The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-06-16
CHAPTER x-tContinued.)


done no WRONG to Rosa, would be made
to suffer terribly for her husbands
atrocity.
A single word to Ter mother concern
ing that proposal of private mar
riage, and Rosa had been saved; and
bitterly now, and with too good rea-
son, did she repent that, when most
they had been needed, she had cast, in
a moment, fro miner mind those les
sons whose teachings had been for so
many years the precious employment
of her mothers life.
And Mrs WiIloughby beheld the fab
rio she had as she believed, by long
and earnest labor, SO solidly reared, by
the mere breath of a villain, made to
topple down and become a hopeless
ruin.
Mother and daughter mingled their
tears together; Rosa accused and hum
bled herself. "A too late repentance"
thought Mrs. Willoughby; but the
words were not spoken.
Again and again did Rosa entreat for
pardon that in her mad love for a
heartless wretch she had forgotten the
sacred duty which she owed to her
parent: and Mrs. Willoughby forgave
and pitied her poor child, and never ut
tered to her one upbraiding word, nor
cast upOn her one reproachful look.
For Mrs Willoughby well knew that
if I.oghlen O'Meara had been an honest
man. and not a most atrocious villain;
that il the marriage had been, as Rosa
had believed it, real and true, and not,
as it had proved, vile and implous
mockery, but slightly censured then
would have been poor Rosa, that she
had not sought her mothers counsel
and consent.
A wife. and not a wife! 1t was ne
ceSSary that Rosa should be Sneltereu
from all discovery of her SAD secret
wronged and innocent was sue, anu
forced to hide her head as though she
had been guilty of crime.
The destroyer might strut It DraVely
before the world; the Vlcum lhue'
shrink and cover in obscurlty.
Mother and daughter came TO Lon
don: what other place so Wen uC1etl III
which to live unnoticed ana uhhlloWn
Rosa became a mother; ana Wnen
little sydney, so she had nalleu nel
boy. was about three years ol asc'
well-to-do engraver, a worthy 9oun9
man as ever lived, very mummy soilC
tied her hand in marriage.
James Drummond had been Tor over
two years deeply in love win Tue peau-
t;ful voung Widow-fOr widow Rosa
s.,os sunnosed to be. and so indeed she
was. and never more terrible WldoW-
MOOD than was hers-but, awed by so
much loveliness, it was some time pc
&C. bo could find courage even to hint
- tho object of his worship how nee
essary she had become to MS happi-
ness. perhaps to his very NE -.
oi.,1u learned
onish between mere outward glitter,
where all within was false and hollow,
and that which made no outward
show since all within was sound and
true.
She had become attached to James
Drummond: a calm and tranquil love,
so different to that wild passion Wnlch
had been annihilated as suddenly al
most as it had risen; she thought, too,
of what a heavy burden she was TO
har moor mother, who could Ill spare
har small income sufficient to support
nor daughter and her daughters child
Rosa reflected deeply, and had soon
resolved
James Drummond, she told him,
mist withdraw the proposal he nad
made to her and listen to her past MS
tory.
And then, her hand fast locked In
that of her mother, she related the
story of her folly and of the terrible
deceit of which she had been made the
victim.
And when he had heard, James
Drummond said, and truly, that it was
not she who had reason to feel
ashamed: that now he knew how deep
Iv she had been wrOnged, he loved her
If that were possible, more than ever
before; and if Rosa would but consent
to make him happy he would endeayor
in the future to recompenSe her Ior
her past and unmerited sufferlngs.
Rosa wept grateful tears and gave
her hand to the noble-hearted en-
grayer; and Mrs. Willoughby, weeping,
foo. and very abundantly, embraced
and blessed them both.
Our friend Tony was the only child
born Of Rcsas second marr1age-We
say second marriage, for real to her,
and in the eyes of heaven, had been
her first union-and Sydney and Tony
were left to believe themselves sons of
the same father, and as wholly broth
ers by blood as were they in the love
which for each other they had always
cherished.
And if James Drummond had cared
less for Sydney than for his own son
certainly he had never permitted that
fact to be perceived.
sydney was cut out for gentleman
and Tony for an engrayer, James
Drummond said; and the boys should
be placed in life according to their
qualifications.
AID Mrs Willoughby lived to follow
IL AfH1af1 frsrTO