Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-05-11
CHAPTER L.
nISENCHANT MENT

CHAPTER L.
DIsENCHANTMENT.
It was themOrninga after Ida's trium-
Dhant appearance at the Little Jewel,
a.ld she sat with her mother, over a
late breakfast, in the pretty little sit
ting-room of the house at Kensington,
which had been set apart entirely for
their use.
In our last chapter we paid brief
visit to the scenes where we made ac-
qua1ntance with the characters OF our
story some twenty years back;
and it would be difficult to mag
inc even two individuals more
different in appearance than the
Nelly OF that golden wedding morning
you may some OF you remember, and
she who now sits at the table before
us, clad in the deepest of widows
weeds, her dark hair streaked with
gray, her soft eyes sunken, their won't
ed briIliancy all long since wept out
and pale-paler, sure, than ever living
humanity was meant to be-yet very,
very sweet, and, in the touching hui
millty and resignation Of her express
sion, not far short Of saint-like. IT
seldom she is seen to smile, so never
does even the SMALLEST shade OF I'M
patience or WEAKNESS ruifie the calm
of her gentle features, into which. for
ever and abidingly, they seem to have
settled
$50 much more than deserve has
been the mercy shown me; so great
has been the good wrought out Of
evil, she would say; chow can dare
repine2-I, who triHed SO wantonly
with my own happiness, and have yet
been so signally cared for!"
From the hour when she learned
that cruel tale from the lips Of the
smuggler Yawmans, she had assumed
the garb of a widow, resolved in her
own heart never to acknowledge to
herself even the reality OF a tie formed
under circumstances so unhalloWed.
She still bore the name Oh the hus-
band she mourned as dead, and those
about her who knew anything Of the
past history OF her life, knew just SO
much that would caution them
against asking more, and, if there
were something Of mystery in it, one
thing they all felt assured of-that
naught OF guilt, scarcely error could
attach to one whose whole aspect
and bearing told of chastened sorrow,
and the peace that comes only from
faith, and reliance in q higher
Judgment than that of this world.
To her daughter alone had Nelly
confded the whole of her past eXper-
fences, painful as was the effort; forshe
believed no other lesson could SO
thoroughly impress upon the mind Of
her child the necessity OF avoiding
even the appearances OF evil, and
warn her of the dire results which
may be born of but one error.
Ida had heard and unprecedented all,
keenly as her mother could have de
sired; had wept long and bitterly for
the father whom she would never see
in this life, and whose fate had SO
mysteriously been linked with her ex-
istence And from her child, at least,
Nelly had never received but comfort
and an amelioration of all her griefs.
All the care of her parent could not
have sufficed to preserve her from the
attentions of flatterers and idlers who,
by one means and another, found &C
cess to her company; for the talent Of
the signor's beautiful pupil had ceased
to be q secret long before Ida made
public debut. She had even, at the
desire of her inspector, taken part IN
several private. reunions; and it was
no part Of his plan, at least, to hide
her proficiency.
But though there were not wanting
admirers and hatters a t he
Young singers shrine, OF more or
less pretension, and more or less
favorably regarded, there had been
little opportunity for demonstration
of any kind, the fact and circumspec-
ton Of Ida herself rendering all excess
sive watchfulness on the part Of
either of her friends needless. AS in
her childish days, the appearance OF
the young girl was considerably be-
yond her years, her mind keeping
pace with her talent in precociuy OF
intelligence and judgment. Nature,
too-as if repenting of the terrible
freak which had rent the young
mothers heart with anguish on be-
holding her newborn babe, making
the poor innocent, as it were, the
messenger of it's fathers fate-had,
with increasing years, added new
grace, and improved to the full every
budding promise. The ordinary,
large-eyed, unattractive child had
grown into beautiful woman, of that
imposing and impressive style of face
and figure which seems ever to predict
even a fuller maturity of loneliness.
Serious still, and questioning in
her solitary moments; but that
she could smile, all who had seen