Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-10-13
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TIE STORY OF A SIN.
sT HELM h asTH sRs-
CHAPTER *.
% r.

o. aagIeS win = ingn rrtal scandals fly.
Wuta vir.uous ac1lna, are but born To die.
lir. Eyre found Madcap stretched on
a SOFA. looking so pale an wan that h.
cngld only consider the cons 'quencaS 10
herself o. Ter IN ad prank. without
ltotuaiiug himS-lf al all as % what pao-
PIE mignC think Of the prank Itself.
lie thOughc she received aim a little
co l3v: but beng conscious a. some OF
s-i.Sa tow trd her Of !&le. He d,d not let
tins trouble h m. and had more than
half won iteT back. when next morning
he said he must leave her for a few
hours that lie might make iIer apologies,
AM his own excuses. TO the Duchess.
MaanWhiie he sad. Frank ami the
children would keep her company il
the drawing (Whither he himself
had carried her, she bang now much
res Ell, if only a wrath OF her usual
SELL, and to this Aiplc3D eagerly AS
senCel: for }ha m0menUary Wrou she
had done Hester ~ heavily on her
soul, and SIZE plSSi0n2thiy desired to
send some WOr.t that would show her
sell IN less mean coOrS.
You shall go. on one condition" she
ST /, as he stopped his head to her-and
h.If uncOnSciOuSly she noticed how
gray he had lately groWn-''that when
you come back you will grant me any
single request [ may ask. Is that
agreed?"
He promised her lightly, much as
once she had promised him something,
and till now kept her word; then rode
away, and she could not even pretend
to feeling of jealousy at his departure,
she was so sure of her undivided empire
over his heart.
But Frank did not come that after
noon. though Mr.. Eyre had written to
| bid him, and, indeed, produced SenSa-
| ton in the DuchesS'S circle when he
said, having made his Wlfe's apologies
and his own
Lord LOvel would have ridden over
with me, but he is keeping my wife
company till [ go back. You'll see him,
| no doubt. by evening""
Mrs. TransOme GaSpPd, as she looked
| 1t this s0-caIlad man OF Che world. who
| acted so precisely like a fool; though
| when the Duchess had accidentally
| drawn him to the conservatory, an idea,
| worthy of the brain that originated it,
| occurred to her.
"C0IluSion," she said to herself; land
we are to be conveniently blind" And
a third edition of the scandal was pen
! ned and posted that very afternoon to
| her -O5SipS.
Waen Mr.. Eyre returned to his wife,
she reminded him Of his promise.
''Wnat is it?'' he said. his hold on her
| relaX.lr, as somehow Hester REQUIRED
! to lis mind.
Il want to go to her." she said, with
| Der arms close round his neck; I've
| forgiven Frank, but [ want her to for
| give met"
J IL started up as though an adder had
| stuny him. and the devils temporarily
| cast out in his breast returned seven
| fold. So not only was he to be Testers
| slave, but Iadcap must be dependent
! on her good Will likewise; fora moment
his courage quailed at the miserable
situation, the next he turned to his
| Wita, and said
= 1t IS not fit that you should associate
with such WOman-yOu owe some re-
| 5pPCt to yourself and me-
But Madcap, weak and unstrung,
wi something of the sick chilk's long
ny after forbidden toy, only hid her
ace, crying, You promised me; and
if see her, must speak 20 her"
And 50 | ain not sufficient to You, >
he said, pauSnr before he, land YOU
on% for change; even your children
Ion content you, and my wishes count
| .0r nOthingn
| y
| NadCaD, feeling more anger toward him
chan she had ever done before. Hester
is far nObler, better. more fit companion
for me than your friend the Duchess,
| Wn0m you forced me to visit"
: | am the best judge on that point"
5 / Nh. Eyre; then abruptly changed
tne conversation, and though more de-
voted to her than ever, would not suffer
her to even approach the subject with
! aim again.
And, meanwhile, the county looked
upon Mr.. Eyre as a man who deliber-
ately connlved at his own dishOnOr, and
| who, for sufficient reasons. encouraged
his Wlfe'S cOmpaniOnShip with Lord
| LOVel on every possible occasion.
He had never troubled himself to ex-
| plain his Wife's untimely ride to LOvei,
| explanations of all kinds he cordially
abhorred; and so long as he was salts
fed, it did not occur to him to think
that any one else could be otherwise.
Franks account of it lin the nature
OF thlngS) was not believed, while Mad
| cap was not even aware of the grave
misdemeanor she had committed. and if
she had been called on to blame any,
body, would have blamed the ass; while
the Duke and Duchess, who had set out
! for Scotland Immediately after their
| party broke up, were not at hand to
| give true version of the story.
The few persons who did not accept
| the current one. and who, being old
were merciful, said that perhaps a mid
dleaged man like Mr.. Eyre could not I'M
| derStand that two young, high-spirited
| people. drawn together by the eternal
| law that inclines like to like, might in
| time come to prefer each others society
| 20 his.
And | suppose that such thing as
| falling out of love with person for no
| particular reason. just as one may sud-
| denly tire of food or an occupation,
| shat has satisfied one for years, is nat
| ural enough. UncOnsciOuSly to our
| selves, little thingS-trifleS even-may
| have been undermining person in our
regard, and one dav we awaken with a
shock to the knowledge that what we
most valued has forfeited orr regard;
that by no conscious vOlitiOn Of our
own he has been tried by a secret tri-
bunal within us, and sentence passed
upon him; so that it is a corpse only
that occupies the place of the living OBJ
ject OF our worship of yesterday, and
deeply as we may regret it. passionate
~ DIS we may seek to recall our tender
ness for it, we cannot bring it back to
life again, for love and it have died to-
gether.
If Madcap had no such sense of fall
Ing out of love with Mr.. Eyre, it was,
nevertheless. certain that she realized
me charm of youth in Frank more
Eividly than she ever dreamed of. He
anne to supply a half-understOOd want
I her life that had often saddened her,
5or while her whole soul reposed itself
IN Mr.. Eyre's love and strength. the
raveIV natural TO her wears and cnarac-