Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-07-11

How pale you look, Fl0rence. sal
by brother You are cold: let us g
in"
From that evening one idea SCENE
to possess Mrs. Eardiey. and that wa
that my brother and l should never b
left together alone She seemed I
/ listen attentively to every word "
} Said-she followed US everywhere.
a; was impossible not to notice it.
One day L was going to dress for dii
ncr. when l met Guy in the corridor
) Before | had time to speak to him,
, said, quickly, Florence, come into m
. study this evening after you have sal;
good night | want to speak to yol
particularly. This kind of thing cal
not go on"
II That night, when l was supposed Il
be in my own room 'and asleep, | was
4 with my poor brother. and there
learned the fatal secret that had dark
ened his life
! Take this chair, Florence said he
land listen patiently to me. You re
member, of course, how suddenly poor
Sir John died. His papers were al
| carefully locked away by Miss Ford
After | had been married a few weeks
! she wrote to me, and said she had not
| examined them at all or looked into
them, but she thought perhaps it
| would be better that | should do so.
| She did not think there could be any
! thing Of Importance amongst them, as
the will and all the papers and docu-
mentS belonging to the estate had been
given by Sir John himself into the So
licitor's hands. I allowed a few more
weeks to pass, and one wet day, hay
ing nothing particular to do, I resolved
to obey Miss FOrd's wishes. [ shut
myself up in Sir Johns room, and
looked carefully over all his letters
and papers of every kind. There was
nothing worthy of remark, but to my
surprise, in arranging his writing
desk, | came across a letter directed
to myself. l opened it hastily; it was
dated the day before his death. He
had evidently written it then, and in
tended sending it to me. Read it your
sell, L florence.
Guy gave me the letter from his
desk, and bowed his head in his hands
while [ perused it.
MY Dear Guy''-so ran the words
Il have long been nerving myself to
fulfill this q sad duty. You love my
daughter, and she, poor child, loves
yOu-lOyeS you so much that not only
her happiness but her life is bound up
in yours | am a rich man, and my
wealth will all go to you; but | have
that to tell you which may cause you
to refuse my daughter and my riches.
| might perhaps conceal it from you;
but | am a gentleman, and so are you.
| will tell the whole truth. and leave
it with you. | married young. Ny
wife was Il beautiful and happy girl.
Her face resembled Clarices, but that
it was brighter, and of a more sunny
beauty. She was of a highly nervous,
sensitive temperament, easily fright
ened and excited as most people of a
quick, warm, impulsive nature are.
1--WE went directly we were married
to Germany. My wife Laura had
made me promise her honeymoon
would have given my life at any time
to please her, so to the Rhine we
went. From there we travelled to
Italy. My wife had brought with her
from her home her own favOrite wait
ing maid. She was pretty, active girl;
but it is to her, poor thing, [ owe the
curse that has fallen upon my I'M
happy family.
1--WE took an elegant and picturesque
villa on the Lake of Como, and there
we passed few months SO happily as
to make earth seem like heaven.
"One day my beautiful and idolized
Laura told me that she hoped a new
joy would soon come to us. Need |
tell YOU how tenderly l loved and
cared for her? 1 scarcely allowed the
winds to blow upon her All, how
little could l forsee her sad, pitiful
fate.
My poor wife and l were rather
at very romantic affair 60
ing on between her maid Rhoda and a
handsome, good-for-nothing Italian
whom we had recently taken into our
service. Poor little Rhoda loved him
with the whole force of 4 pa ssionate,
ill-regulated heart. She seemed unable
to rest out of his presence. My
Laura. who was amiability itself, bore
with the Inconvenience of these tete-a-
tetes for some time At length she
spoke gently to RhOda. The girl
famed out in hot. fiery passion, and
declared she would be with him or
die Laura told her she would do all
in her power to assist her if she liked
to marry him.
"When we came to make inquiries
as to the most comfortable method of
Settling them in life, we found to our
sorrow and dismay that Carlo had
been married many years ago. [ have
never forgotten the fixed, wild look of
despair on Rhoda'S face, as my wife
kindly and gently told her-it was so
dreadful, and yet so pitiful. | turned
away, unable to bear it. | WIS an
nOyed, too, that in her present deli
cate state my wife should have this
anxiety. 1t was an anxiety, for little
Rhoda was the daughter of her old
nurse. and they had been constantly
| together Laura was. indeed, warmly
attached to her.
THAT evening l watched Rhoda as
she arranged my wife's magnificent
| hair Her face WAS m lp and rigid