Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-12-13

| woman OF 1alr 1nLeHlSence!
81 am quite sure that Strange loves
Gwen strongly and truly" began Mr..
FelloWes evasively.
1t was a difficult subject to thrash
out thoroughly with this wonderful
pair. it might be better to let it fade
gradually from their min is, and to
aid them to glide back into their own
still waters.
"Yes, but on what grounds?" went
on Mr.. Waring with strange persist
ence.
'Have you ever spoken to Strange
himself on the subject?' asked Mr..
Fellowes
"Ahem. no. In fact, under like cir
cumstances," he Redeemed and coughed
a little. II should myself have resented
any attempt Of such nature No, I
| did not put any question to Strange.
"But will you not favor us with an
opinion. you, who know our daughter
so wen?'
II think that, in measure, Strange
knows what he is about, and we are
bound to trust his Judgment It would
be folly to suppose that he sees the
entire truth clearly, he is under the
usual conditions Of a man in love.
Gwen dominates him as she does even
US old married people. heart and brain
will always fall before our Gwen"
what is the entire truth?" said Mrs
Waring. pushing her hair back and
sitting up.
''Thr truth as it strikes me-" said
Mr.. Fellowes very gently, "is, that
Gwen is at present incapable Of low
ing"
"You refer-ahem, to that phase of
the emotion known as sexual love?'
said Mr.. Waring hurriedly
"Or Of any other yet"
81 knew it, we both knew it, but
it was hard to speak out" murmured
Mrs. Warning sadly.
"She was in no way constrained"
! said Mr.. Waring in a frightened way.
! His wife sat still with sad wide
! eyes,
"1t seems reasonless thing in one
in Ovens position" he went on with
fine touch of pride, ''to marry with
out love. | know such things do hap
pen now and again with young por-
tiOnleSs women-women have a feline
craving for soft living and pretty
things, but our daughter Gwen-ahv
II thought all this, I knew it." said
! Mrs. Warning quietly, 'I wished so
often to ask Gwen definitely for the
truth, but I did not seem able to do
so, | wish now I had"
Mrs. FellowesI put her hands tender
| ly on her shoulders and made her lie
down again.
"She will love, she will be happyv'
she whispered softly, ''she is in good
+ hands,
! ''Too soon, too soon!" murmured the
mother. ''she should be in mine still
But they never held her. She should
be happy now, now" she cried with
! sudden passion, her voice still in soft
= minors, mot in the future! Why
should she have to reach her happiness
and her love through much tribua-
tion?' 1t should come by divine right.
She is so strong, she will suffer strong
ly, she is so strong that when passion
comes to her, it will tear, tear, torture
her, break her to pieces! Henry,
/ Henry" she gasped, eve are ito blame,
we have failed miserably! We never
, had any right to have children. While
we have been worrying over the dry
J fossils of the past we have allowed the
! liying-the young-to Wither around
US. All, how sad it all is, how sadr'
I she sighed, chow sadr'
The rector came and put his hand on
his wife's shoulder softly. He we'll
knew how awful this too late awaken
ing of the other woman's motherhood
was to her, with her own so terribly,
persistently wide-awake and alive
with the throbbing Of unsatisfied pain.
There was nothing further to be said,
nothing, altogether unsatisfactory as
everything was. Mr.. Fellowes felt this
and said in his bright frank way:
owe are all very tired, and you"
he said, turning to his wife, you are
frightfully washed out! And, good
gracious! Dacre is waiting all this
J timer
To her own intense amaZement, Mrs.
Fellowes stopped down and gave Mrs.
Waring a kiss. The others tremor
went through her like an electric shock
and she did not get over it for the
rest of the evening.
CHAPTER XIV.