The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-06
IGNORANCE is BLISS.

d the yer Vi al brSt oNAtIA ~
her circumstances, If less than her lifting
mate intellectually. Honest. loyal, dense
wltted and unsuspicious. he would take her
on trust, and would maze no Inconvenient
inquiries into the past. Hypnotized by his
own love and her astuteness, he would see
everything as she chose to present 1t; and
he would refuse all subsequent enlighten-
ment. Ill would fare the man, or woman.
who should attempt TO defame the fair
widow whose promise he had obtained,
whose love he had made his own, and TO
whom he had given over his whole heart
and soul--the living sacrifc laid on the
altar Of love.
But-shoud be, in truth. ever find her
10 be less trustworthy than now he be-
Iieved, woe would then betide herl Blind
in his rage as nov in his devotion, he
would be like some wild beast let loose
among the herds. He would slay and rend
her where she stood-in the face OF all men
-shaming and running her forever.
All this Zillah Harcourt knew az the
law regulating the life and nature of this
big, fsir-haired and buIlet-beaded country
gentleman-this Joshua Mainwaring-he
marriage with whom was to lift her out of
her present anxiety about ways and means
and place her in a secure position for life.
Aye. even so2-would it indeed do this2
Was there no possible rift in that sweet
lutte of harmonious satisfaction? Had the
past no thunderboits which might some
day fail out OF the blue heaven to scatter
death and desolation all around? Had
that man, that handsome, crafty villain,
IN whom she had once believed-had he,
- J.
TO make or mar her fortunes as his own
needs and evil nature might determine?
Too surely-too SADLY
She was strong woman in her own
way; brave and resoiute in formulating
her viii with method and material exact
ness; shrinking from nothing that would
give her the fulfllment of her desires To
her mind circumstance was both flexible
and conquersble; and outside the irresist-
ibe domination of superior physical force
she knew nothing on earth that should be
her master-that should make her its
slave. Yet even she had the weakness
common TO the sex all round of believing
that tigers will content themselves with
milk when they cannot get blood. and that
egotism Will transform it.
self into self-denying humanity at the
prayer of defenseless creature whom it
can crush, body and bones. at will.
HE VIII never be such a wretch!'' she
said to herself again and again.
This was the anodyne with which she
soothed her deeper fear. The common
sense-the knowledge of Characteristic
lay below this soothing superficial hope,
told her in unmistakable accents enough
the bitter truth that he would be this
wretch.
She knew that when he heard of this
''tine landing" which was to save her
from shipwreck, he would put on the
screw, as he could, and either drain her
dry with secret indignities and tortures,
or more boldly destroy her altogether
falling profit and a share in her good for
tune, making ruin and revenge serve his
turn.
What could she do2 What should she
dor She did not yet know. waiting on his
line of action. For the present she was
like one walking in darkness. uncertain of
her way and ignorant of the issue. All
that she knew for certain was, she must
keep brave front. still hoodwinking the
Eood-hearted, thick witted and contidinc
man who loved her. and making the best
terms she could with that other in whose
hateful power she had placed herself.
Ii Is nothing TO the purpose i'll what this
power consisted. 1t might be love or
money, crime or folly, sinful deed or com
promising circumstances, worse in appear
ance than in reality, and now impossible
TO clear from the misleading gross which
made imprudence look like deadly evil.
Whatever 1t had been IN the beginning.
there 1t was nova fact not to be denied.
Albert Chesterton held Zillah Harcourt,
the widow of the colonel, il the hollow of
his hand, and her life belonged to him
more than to herself. He could mar her
plans and destroy her fair prospects at his
pleasure. He was the living death in
whose shadow she planted the roses of her
hope, and trusted in the good offices of a
kindly fortune. lie was the lion in her
path, the dragon before the cave wherein
her good genius was TO be found Had she
in her hand gifts of such charm and DO
teucy as should secure her safe passage
and the friendly neutrality Of this formid-
able power? Who knowsi
The story, whatever 1t might be was of
hygone date and had been transacted in
distant climcs 1t had all happened in
India, some months before the colonel
died. How much il had had 10 do with
that sudden and somewhat mysterious
death only Llilsh and her accomplIce
knew. But in all probability. il that thing
which happened one day up at Simla had
never taken place, the dry bones of poor
Colonel HarCourt would have been
clothed with their scanty garment of heSh
70 this day. and Zillah would have still
been an honored wife with a clear CON
science aud tettered will Instead of
which she was now free as air 10 the
world ere in her circumstances. with n
conscience, how deeply smjrched "a life,
how strenuously under coercion and CON
troi?
The door bell rang hastily. and heavy.
laundering step strobe heavily IN the
stairs. In the lover came, not waiting to
be officially announced in his impatience.
even the delay of half 8 minute proving in.
toierable. Without word of formal
greeting he took the pretty young widow
in his arms, and held her 10 his heart as a
man does who feels that in that beloved
woman he holds all that life has Of sweet
est, hottest, best.
Some minutes passed before he could
speak for the throbbing Of his heart that
choked his voice, and then all ne found 10
sav was, Darling, my lady-bird :"
Well, 4 woman wants little else She
scarcely expects her lover TO begin = dis
cussion on home rule or the ditiereutial
calculus, and IS contented with kisses and
sNee, words III place OF intellect and hns
thoughts.
IlLAh's Suswer was not much more dis
cursiye than her lovers greeting.
Dear old doGgoo" she said caressingly
And Josh MaiuwSrlug went straight into
the seventh heaven of delight.
This was all the kind OF talk that could
he got out Of him, extra 10 horses. dogs.
farming and sport. Indeed. he was very
giant Of generoslty--a very paladin for no
bijty Of feeling. n intellect, in power Of
conversation, in the faculty for expressing
his ideas, he was a mere pjguv below the
mental stature Of abe average schoolboy.
In hlm she would hSye to be content with
the matter leaving manner. form and ap-
rrArauce u tlhe cNr. nf tnrrlsnIr TEn