Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-07-11


as closely as | do"
my dear sister said, do not give
way to such foolish fancies. You viii
inJure yourselfH'
ut is true" she said. do not tell
him. Florence. / have told Mrs. Fen
ton. but she will not believe me. Tic
, is going mad, as sure as that blue sky
Is above us.
At that moment Guy joined us, and
she shrunk from him as frightenel
child from an angry tyrant-
"IIow pale you look, Florence said
by brother You are cold; let us 80
In"
From that evening one idea seemed
to possess Mrs. Eardley, and that was
that my brother and / should never be
left together alone. She seemed to
listen attentively to every word we
said-she followed us everywhere. II
was impossible not TO notice y.
One day was going TO dress for din
7 ncr. when / met Guy In the corridor.
( Before had time to speak to him, g
said, quickly, Florence, come into my
study this evening after you have said
good night;' / want TO speak to you
particularly. This kind of thing can
not 90 on"
! That night, when | Was supposed 10
: be In my own room and asleep, ! was
with my poor brother, and there |
learned the fatal secret that had dark
ened his life.
.sTake this chair, Florence" said he,
"and listen patiently to me- You re-
member, of course, how suddenly poor
Sir John died. His papers were all
carefully locked away by Miss Ford.
After had been married few weeks
she wrote to me, and said she had not
examined them at ali 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
licltors hands. / allowed few more
weeks to pass, and one wet day, hav-
ing nothing particular to do, resolved
70 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 letter directed
to myself. | opened it hastily; i was
dated the day before his death. He
had evidently written 1t then, and In
tended sending II to me. Read Ii your
SELF, Florence
Guy gave me- the letter from his
desk, and bowed his head IN his hands
while | perused 1t.
MY Dear Guy" so ran the words :
~ have long been nerving myself 10
fulfill this "a sad duty. You love my
daughter. and she, poor child, loves
you loves you so much that not only
her happiness but her life is bound up
In yours | ann rich man, and my
wealth will all 20 70 YOU; but ! have
that to tell you which may cause you
ito refuse my daughter and my riches.
| might perhaps conceal It from you;
hut / am gentleman, and so are YOU.
| will tell the whole truth and leave
il with YOU, | married young. Ny
wife was Il beautiful and happy girl.
Her face resembled Clarlce's, but that
II was brighter. and of a more sunny
beauty. She was Of highly nervous.
sensitive temperament, easily fright
ened aud excited, rs most people of a
quick, warm, impulsiye nature are.
"We went directly we We're married
10 Germany. My wife Laura had
made me promise her honeymoon
should be spent upon the Rhine. |
would have given my life at any time
t. please her. SIS TO the Rhine we
went, From there we travelled to
Italy. MY wife had brought with her
from her home her own fayorite wait
ing maid She was pretty, active girl;
bnt ii is 10 her, poor thing, owe the
curso that has fallen upon my un-
happy family.
1--WE took an elegant and picturesque
Villa on the Lake of Como, and there
we passed few months 50 happily as
"a make earth seem like heaven.
conc day my beautiful and idolzed
Laura told me that She hoped a new
10Y would soon come 10 us, Need |
tell you how tendcrly | loved and
cared for her? / scarcely allowed the
winds t. blow upon her All, how
little could | forsee her sad, pitiful
fate!
MY poor wife and were rather
amused az a very romantic affair go
iug on between her maid Rhoda and q
handsome. good-for-ncthing Italian
whom We had recently taken into our
service. Poor little Rhoda loved him
With the whole force of passionate
ill-regulated heart. She seemed unable
10 rost out Of his presence. My
Laura. who was amabiity Itself, bore
with the Inconvenience Of these tete-a-