The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1893-08-26

4 '
never so with us: the nurses used to
say. this child is his father own. and
this his mothers. Fortune plays
strange tricks. if had been the eldest,
/ he the Younger son, neither would have
suffered as we did. My father never
cared for me. my mother idOliZed me.
J Evan would have loved me If | had
willed it 50: but | saw that |, the
! cleverer one. with better intellect and
/ stronger powers. was hedged in. crushed
! on every side for want of that wealth
| he valued so little There are mo-
ments and this is one in which men
! speak their thoughts straight ont. |
knew myself to possess the stronger
mind and intellect. | envied his race
/ beauty. his attractlVeness, the IN
/ fuence he possessed over OF hers. " hich
/ in my hands would have been d tower
/ of strength. and in his was onlya means
of attaching personal love. | never
! tried to curb my jealousy. and it be-
/ came the strongest passion of my life.
Then came day on which once
more my hopes We're raised. Do not
! shrink back. human nature is complex.
! ! swear did not desire my brothers
J death, but he was dying. and did
desire the power that would come to
me.
! 1T was near. in my very hand: and,
mark YOU. was unjustly used by for
tune. [ was given faculties that |
could never develop. hopes never to be
fulfilled. visions never to be grasped.
Good heavens. the bitterness of that
moment Is engraVen on my brain. All
shattered in moment, know that |
was again what | had been before
that that woman was my brother 5 wife,
that child his lawful heir. "
You knew it, Perdita recOild
from him.
Listen: dcspisc me as You will, but
hear me to the end. 1t was night. my
mother was asleep. not Il creature stir
ring in the house. no human being
shared the tumult Of my soul no prayer
forme was going up to Heaven, and
| had to fight the fight alone with
| temptcr who called to his aid every
| Jealous thought. every devil that had
| triumphed in my soul since had grown
to hate my brother. rose up and
| paced my room. II was a wonderful
| mOOnlit nlght-there was light for my
purpose. crossed the Loeb: the KEYS
| fitted: took the papers from old Nal
coins care, and filled the packet with
| blank paper. sealed il with this. my
| brothers eignet-ring, and home
Pcrdita lent back in her chair her
| face covered with her hands He went
| on
II never destroyed the papers. re-
member. | would not have done that. +"
| The man's warped nature always dwoIt
| on this as on Il merit: his voice became
! hoarse. "They came with their proofs,
| and had to sit there and see her heart
! break before my eyes: but bore il II
| had strength then. it is gone now. And
! since have seen You. | sec again her
| haunting eyes. appealing first. then
| wild with terrible despair. She went
away hide your face: do not look AT
me she went away. | wrote to her
unknown to all. sent her hundred,
| then two hundred pounds. 1t never
reached her. for before then she was
dead: She died Of broken heart. If
she had lived do not know ! might
have right"d her: but sh" died, leaving
a namcless pauprr child.
| Perdita sprang from her chair and
| stood looking at him with dilated eyes
and painting breath. He brcathed hard.
and with II sudden change of voice
went on.
Years passed. and suppose that
| must have forgotten her, but / was not
| happy. Not in all my life have been
what the world calls happy. | have
| been haunted hy the past: the reason
| ing of years never laid the spccter Of
! rcmOI'se. and when had sChooled my
| life to a calm and oven level. now and
! then would come over me Il cold ncr-
NOUS Shivcr. an agony Of fear and it
was long before | was myself again
| Years passed you know the rest
Pcrdita was trembling from head TO
! foot.
Il had an idle dream that a Young
! sweet wife would iull these thoughts to
rest. thought, hclicvc me, thought
! indeed that my brothers. child was
dead. taught myself to I've certain
| that it was SO. brought her home
to Dunmonaigh. my little wife, and
! then prayed. asked God TO let me
! love her, and let her sweet nature
soften tn" codness of my heart. /
| prayed. but had not made restitution.
and my prayer was denied"
Pcrdita softly laid her hand upon his
arm.
"Nou knew Mabel" he went on:
you know what she was how sweet
and yomg. and gay. You can recall
! her image. with her soft hair and her
loving eyes. Who could sec her and
not love her, And yet | was hard and
harsh to her. Too long self-suppressed
I dreaded emotion. | dared not give
rein to my feeling. whether of JOY or
hope or love. was cold to her. | did
not even love her then. for a barrier
! SCCmCdt TO keep rs apart. She did not
understand me. and ! dreaded lest she
should. prayed then but my prayer
waodcnicd.
4 H"pauaed, painting. then wcntOn:
Then then. YOU know. she found
those papers: and oh God, the dis
"overy killed her. My mother uttered
words that never will leave my mem
DRY First Aseunta. now Mabel
was shooting on BenichOn. and they
bid me come home. and was too late:
not one word not one. My God was a
Nemes'. have not known one mo-
ment' = rest since my wife died.
Angus covered his face with his
hands. and wept with the awful over
wheimng grief of q strong man
crushed. Perdita. terrified and in sore
trouble. know not what to DO. but
gently ~trOked his knee.
Presently n raised his head. and
Took her hand i'm both al his. Il have
hut one hoe in life now" he said
and that Is. that Won. in their names
and your own. will forgive me.
n do forgive you. a. nope to he
forgiven: and in my fathers and my
mothers names pray God to forgive
you free y.
He pressed her hand to hisIips. then
rose UU.
,'Good-hy." he ~afd 1T am going
abroad. perhaps | may novcr return
again. You win take care of my
mother. Will You not"
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