Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1893-08-24

Perdita lay long awake that night,
her mind in whirl of thought.
The next morning she had scarcely
finished breakfast before Angus Mac
monach arrived.
"Your uncle, Perdita, said Andrew,
rather pompously. And he left them
alone together.
Angus was dressed in deep mourn
ing, and his face was pale and bag
gard.
''You have been told?" he said,
abruptly-and sitting down in front OF
Perdita, he pushed the damp hair back
from his brow.
yes" she said gently: land I am
very glad. It is untold joy to know
that [ may honor my fathers memory
as [ do my mothers: but" she added,
putting out her hand and touching his,
''the money is nothing to me. l can
not bear that you should leave Dun
monaigh. [ am grieved for you; and
you have been so noble, SO generous,
in thus seeking me out"
''Hushn' he cried. ''Stop! you do not
know what you say" There was such
a sound of acute pain in his voice that
Perdita started; he suddenly bent for
ward-"Can you keep secret?'' he
said hoarsely.
eyes" she answered. He rose and
walked thrice up and down, then sud
denly flinging himself into a chair he
began:
''Ewan and I were nearly of all age,
and people say that two such brothers
are generally inseparable. It was
never so with us: the nurses used to
say, this child is his fathers 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.
Evan would have loved me if [ had
willed it so: 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 land this is one) in which men
speak their thoughts straight out. |
knew myself to possess the stronger
mind and intellect. [ envied his race
beauty, his attractiveness, the in
fuence he possessed over others, which
in my hands would have been a tower
of attaching personal love. | never
tried to curb my jealousy, and it be-
came the strongest passion of my life.
"Then came a day on which once
more my hopes were raised. Do not
shrink back! human nature is complex.
[ swear [ did not desire my brothers
death, but he was dying, and did
desire the power that would come to
me.
sit was near. in my very hand; and,
mark Won / WAC 11Til1S+ 11ca6 h1r fop-
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 i'll moment [ know that [
was again what [ had been before
that that woman was my brothers wife,
that child his lawful heir
You knew it?" Perdita recOild
from him.
Listen: despise me as you will, but
hear me to the end. 1t was night, my
mother was asleep, not a 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
tempter 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. 1t was wonderful
moonlit night-there was light for my
purpose. [ crossed the loch: the keys
fitted; [ took the papers from old NAL
collins care, and filed the packet with
blank paper, sealed it with this, my
brothers signet-ring. and home"
Perdita lent back in her chair her
face covered with her hands. He went
Oh
Il never destroyed the papers, re-
member. [ would not have done that"
The mans warped nature always dwelt
on this as on merit: his voice became
hoarse. "They came with their proofs,
and [ had to sit there, land see her heart
break before my eyes: but [ bore i'll
had strength then, it is gone now. And
since [ have seen you, [ see 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 ived-l do not know might
have righted her: but she died, leaving
a nameless pauper child.
Perdita sprang from her chair and
stood looking at him with dilated eyes
and painting breath. He breathed hard,
and with a sudden change of voice
went on.
years passed, and I suppose that I
must have forgotten her, but was not
happy. Not in all my life have I been
what the world calls happy. | have
been haunted by the past: the reason
ing of years never laid the specter of
remorse, and when had schooled my
life to calm and even level, now and
then would come over me cold ner-
vous shiver. an agony of fear, and it
was long before 1 was myself again.
Years passed-you know the rest"
Perdita was trembling from head to
foot.