Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1896-03-26


breaking his heart-and mine?"
Aours! Why should your heart break :?
w nat have you in the world to wish for?
lou nave title which most girls would
give their souls for and you have all my
Wealth.
Wealth-a title-what are they with
out happiness! / tell you, grandma,
would rather be the poorest heggar than
lose my Frank"
Then this is your final decision; you
are determined to marry Frank Ho-
warth ~
Yes"
Despite all my care and devotion, in
spite of all the money / have endowed
you with; despite the fact that all my life
l have been working to secure your hap
plness, you refuse to grant the only re-
quest | have ever made
On, do not say so! / would do any
thing in the world but that
Anything but that! What other re-
quest have | ever made or am likely to
make! Well. the matter must rest so, 1
suppose. Goodnight
Slowly and deliberately she rose, her
left hand grasping the letter with cruel,
venomous grip. For moment the girl
wildly beating heart; then the old lady
stopped to kiss her, but her kiss was as
cold as ice
At 10 o'clock the next morning Mrs
Meason took her place in the breakfast
room at 6 Portland place with as calm
an air as if nothing whatever had occur
red to disturb her serenity on the night
before
n ,rfh T I0y2G ,c&n ont
ed her face was pale and her eyes showed
signs of recent tears. 1t was the dreariest
OF breakfasts: scarcely word was spok-
en- by either of the ladies present. When
the meal was over. and the servants had
left the room, Lady Constance walked
over to where the old lady sat and knelt
beside her chair.
"My child" she said, "you have done
of your own free will the deed l would
have shielded you from. You have laid
beneath your own feet Il mine which may
one day destroy YOU"
"Grandma," cried the girl in terror,
"what do you mean?'
II mean that the day you marry Frank
Howarth all happiness for you will end.
He has his own family traits. Had you
been different girl, had you been cold,
hard-hearted and callous, l should have
given very different answer that day
when this young man asked for your
hand. l should have married you to him,
and through your agency your mother
might have been avenged. But | saw
that, despite my stern training. you had
grown into a tender, timid girl, capable
of loving very deeply, and, seeing this,
knew that your cousin Frank was the
last man on whom you should set your
heart"
"You disliked him so much even them"
said the girl, reproachfully.
"Do you expect to find q fig upon a
pear tree or Il rose upon thistle? He is
u Howarth; that is enough"
There was a knock at the door; the
footman entered, bearing Il card, upon
which the old lady read:
Captain Frank Howarth."
81 will come to the drawing room," she
said, and the footman retired.
Constance leaped to her feet. her face
turning from red to deathly white; her
hands. which trembled violently, eagerly
clutched her companions dress.
''Grandma," she cried, what will you
say?"
IF I send him away your heart will
break; Ii he remains the ola lady signed
heavily-"Well, perhaps it is better to
enjoy few hours of happiness" she
continued, 'since the issue must be the
same" With these words she left the
room.
Fully an hour passed, when the door
again opened. and this time the figure Of
a young man appeared. He stretched
forth his arms.
constance" he said, softly. With a
glad cry Constance futtered across the
room and fell upon his breast.
'One hour. Connie" said he; ''but you
were waiting for me, my love, so it seem
ed to you like three"
Snow you are laughing. If you do not
become serious and tell me what l wish
to know l shall go to grandma. She is
so strange; l cannot understand her,
Frank. Sometimes think she hates me"
"Yes, she is very singular" returned
the young man. gravely, but she does
not hate you, darling"
"Then why is she afraid to see me
happy, Frank-do you knoww
Eyes: but the story is Il very sad one
Why should our happiness be clouded
ut the outset?"
(To be continued.)