Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-01-17
@Re Si1enee Of
Dean Qaitland.
BY NR<MELL GREY.

held her parents graves, ana fought
manfully against the wall of preju-
dice which rose around her, eating the
bread of tears and bitter humiliation
in secret though she met the averted
faces or contemptuoEs words OF her
former friends with heroic calm in
public. but got scarcely any work.
Ben Lee had put by considerable
sum of money for one IN his station,
and this was divided by his will be-
tween his wife and his daughter.
Upon this little capital Alma had been
living. till she woke to the mournful
conviction that there was no bread for
her to win in Malbourne. and also
that a day would soon come when her
patrimony would he exhausted.
Money found its way mySteriouSly
to her cottage-money from a source
we'll known to her-for the child's SUI
port; but Alma Scorned to use it, and,
being unable to return il without be-
traying the giver, put it aside for the
infants use in case of her death or
any emergency. Like most women of
any force of character, who are
thrown on their own resources. after
a time she began to realize how feeble
a being one woman is against world
Of strong men and iron prejudices and
cruel convictions. She could defy the
world but she could not conquer 1t.
She was too ignorant to quarrel with
the social arrangements which hand!-
cap the weakness of sex with extra
weights, and brand its errors as
crimes. but dim sense of injustice
struggled within her and still further
confused the moral perceptions already
confused by error and crime.
She knew she could not expect
Heavens aid, with the crime of um-
repented perjury upon her soul; but
before the heavy hour when she stood
In the sight of God and man and
swore away the honor and liberty of
an innocent man, she had had CLEANS
of penitence, when she had hoped to
make her peace with Heaven. and
lead a holy life. After that further
plunge into crime, she could hope for
no mercy unless she undid her dread
full deed
But though Alma went to church
and prayed for the helpless child who
could not pray for himself, and hoped
at least to place his little feet on the
heavenward road. she thought daily
less of heaven, and was fast sinking
into the dreadful practical atheism
to which sin leadS-the atheism which.
because it sins on unavenged, cries,
flush! God doth not regard" and
finally blots the Maker out of the
universe altogether.
Alas, poor Alma! she was made for
a nobler destiny. and her honest lover.
seeing her there. with her mournful
gaze and heroic beauty, felt his heart
thrill with a vague sense that, In spite
of her frailty, she was not unworthy
of his passionate alteration. His heart
told him what his untutored mind
never could. that hers was no common
frailty, but the lapse of an exception
ally noble nature led aStray. and all
his hope was to set her up again on
the pedestal whence Villains arts
had hurled her.
So absorbed was she in melancholy
musing, that for 4 long time she did
not observe him. and he enjoyed a
penSive rapture in the mere sense OF
her presence and the sight of aCr
tragic beauty. so we'll set off by the
glowing hues of the golden corn, with
the poppies blazing through It, by the
dark wood, and by the bright appear
ance of the pretty child in his ribbons
and flowers. He would have liked
some enchanter to fix them there for
ever, while the child and the brook
babbled. the bees hummed, the grass
hopper uttered his shrll note of JOY,
and the bells pealed on from the hid
den tower. He watched the changes OF
her face with compassionate yearning:
he saw the pain deepen in ii. She was
thinking of that mornings experience
She had been on her way to church
as usual, solitary figure in the strag
Cling crowd of friends and neighbors
when those in front of her pressed
back from the lych- gate to let 4 group
of the gentlefolk pass, and Alma found
herself one of little line Of church
goers. with whom they exchanged
greetings. Mrs. Maitland and Lillian
came first, then Cyril and Marion,
lastly the children Alma made her
courtesy with her usual proud humf1-
ity, looking her superiors in the face
with naughty calm.
Cyril recognized his old friends with
the glances which he knew so well
how to distribute missing Alma's face
with the ease and naturalness of good |
breeding: but Marion's eye lighted on
the beautiful face of the ruined girl. |
and Alma never forgot the hot flush |
of shame and the start of shudder-
ing aversion with which she turned |
to her husband, pressing close to his I
side as If for protection, or the eX- |
quiSite tenderness Of the look Cyril |
gave her. as she returned the pres
sure on his arm, and quickened his !
pace to lead Marion away from the
sight which 50 distressed her. The |