The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-06-09

NAASu, AftNO yOu Courage lOE unWe1-
come tidings ?'-and, without afford
ing Rosa time to answer, added, my
father has written to me to demand
my immediate return to Ireland!.
Rosa rebounded from her chair,
gazed for a brief while into Loghlen's
face, and then, throwing herself into
bis arms, laid her head upon his breast
and very bitterly wept
And LoSl1en strove to console her
with a promise Of his speedy return
to her, and that in the meantime he
would write daily to her.
And who could say, that before
long, he would not have found coJlr-
age to ayoW his marriage to his
father?
For, after all, his fathers power
over him would soon be at an end:
and the most that could be done would
be to drive him Of the succession to
the baronetcy; and what was that
empty title compared with that most
precious one which he alread possess
ed-that of husband to the most
charming wife in all the world
At all events, he said, Rosa would
soon have his permission to disclose
all to her mother.
S1l1l1luS
through her tears, said, that it was,
perhaps, fortunate for them both that
her husband had been called away,
for she had that morning received
letter, which had shown her all the
perils of her present situation.
And Loghlen asked of her what she
could possibly mean; and was an
swered by Rosa, that she had just re-
\ I14t
which announced her immediate re-
turn.
And Loghlen exclaimed, SIS it pos
siblev and quite agreed with Rosa,
that his sudden and unexpected re-
call to Ireland was, under the present
circumstances, very fortunate for
them both.
An hour afterwards, Loghlen
O'Meara had left the cottage, and he
and Rosa never met again.
Mrs. Willoughby returned as she
had said she would, and Rosa had
scarcely courage to raise her eyes
and look into her mothers face; and
felt as would feel a criminal bound
round with letters while closely lock-
ed within her mothers arms.
Weeks had passed away, and no
letter had Rosa received from Loghl-
en-; and then she wrote to him asking
if he were ill-for in no other way
could Rosa account herself for her
husbands long silence-and imploring
that he would write at once, to re-
lieye the terrible suspense with which
she had had SO long been tortured.
And Rosa waited, and hoped, and
suffered fearfully; but no reply came
to the letter, SO full of anxious terror,
which she had written.
And Mrs. Willoughby's fears were
aroused. Surely her daughter was
ill-so pale and sad so wan and list
less had she been of late.
Fearfully enlightened soon was Mrs.
Willoughby to be concerned at all that
had so much perpleXed her.
One afternoon Mrs. Willoughby was
busy with her needleWol1x, while Rosa,
seated 1T some little distance from her
mother, was listlessly glancing over
newspaper. Presently the young girl
uttered Il piercing scream, the paper
fen from her hand, aid she herself
rolled from her chair an inert mass,
and lay Tpon the floor in a heavy and
deathlil.c SWoon.
The servant girl whom Mrs. Will
her assistance, looked at her mistress
reproachfully, even angrily.
Rosa had told this only witness of
her marriage of her firm intention, on
that very day, to disclose all 10 her
mother; and the girl, seeing now the
unhappy condition of her young mis-
tress, at once concluded that the con
fession had been made, and believed
Rosa to have been driven into her pres
ent sad state by Mrs. Willoughby's
wrathful reproaches; SO she hurriedly
said:
'"Iwas cruel of you, missus, to be so
hard with the poor thing-and in her
present delicate state. I'm sure, mum,
it's not a marriage you have any need
to be ashamed OFF,
The girls words were as thunder
bolt to Mrs. Willoughby, and annihi-
lated, for n brief space, her every
sense, stupefed her beyond all power
Of comprehension.
Rosa's eye, wandering over the news
paper, had suddenly fallen upon an
announcement of Loghlen O'Mearas
marriage with a wealthy heiress.
No marriage license, no certificate of
her marriage, was Rosa able to show
her mother; Loghlen had contriyed to
possess himself of both.
Mrs. Wilioughby herself wrote to the
villain to whom Rosa still believed
she had been lawfully married, and re-
ceiyed from him a cool reply, to the
effect that to crafty Miss Willough-
by's scrupleS, there had certainly been
a form of marriage between them; but
the whole marriage had been a perfect
mockery; the pretended clergyman
friend of his own; and that the whole
affair had been ridiculous farce none
knew better than the young lady who