Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1895-06-10


have ever thought OFF,
She trembled violently dear futtered
hearth, but 1 still held her hand.
II did not guess" she murmured,
until he made me think of it at Black
pool Then 1 understood why you had
been so very good to me, and l.
"What, Louise? Whit, deac!" !
urged. -
'sThen II think" she faItered, 81
began to-Do not make me say it!'
She trembled more violently and her
head was bowed so that / could not
see her face.
ITO love me a little?" I asked. Do,
do say it!'
Yes she whispered. Her face was
hid against my shoulder, and my arms
were about her before she added,-"but
not a Httlc;-very much!'
It was some moments before either
of us spoke again.
''Do you think" said she, at length,
''it is right that we should have said
these things at such time?-when we
do not know anything certain about my
dear, dear father?'
LOUISE" I answered, darling, l
would, you know, save you the small
est pang Of pain. But think [ ought
to say at once, dear, that you must give
up the hope you have chung to, know,
In secret, that you might after all find
your father alive. He does not live.
/ am sure now,-indeed, l nay say /
as good as know, where he lies buried
though 1 must not tell you more at
present All we can hope to do, then,
darling, is to give him decent resting
place. Then we shall go away out Of
this terrible region Of money-grabbing,
of horrible tOiling and mOiling in smoke
and steam and poisonous vapors, where
the eye cannot rest upon one single
spot Of nature unabused-We shall go
away to q place where the people are
poorer and milder, where we may see
clear skies and pure water, and trees
and flowers bright and wholesome.
Won't that be a welcome change?-
and to get away from the constant
talk Of brass"
Thus 1 ran on to tighten her heart,
and to raise her hope,-to turn her
thoughts, above all, away from that
subject on which she had so brooded.
ooh, yesw she exclaimed, that will
be sweet. Let us go-do let us go
as soon as ever all things are settled,
and we have done something for our
dear uncle Birley! We shall do some
thing for him-shalI we ,lot?"
We were thus talking when 'dear
Uncle Birley'' came in. He probably
suspected the understanding he had
come to, but, like a kind and discreet
old gentleman as he is, he said moth
ing then.
Wondered where I've been-have
you? Well lad, 1 have just
walked down to thy lodgings
to tell tn old woman she may
go to bed, for thou'rt to stay here the
rest of this night-the last night but
one, very likely, that I shall be here
myselfr'
A tear glistened in his eye, and a
lump rose into his throat; but, after a
momentary pause, he talked on and
these signs Of emotion disappeared
We soon went to bed, but I think nc
one Of the three slept much.
In the course Of much intimate talk
with Louise which I had that Sunday
I learned how near [ had been to
losing her while she was at Blackpool
where her vigilant duenna had been a
hard, faithful old German servant OF
Steinhardts. 1t was only gradually
that I got to know all the anxiety, and
even terror, of those days Of detention
and surveillance, but that day [ heard
to my horror that the poor girl had
been so wrought upon by Steinhardts
representations Of her duty to her faith
er. Of the Nervousness Of refusing to
fulfill what (Steinhardt declared) had
| been his frequently expressed wish
that she was on the point of accepting
Frank for husband-when he and his
father were called away, the one home
and the other to London.
The knowledge Of this, it may be
guessed, did not make me feel any the
less bitterly toward Steinhardt
CHAPTER XII.
! A Titanic Tombstone.
On Monday morning the whole neigh.
borhood was alive with the news that
| Mr.. Birley was ''to be sold up" An
execution had been put into his house
under a bill Of sale, and an agent or
| Ioo If I,x7