Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-04-22
CEAPTER ".

CEArTER ".
'OAKLAEDs. NEAR WINDSOR.
| "DEAR SYLvIA-Yc=tc;day at dinner. IN
! the large dinirg-ToDm yn'i Is-rd to know
| so vel, ] was dreaifi;iiy out 81 al.lIss.-
/ GlandDapa had been out nf tonaDer all he
| morning. and mamma had liz. uly darsd
! to speak. / cr3;Ij not hell, thinking what
. pity there - one else to c1ijDv iii.
| lovely place. .rge only comes occasion
silly, and then merely to dinner, end be
goes away the next morning with his ia
| Jher before I am ND. for he has become
| quite q man Of business now Well, yes
! tcrday grandpa suddenly turned TO me.
! and said. abruptly, What has become Of
! that little Sylvan / should Ike 10 se"
| her here again You may imagine my
! delight! / have 50 much to tell Won, 50
| many things 10 show You! You will cheer
| US up, dear. and | assure you we all need
! 1t. There il not Il creature here to tau, 80.
! and it is no good wearing pretty dresseS.
! for there is no one 10 admire them. except
| the COWS. ] amuse myself feeding tue
| chickens and ducks. but when you come,
| we shall amuse each other. The shooting
| season viii soon be here. and then George
and my father viii stay longer and il VIII
be more lively. Every one expects you.
and am dying Of impotence, 50 you must
write at once and say what day we may
expect you. Mr.. Florence says yOu are
not at all Wei, and the air here viii 60 you
! world OF good.
Your affectionate frtcnd.
"AGNw SPEED"
Her letter was finished. and Annie s, ."cd
put on her wide brimmed straw hat. for
the August sun was very hot, and went
herself to place it in the little box on the
lodge gate, from which the postnan would
remove it in the evening.
No kindly breeze whispered in tie @i1fs
| car n warning 10 prevent hey Eer"ing that
fatal letter and she hurried back to the
house to prepare for Sylvia a pretty room
next her own.
The letter reached its destination. arriv-
ing in London the next morning, and was
duly delivered to Sylvia. What an event
it was! They all read it over and sver
AGAIN. and for the next week it lay on the
chimney-picce with Mrs. Chipp's most pre-
ciOus relics Of the past. TO Sylvia it was
like some fairy charm, full Of enchantment
and Of promise. There was no talk Of her
wedding now. Everyone was absorbed in
her outfit for Oakhnds; every one was
busy cutting and sewing, while she was
forever occupied in trying on her new
dresses.
Poor Frank. How all these prepara-
tions made his heart ache! This visit
would postpone his marriage. 1t was in
vain for him to attempt to oppose it, and
he saw Sylvia slipping each day. as it
were, from his grasp. Once at Oaklands,
who could say when she would return?
1t was to the De Lacy's that the mhap-
by lover went with his melancholy fore
bOdIngs, and he never noticed how Dora,
as soon as he entered. made a place for
him at her workable, with yes cast
down and flushed cheeks.
For several days the beetles and birds
had been laid aside. The mother and
daughter were embroidering some pale
pink aounces for dress Of Sylvia's, and
never had the lame girl sewed more dill
gently, for she inherited much of her IA
TIERS hopeful heart and powers of self
deception.
When Frank told her of his disappont-
ment, and of his fears, Dora only thought
that, If Sylvia were once away, he would
fail into the habit of coming to her for
consolation. Perhaps. too, q happy night
might come when. as they sat waiting for
papa" Frank would realize the differ
ence between woman who adored him
and one who merely permitted herself to
be adored.
Consequently the impatience she felt for
SyIviaS departure, lent to her needle such
extraordinary velocity that Frank watch
ed the ruttles ana rucnes p1Ing up about
her with almost feeling of hatred; for
Sylvias departure was only delayed until
the pink dress was finished. When the
last stitch was taken Miss Chipp left for
Oaklands.
The house, built in the time of George
Ill, had an air Of s0mbre confidence
1t stood in the center of large park. and
the trees surrounding it were very fine;
but the chief charm of the spot was the
river, to the brink of which the grounds
sloped on one side. Unfortunately, the
manners and appearance of the present
proprietor did not correspond with the
aristocratic air of the domain.
The wealthy tradesman, after buying
the estate from its impoverished owners,
cut down many Of the trees Ito open a
view." and then built high wall to keep
out intludcrs. His tenierest solicitude
was lavished on his vegetable garden.
OF the Gr'awing-rcom panelled with ex-
Quisite paintings; of the lake, whitened
by water lilies; of the grOttoes and the
bridges. he thought nothing, save when
his guests went into ecstacies over them.
Advanced in years. he could neither shoot
nor fish. and he passed his time III super
intending the most petty details Of his
enormous property. The grain with
which the poultry were fed. The number
OF bundles of straw piled IN the barn,
served HIM to scold about fOY. q long sum
mers day. Beholding from afar this
beautiful srot-the shining river and
green turf. the trees and fiowe1-S-no one
would have suspected the meanness and
narrow mind Of its owner.
MIR. Gray lived there all the yea,. round.
and the Speeds always spent the summer
with MIN. Mrs. Speed was Of gentle
nature. but dull. ard without cultivation.
iatimidated from childhood by hen. f.ther's
coarse and harsh disposition. She was
afraid. too. of her husband. whose good.
ness and constant indulgence had never
succeeded in winning the entire confidence
OF his wife. Having always been kept in
complete ignorance Of business matters.
they had grown rich almost without her
knowledge, and without the smallest de-
sire on her paTt to profit by il.
Her handsomely furnished rooms in
town. and her fathers house. were equal
~ burdensOme 70 her. She alwavs gath
cred her skirts about her closely. and
made it Il study TO take up as little space
as possible. She had but one passion. one
pursuit in life-cleanliness and order: and
she brushed and busted, polished and
rubbed. everything that she could get
hold Of
When she could find nothing else 10
clean, this singular woman took out her
rings and her chains rllbl,pd down her