The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1896-03-06
CHAPTER VI.

CAAFVER VI,
4 Miss Lucy, simple daughter of nat
Wre, nursed in all the savage frankness
-of the wild West, and taught from
early infancy to call a spade spade,
and, being natural woman. a true
woman. Now, it is one of woman's
most highly-prized attributable the
eair one Partisan mondainc, an Eng
1lsh aristocrat or a Turkish odalisque
TO obtain from simple man what she
desired. and to give just as much as
she wishes. and no more. in return.
.1(iss Lucy had a shrewd little head gu
her shoulders. We have already seen
that she was endowed with strength
OF will and purpose of most unusual
&ind, and by adding together these
qualities in sort of psychological ar
lthmetic. the sum obtained would form
O remarkable example of female SUI
premacy over the helpless animal,
man.
Miss Lucy set her little wits to work
the moment she had recovered her
wonted elf-possession. to extract. by
q process of insinuatory wheedling
and pleasingly- pressure Of
inquiry. from Lord Cleve, all he had
learned about her cousin, her father
and Lady Evelyne. She had no trou-
bic In eliciting from the young man
that hi. had once been engaged to
Lady Evelyne Wynter. and thereby
started. Herbert upon the idea that he
Smust needs, in his usual slap-dash
,manner. write letter of apology to
the lady who had, once upon 4 time,
consented to be his wife. The thought
was no sooner born than it was acted
!. upon, and young Cleve sat down at
the old mahogany bureau to pen his
apology, while Lucy stood behind his
: chair looking over him.
4'The Earl of Cleve presents his COM
gpliments to Lady Evelyne WINTER" he
wrote. land desires to explain a cir
~cumstance which. he is afraid, must
.have surprised Lady Evelyne. Lord
Cleve is afflicted with loss of memory,
the result of some wounds in the head.
It was, therefore. his misfortune. and
not his fault, If he did not recognize
Lady Evelyne Wynter this afternoon.
He hopes that this apology will be his
excuse, and that Lady Evelyne Wyn-
ter will believe that Lord Cleve could
not possibly have acted toward her in
any spirit Of dicourtesy."
cts just bit soapy, amt ity' Miss
Lucy exclaimed. when the young gen
'tleman had dotted all his 'i's': and
crossed all his 't's,' ian it's a little
.smearey like maple sugar. when yew
get too much Of it on yew'r spoon.
guess she's a hensum young woman
WAL, it amt no matter" With tina
she danced away. apparently unbur
dened by thoughtfulness or care.
That was all outward show, how
ever; all nervous determination not t
show to the man she loved how mucl
she loved him. If it had been possibl
for a plying eye to penetrate int
Lucy's chamber that night, it woul
have found her walking up and dow
the softly carpeted floor like cage
panther. Her bosom heavcd, sh
Wrung her tiny hands with a nervou
grip, and big tears were flowing dow
her cheeks. At last she flung herse
on her knees by the bedside and burie
her head on the coyerlet, while I'll
soft masses of her hair fell like
glossy shower around her. She sol
bed, sobbed and sobbed, as If her hea
would break.
On a sudden she Jumped up in {
lent fury, both against herself and IL
4 fortune which oppressed her. 81
enashed her white teeth and tore
her hair.
"God" she cried, "don't try me t,
severely. I'm only woman after a
and it'll soon be more than I can bea
.4s What have done, how have sinn
TO deserve it all?'
The paroxysm of her grief prostrat
her and she gradually sank on h
knees and thence on the floor, whe
her lissome figure lay extended, VIII
and cold as the garments which spar
IL covered her. while her babbling Ii
y. murmured: "What have done? WI
have I done? What have I don
What have I done?"
Even the squalid ugliness Of L,
don architecture could not rob gu
4 & mer morning of it's roseate beauty, a
Lucy could see the first softly blu
4ng light OF day, creeping from acr
the housetops, through the apert,
5 between her curtains, ere she rec
Grid her wonted composure. She W
into her dressing room and sponl