Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-06-03

constance, promise me that II the
Duke d'Azzeglio asks You again to be-
come his wife you will not refuse him.
DO you know what you are askins7'
Perfectly. my child"
"Then may heaven forgive your
The next day the duke called at Avon
dale Castle. When Lady Constance came
down she looked SO pale and death like
that the duke asked in some alarm II abe
had been ILL.,
Lady Constance" said he, growing
what esteem hold you. My one wish
In life IL to secure your happiness; may
i do 80? Will you be- my wife?"
PRAY leave me-" she cried, piteously.
But l cannot leave you." replied the
duke, who was becoming terribly in earn
est; Constance. love you, be my wife,
My lord, II do not love you"
Become my duchess"
She looked at him in dazed amazement
You ask me now, your graceY'
Il ask you now," he replied. passion
ately pressing her hand; do not refuse
what ask, for adore you. Constance,
speak, say you will become my wife"
"Since you wish it, then, will." she
replied.
Scarcely had she uttered the words
when the duke took her hand, and would
have clasped her in his arms, but Con-
stance uttered a wild cry and shrunk
away. He frowned and would have spok-
en- sharply. but the girl staggered, then
with a low cry she fell fainting on the
floor.
just two months later, in a field hos
pital near a recent battlefield, a wounded
officer, none other indeed than Frank
Howarth, lay lowering between life and
death. just two days after he had post
ed that letter to Constance he had been
shot down in an engagement with the en-
emy.
LET me see my letters" was his first
convalescent cry. 'for heavens sake don't
keep them from me; you don't know all
they mean to me-"
Seeing that to cross him would do more
harm than to obey him, the nurse placed
a packet of letters and papers ON Frank s
bed. Eagerly and quickly Frank seized
the letters, and scanned the envelopes
one by one; when he came to the end of
the packet tears stole from beneath the
closed lids of his eyes and rolled slowly
down his cheek. Presently he grew more
composed, and proceeded with a heavy
heart to open his letters. Here fresh
shock awaited him. The first letter which
he opened was from his fathers solicitor.
1t informed him that his father and elder
brother were dead; they had both been
killed in an accident to the Scotch ex-
press, and that as his brother had left no
male issue, he himself was the Earl of
Harrington.
For many weeks he lay lowering be-
tween life and death, but again careful
nursing wooed him slowly back to life.
Again he examined his letters, but there
were none from Constance. After read
ing them all through he opened his papers,
and almost the first thing that caught his
eye was the following:
FASHIONABLE MARRIAGE.
'On Tuesday morning, Jan. 0, at st.
riage Of His Grace the Duke fAzzeglio
and Lady Constance Howarth, only child
of Arthur, the late Earl of Harrington"
CHAPTER MI.
After a short honeymoon spent in Paris,
the Duke d'AzzegliO took his young
ness called him.
The duke was too busy a man to spend
much time in paying court to his wife.
his duty was done, and he turned his
thoughts to other affairs. From the first
day of her marriage Constance had sus-
pected that he did not love her; on her
marriage day this fact was made known
| to her as an absolute certainty.
The fortnight in Paris passed to Con
| stance like a dull, monotOnous dream.
| Mechanically she performed the duties
| which her husband demanded of her, and
he was grimly satisfied. Her beauty made
| the stir which he had fOreseen, while her
diamonds and the dresses she wore were
the talk of Paris. One morning the duke
| informed Constance that he wished her
| to accompany him on the following even
ing to a ball at the Tuileries, when he
would present her to the empress. The
next afternoon, however, he received a
message from his wife. She was ILL.,
l would he excuse her from attending the
ball?
| He went at once to the apartments she
occupied, and found her in intense grief.
| "You must excuse me, my lord l can.
not CO." she said. my cousin is dead. y
| "Dead?' echoed the duke.
| For answer Constance pushed toward
him a papsS; it contained an account OF
those officers who had fallen mortally
wounded at Ulandi. Among the list OF
names was that of Captain Frank How
arth.
Constance made no reply. She shud
dered, and her tears flowed faster, but
more silently than before. She hardly ex
pected sympathy from her husband, and
he himself had taught her not to look fol
love. He took her hand in his and kissed
her cheek coldly; then he went from th>