Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-04-29

ADAP1ED BY n. z
CHAPTER v.

sho. ten perceptbly. and the spOrtsuen
were glad to hasten back from the covers,
and, after a hurried toilet. to Join the
ladies IN the well-bghtnd drawing rooms
Annie Speed was very reserved and
duiet-this ill-assorted asscmblage was
distasteful to her; but Sylvia was quite
In her element. Her complexion and eyes
were more than ordinarily brilliant, and
she excited great and openly-displayed
admiration. Her success completed
Georges infatuation; but the more he adj
vanced, the more she retreated. From
that moment he swore she should be his
wife. He swOre it to himself with that ex-
aggeration of repetition which charact-
erizes those weak natures who determine
beforehand to fight with those objections
to which they are conscious that one day
.aey will yield.
This was the most glorious moment Of
"little Chipp's'' life. For, above and
beyond her ambitious projects, her insin-
cere and coguettish nature delighted IN
this clandestine love affair that she was
bringing 10 so triumphant conclusion.
No one suspected anything Of it. An
ME was at that healthy and charming
season of youth when the mind, but half
developed, sees only what is open, and
suspects no concealments or treach-
l.
ness; his wife Of dust and cobwebs. It
was only Mr.. Gray whom Sylvia feared,
and after all, if he were to suspect any
thing" she said to herself, she is not the
man to betray me-" She triumphed, when
suddenly catastrophe. totally unforeseen
and unsupported, came to destroy all her
hopes,
One morning Mr.. Speed was brought in
nortally wounded; he had received the
full charge Of his own gun in his temple.
The house was in confusion, and the party
dispersed III every direction. Annie, dis
tractcd with grief, was shut in her faith
er's room when Florence, informed OF the
catastrophe. came to take Sylvia away.
On this last evening she had final inter
view with Goorrc. an interview ~addened
and soemnil"d by the near presence Of
death. They promised to love each other
always, and agreed upon plan Of cor
respondcnce, and then they parted.
Sylvia returned home under the care of
Florence who was in despair; for the death
OF his master and friend was to him an
irretricvable loss. She was compelled to
give her mother and the De LaCys every
detail of her visit, to cnumerate the fes-
tivities and the toilettes, and, finally, to
describe the sad disaster ut the end. The
torture this cost her no one ever knew,
nor her longing for silence and solitude.
Frank took his old place at her side, and
his words and tender looks nearly drove
her mad for the youth naturally claimed
certain rights as her accepted lover, ana
Sylvia shranF from even the touch of his
hand. The day arrived at last, however,
when indecision was no longer possible.
She had promised to marry Frank when
his salary was raised. He came to an
nOunce that this was now done. She must
marry him, or give q reason for her re
fusaL In this dilemma she thought of
Dora Although the lame girl had never
opened her heart to her, Sylvia had
OWNED her love for Frank. Had the
circumstances been different, the knOWl-
edge, perhaps, that another woman loved
her fn1lce would have made her more en-
durable to Miss Chip; but now she
grasped at this, as furnishing an easy
pretext for releasing herself from her
promise
1T is impossible, mamma" she said. one
day. Il will never consent to make Dora
so unhappy. Have you not noticed that
ever since my return she has been pale
and sad, and that she watches me with
eyes full of cntrcaty and reproach2 No
/ cannot do it. Poor Doraw
Although Mrs. Chipp admired her
daughters generosity and kind heart, she
thought the sacrifice too great.
Consider, my child! We are poor and
a man like Frank does not present himself
every day"
80 much the worse. then. for me. At
all events, l will not marry him. cried
Sylvia; and she repeated her words with
out wavcring to Frank himself
lie grew angry. rs she would give no
reasons. either to HIN or to his brother,
though her mother whispered mysterious
" to William that she was proud of her
daughter. and added, under a promise of
secrecy, that it was on Dora's account.
"Do not utter word OF reproach, my
boy" said Florence to Frank; ''she is an
angel"
"Yes, an angelr sighed Mrs. Chip. in
such way that the poor fellow decided
to leave London, and he Immediately
sought and obtained post as an engineer
in Egypt. He departed, knowing nothing
of Doru's affection. and yet. when he went
to bid her farewell, her love was plainly
to be read in her clear blue eyes. For
tunately. some suffering souls are endowed
with infinite patience. Frank gone, the
lame girl, with the courage and hope in
hcrited from her father, toiIed on industri-
ously, saying to herself with a gentle
smile. Il viii wait" and from that
moment her birds wings were widely
spread. as if they were about to take flight
themselves.
From Marseilles Frank wrote to Sylvia
a last letter. letter at once comical and
touching; a singular combination of re-
proachcs and tenderness, mixed with the
most commonplace details of the vessel in
which he was o sail.
Sylvia, however. cared little for this;
she neither laughed nor cried at this let
ter for many other things occupied her
thoughts. She had become very anxious
over Georges silence. Since she had left
Oaklnnds she had not received one line
from him; her own letter brought no
response. 1t was true that she had learned
from Florence that George was occupied
day and night, for his uucle'> death had
thrown more responsibility upon him than
he was prepared for; but not to write one
word!
From the window in the corridor where
she had again resumed her silent watches
flor she had given up working for Miss
Pixley) Sylvia caught many glimpse of
her lover; she saw him going in and ont
OF the factory. ana IN IuS evening W. cneu
him enter his carriage to be driven to the
train that was to take him 10 Oaklands.
where his aunt and cousin were passing
their first months Of their mourning.
All this terrified her; above all, the
proximity Of the factory rendered her
more sensible Of the real distance between
herself and George. She could almost
have made him hear the sound Of her
voice; only a few stone walls divided
them; and yet how far off he was.
One snow night that winter Florence
H. N'..- =,