The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1894-12-14
CHAPTER IL.

III any or our readers have lived II
village, they will perfectly forese,
and understand the excitement caused
by Mrs. Evelyn's return home in Cap
fain divers carriage, which excite
ment had small chance of subsidins
from any explanation given. Mrs
Evelyn was far too cold al ady tC
speak of more than the mere circum
stances to anyone, and little Alice was
bad person from whom to elicit
events She could scarcely be brough,
to remember anything but the pleasure
she experienced in knowing Basil: so
confused was the account she gave to
prying inquirers of how all had oc-
cured, that the whole village read a
secret which it was resolved to discoy-
er and went SO far as to believe the
history OF the wild COW an invention
lustllied, lesson like, into the minds OF
the two children, for Ii Alice was ques-
tened in one house, SO was Basil in
another.
Folks who know nothing about it.
talk much of the purity of country
existence. Good people, believe this.
that 1t lies much III your own magma
tloni and that the mind, fertile In evil
everywhere, is equally so in a quiet
village. AS the earth there IS richer
III producing yerdure, whether weed,
or flowers, so the human mind en-a1-
ders unhappily, more Of the for2la-
fewer or the latter. Evil is more ex~
citing than good, and the quiet &C rks
country requires counter i--tra t111.
thus 1t was, that two persons. r-ae
had passed years irreprCaehabtv /
among the inhabitants of thar rural
spot, We're supposed for no motive but (
love OF mystery, at once % have +
descended to the ugly sin Of lying. ani +
not that alone, but of corrupting the t
infant mind by instilling untruth into i
it. to carry out some absurd scheme +
OF secresy. For there existed no moral /
reason, why Captain Oliver and Mrs.
Evelyn should avoid one another. only
a supposed love Of the romantic and
mysterious equally undignified in
both.
Little did these good people imagine
'hat they were surrounded by spies,
ara the worst, til, Sc of thei. own
household. Nor were the in, ocent oh
jects OF these '.atchings long in giving
iooa Ior further comment by their
acts.
No one ever less knew herself than
Mrs. Evelyn did. During h.r hus-
bands lifetime she only looked upon
CaI tain Oliver rs sinner, one whose |
influence with her husband might be |
fatal, and thus she almost in an un-
christian spirit hated him. But let |
US argue as We may, there is the bias I
OF nature, Which makes women look |
kindly Oh the opposite Sex, whel. they |
stand alone, and vice versa
ft0r Mr. Eyn1up,c coc@b t.:.
no longer hated Captain Oliver.
She said to herself sorrow softens
the heart In such cases 1t does,
making it like indianr rubber, capable
OF considerable expansion, containing
much love Then, too, she added. that
It was q duty incumbent upon her to
try and win soul. We are obliged
to remind the reader that Mrs. Evelyn
did not know herself. She sought Cap
tain Oliver, because she was mourn
ing widow, and he distressed widow
er-these are the usual terms employ
nature spoke Of the possibiii-
II OF mutual consultations, ii he would
only reform. We must here decidedly
asnre the reader, that Captain Oliver
was a very good man, only he possess
ed a. large and generous mind, and
could not be made to think coercion
ever made people religious; he had a
strong notion in favor Of kindness, and
good examples as regards interiors.
It was but natural as man Of po-
likeness and feeling. that the captain
should call to inquire about the lady's
health after her fright, and before
evening all the village knew that he
had done SO, and also that he had re-
manned two hours that, moreover. the
lady had blushed, as the captain took
Alice on bis knee, and kissed her,
looking up with that sort OF look
which man exhibits when he TIM
braces child In the arms Of a pretty
nurse.
Shortly after the captains arrival
on this first visit, sundry village gos-
sips might have been seen-with hur-
'ied steps, and bonnets awry from
sheer impaticnce 10 set forth and be
irst to communicate the intelligence
quitting their abodes; and as several
started together of those whose win
lows overlooked the widows house.
he news spread quickly, and rather
differently told. Before night it was
known, that ever since Mr..
Ivelyn's death they had met in secret
some said before that eyent-and
we're now fully engaged, having taken
he means of making their attended
lnion publicly known by the pretend
ID attack OF the never-existing COW.
Through what tortuous paths scan
lal ever leads her votaries.
Whilst these imaginary events were
employing the village minds, the real
acts passed simply thus; the captain
lr0ve openly to the widows abode,
md was admitted with his son. The
ady received him kindly, a great eff
ort for her after her former prejudice,
md whilst the children strolled in the