Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1894-07-05


ously i'll, event."
Her breath came quicke as he
spoke.
81 am not hypccrite enough to pre-
tend that" she answered "My heart
has long been dead to any feeling but
angerl will not say hatred, though
he has deserved as much-where that
man is concerned. ! have suffered too
much by my alliance with him.
Then lei me be the first to congrat-
ulate you uron your release from bond
age. Your husband is dead.
Clara Walsingham's cheek blanched
and she was silent for scme moments,
and then she asked in a steady voice,
How did you come by the news of his
death2n
ain the simple and most natural
manner. My business requires me to
be au courant as to continental affairs,
and | get several French and German
newspapers. In one Of the last found
the account of duel succeeding upon
O. quarrel at the gamng-table, in which
your husband fell, shot through the
lungs He only survived few hours.
His opponent was Frenchman and is
\
the paragraph"
"If yoT Please" answered Mrs Wal
singham, with perfect calmness OF
manner. Her heart was beating tu-
multously, nevertheless, She had q
dismal conviction that no advantage
that is to say, not that one advantage
for which she longed-would come to
her from her husbands death, How
eagerly she had desired his death once!
To day the news gave her little salts
faction.
Mr.. Wyatt took slip of newspaper
from his card"case, and read her the
brief account of the Colonel's exit
from this mortal strife. Duels were
common enough in Prussia, and the
| journal made very little of the san
culinary business.
GAS many of my friends believe me
to have been left q widow long ago, l
shall make no fuss about this event;
and | shall be very grateful if you will
be good enough not to talk of it any
where, Mrs. Walsingham said, by and
by, after thoughtful pause.
| Il shall be careful to obey you," an
swered the lawyer.
81 wonder how you came to guess
that was not widow, and that Colo
mel Walsingham was my husband. He
took me abroad directly after our mar
riage, and we were never in England
together"
at is solicitors business to know q
great many things, and in this case
there was strong personal interest.
You accused me just now of flattering
women; and it is quite true that have
now and then amused myself a little
with the weaker sex. Until about a
year ago | believed myself incapable
of any real feeling-of any strong at
tachment- had made up my mind
to life of solitude, relieved by the
frivOlities of society. But at that time
a great change came over me, and
found that | too was doomed to suffer
LIES great fever. In a word, l fell
desperately in love. | think you can
guess the rest"
81 am net very good at guessing, but
| suppose the lady is some friend of
mine, or you would scarcely choose me
for a confidante. Is it Sophy Morton?
l know You admire her."
"As | admire wax dolls, or the Hal
dees and Zuleikas of an illustrated By
rOn," answered Mr.. Wyatt, with a wry
face. "Sophy Morton would have
about as much power to touch my heart
or influence my mind as the wax dolls
or the Byronic beauties. There is only
ONE woman | have ever loved, or ever
can love, and her name is Clara Wal
singham."
Mrs. Walsingham looked at him with
unaffected surprise.
81 am try that / should have in
spired any such sentiment, Mr.. Wyatt.
l can never return it.
"ls that your irrevccable reply?"
1T is, she answered. decisively.
"You reject the sub5tance-an hon
est mans love-and yet you are con-
tent to waste the best years of your life
upon shadow
81 don't understand you"
"Oh, yes, think you do. think you
know as well as | do how frail reed
you have to lean on when you put your
trust in Gilbert Sinclair.
"You have no right to speak about
Mr.. Sinclair. answered Clara Walsing-
ham, with an indignant flush. what
do you know of him, or of my feelings
In relation to him?"
Il know that you love him. Yes,
Clara, it is the business OF friend to
speak plainly; and even at the hazard
of incurring your anger, will do so.
Gilbert Sinclair is not worthy of your
affection. You will know that / am
right before long if you do not know it
now. 1t is not in that mans nature to
be constant under difficulties, as would
be constant to you. Your hold upon
him has been growing weaker every
year.
IF that is true, | shall discover the
! fact quite soon enough from the gen.
tleman himself, replied Mrs. Walsing-
ham, in hard voice, and with an
angry cloud upon her face. "Your
friendship, as you call it, is not re-
quired to enlighten me upon a subject
which scarcely comes within the prov
ince of solicitor. Yes Mr.. Wyatt,
since plain speaking is to be the order
of the day, am weak enough and blind
enough to care for Gilbert Sinclair bet
ter than for anyone else upon this
earth, and if do not marry him shall
never marry at all. He may intend to
jilt me. Yes, have seen the change
in him. 1t would be a vain falsehood
if denied that l have seen the change,
and | am waiting for the inevitable
day in which the man [ once believed
in shall declare himself traitor.
Would it not be wise to take the
initiative, and give him his Dismissal"