Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-04-08
GLOVER Of THE DaY.
CHAPTER XXXlI.
The Barrier is Broken.

| a blind and defOrmed baby, the strong
sisterly love which had waned when he
was in what she considered dishonor-
ably flOurishing circumstances revived
in all its strength.
Sholto dwelt at length and with much
pathoS in his letters on what he termed
| the 'melancholipes of the cross which
| was laid upon the child and himself"
! especially himself. He likened the luck
! less baby to the old man of the sea, to
| a loathsome leech which nature had
fastened upon his life, and which would
| slowly but surely suck that life away
! and enfeeble it out Of all power Of do
ing wholesome, heartfelt work in the
| meantime. He also referred with a
| sort Of gentle and resigned bitterness
! to the pitiable part his old love Patrice
! had played in the dream of his life.
| IF she had only been true to the
natural instincts of her pledge to ME 1
should have been different and hap
| pier man to-day. AS it is she broke
with me over cortemptably trivial
question, with the result that ] tried to
find in money what love had capriously
ried life was a long-drawn--out expia-
ton of my folly in having entered upon
it in haste And now there is the child.
Maggie, dear, it seems destined to
injure and blight me il every way. AS
if its eXistance were not enough, it is
| already a stumbling block in the path
to Lena Cumberland arriving at a bet
ter comprehension of me and my SEN
sitive instincts and motives. You know
that am no believer in the first being
either the only or the best love of a
| mans life, therefore | don't mind adj
hitting to you that Lena would have
more than nolaced me for the loss OF
Patrice, but-nO woman would solace
me for the loss of the means and posi-
ton which alone car make life endur-
able to me. Now that l am ready and
anxious to marry Lena and make her,
as a reasonable man who isn't revolt
ingly ilde can make q reasonable wO-
man, she sets this CHASTITY child up be
tween us and swears that she will keep
it with her, maintain and provide for
it as if it were her own. l have expos
tulated and pleaded my love for her in
vain. She is as selfish as Patrice, as
selfish as the majority of her sex, you
being the bright exception to the hid
eous rule of self which sways most OF
them. Perhaps you may be able to in
fiuence her? Perhaps you may also be
able to influence Sir Andrew to rein
state me in the appointment which
resigned when Patrice drove me into
that indescribably miserable marriage -
Poor boy! He is very Wretched,' .
his sister said, compassionately, when
she read this, but she could not help
feeling, in spite of the fulness of her
compassion, that in his wretchedness
Sholto hit very hard at everything that
was defenseless and weak around him
especially the baby!
However, she eXerted influence to
such good effect that through Sir And
rew's influence ShOltG soon found him
self occupying a very lucrative post in
another city house, and once more that
vision Of workhouse which he always
conjured up when things were not go
Ing quite smoothly with him reoeded
into space.
His determination to push himself in
to favorable public note grew and
strengthened from this time. The post
he held, the way he filled it, together
with Gwemp interest, made him man
of mark in the local political world in
which he moved. After a while he was
returned as the uniCList member for
one Of the city divisions, and from that
time he swan so smoothly over the sea
Of public life that he had time to think
! Of women in connection with love and
marriage again. The fact was he want
ed to have a handsome and a beautiful
wife to adorn it, and he could think Of
no better for the purpose than Lena
Cumberland.
For three or four years his mind has
not been disturbed by any tidings of his
child. If Maggie knew anything about
it she never volunteered that knowl-
edge, and he never questioned. Mrs.
CUMBERLAND had changed her residence
and he never heard anything about her
either. But now that his thoughts turn
ed toward setting up an establishment
that might become a smart social cen
ter for his party, he resolved to find
out Lena and secure her aid.
He knew that Ned Thorburn's sister
had married Guy Vereker, Mrs Cum
berland's cousin. He made up his
| mind to get hold Of Thorburn, and the
rest would be easy. So he condescended
to stalk Thorburn for some days, and
| by and by met him by accident.
| The prosperous, brilliant journalist,
who had married Patrice, was about
! as Indifferent as man could be about
renewing the acquaintance with Sholto
| Graham. He had Nd admiration for
| success had been taken in a spirit of
supreme selisnness. However, the
instincts of hospitality were upon Ned
! Sholto said, How much he should like
Thorburn strongly. Accordingly, when
i to see Mrs. Thorburn again. Ned re-
| piled:
Come down to Wargrave and dine
with us tomorrow, we've got a house
by the river for the summer, and a
| whole colony Of US are staying there.
| Come down, will you've dine at Z, so
as to have time for BIZ of boating
| after dinner"
| He found himself on a lovely lawn
| slsping to the river the next evening,
| talking to Patrice, who was far too
| pleased. She was telling him that her