The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1893-07-01
RESTER'S LOVERS Rs:

r. S. 80 - = ~
''To think I have a sister, Roy and
she IS coming to-day" and lester
Leighton raised her clear, soft eyes
to- her lovers handsome face. =
:! = She was hardly a pretty gin this
Hester Leighton, but she gave Iomise
of being more than pretty in ie fu-
ture. for as yet she was barely seven
teen, a shy, pale girl, whose phcipal
charm lay in her girlish innoce1 1e and
: tender eyes.
'When do you expect her?' ISL Bel
don said, 'sthis unknown siste He's
= ter, for whom you are preparig such
"a welcome.'' - -.
':To-day-any time. To thik that
papa had a wife before ma hma-a
wife who only lived one shor year
: a little daughter before me! whose
: face he never saw
He cannot have been gift with
very strong parental affectio l." Roy
said.
ooh! you don't understa1h. He
thought the baby died with itsmother.
1t seems her sister: lost bby, and
took. papa's little one in it's stad, and
kept the secret up till papa vhs dying
and So
so you have a new sist h, when
you least expected it. It wasin sunny
Spain your fathers romance -
:. oh. Roy, there is some ons coming.
It is she, and it is only -kind1fss in me
to meet her. -
AS she crossed the room, a faint tap
sounded on the door, and opening it
she smiled a welcome to the new
conner
AS the stranger came forward, she
threw back the veil that shaded her
face, and Hester almost stalted at the
Wondrous beauty her eyes rested upon.
You are my sister?' Hester said,
putting her soft, white arms around
the strangers neck, ,and laying her pure,
glrllsh lips to the vivid crilnson curves
OF the others beautiful, smiling mouth
welcome to Srlncliffe, welcome home. -
Then Roy came forward and bent
with naughty grace over Inez slender
hand, While his very soul seemed tC
drink in her beauty.
WhHe they were standing there an
other gentleman crossed the piazza
and Hester flew to the window
Come in here, Deane. My sister has
come, and want you to welcome her
The next moment Deane Stanley was
welcoming the newcomer.
One hour later Inez stood before the
mirror in the rooms allotted to her
looking at her own beautiful face, hel
thoughts reverting to Roy Belden and
his look OF passionate admiration
And he is the. promised husband OF
that little dowdy pale-face;> well"-
with a faint laugh-'if ever he did
love her, which I rather doubt, I can
lure him from her.. chain him to my
SIDE. by the power Of my beauty, and
of his stately home.''
If he ever loved her?> This was a
question Roy asked himself when he
thought of Hester, as the days rolled
on and he felt the power of Inez' mid
night eyes and curving lips Turing him
on to madness. He had no thought
at first Of being false to Hester, but as
the summer passed, he felt the power
of Inez' siren loneliness, holding hin
in thrall he could not break. No1
that he tried very hard, for self-loye
was a gift the gods had not deprived
him of, and so
Red lips smiling lured him on.
Bright eyes beaming, held his soul.
I'LL languorous, dreamy spell
Bound his heart beyond control;
Iln faith, and truth, and honor gone.
Till conquering passion stood alone
Where love had smiled before"
Hester watched it all with a strange
dull, aching pain at her tender hear
that slowly turned to wonder and con
tempt. Was this her Bayard-he
knight without fear or .reproach-thi
Wavering lover who had proved falls,
to his troth?
She struggled bravely against til,
thought, and then-ah, then she coul<
doubt no longer after the fatal da7
she stood beneath the dropping syrin
gas in the old-fashioned garden belov
the western gable of the homestead.
She saw tthem together, Inez an(
Roy-saw him pleading for her love
almost kneeling before her in th,
passion OF the moment, and then-nay
she was not mad nor dreaming!-Ro,
had taken Inez in his arms, kissin.
the creamy palor of her face, tn,
curving crimson Of her lips, and call
ing her his darling, his beautiful one.
White as death, with a strange, dead
. ly faintness stealing over her, Heste
turned away. She had loved Ro,
BeldOn, II not with wOman's deepes
love, with all a girls shy, sweet ten
derness, and she had trusted him en-
tirely-would have staked her veEy If
on his honor and truth
She turned up the pathway again
Suddenly strange darkness seemed
TO envelop her, and dimly she say
Deane Stanley coming toward her
Deane Stanley who had been as a sol
to her father-a brother to herself.
His face paled as he saw her.
''Hester! Child! What is it?"
She made him no answer, only hel(
out her hands like a tired child. tant
then, ere he could reach her swayin!
form, she sunk white and senseles
:at his feet
He lifted her in his arms
''My darling! My darling! Oh! til,
coward, but his punishment will b,
deep enough, or my name is not Deant
Stanley" --. ,~5--.
The strange deadly faintness wa:
only momentary, and coming to her
self, Hester heard the passionate :dar
ling" and felt the kisses that fell upo1
" her hands, and realizing With feel
ing of pain, a pain that yet thrilled hel
strangely, that not as friend or brother
Deane Stanley loved her. bat as mar
! loves the one fair woman in all the
r., /; b.