
could to get rid of his thoughts. He
even gambled, which he had never done
before But rarely he participated in
the amusements arranged by tho sum
mer residents OF late he spent a great
deal of his time watching his wife.
But often, also, he would ramble for
long hours in the woods, alone with mis-
thoughts, or climb the hill from which
the ancient castle Of Wartburg over
looks the country, TO muse in the halls
of that venerable pile
There is perhaps no other monument
of the middle ages left to US around
which cluster so many associations OF
romance. poetry, legend and history as
Wartburg Castle, the ancient seat Of the
Ihuringian LandgraVeS- In the thir-
teenth century this was the center of
German knightly poetry. when at the
court OF Landgrave Hermann gathered
all the greatest Of the minnesingers=
Wolfram Won Eschenbach. Walther Won
der VOgelweide, and hundreds of less
note, while the names of many others
are forgotten with their songs. Here,
in the large hall where now a painting
by one of Germany's greatest modern
artists commentaries the event. was
waged the famous ~War of the Singers
where Heinrich Won Ofterdingen-sur-
named the Iannhauser-was Vanquished