Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-07-08
CHAPTER XVIII.

Time SIl1 received k1tleTS. Lie ldWyCA,
the nurse, and the goyerness, Mrs Gray,
were my correspondents. 1t was in the
autumn of that second year that the &C
counts of Joan began to improve. She
had grown much stronger-she began to
notice places and persons-to ask ques-
tions-to interest herself once more In
things that were passing around her
One day received a letter from Darby
herself. The large, strangely formed
words had an odd look. She said:
"Dear Sir Ralph-This is the first let
ter have ever written, and write it to
give you good news. Joan is so much
better. Soon, / think, she will be quite
we'll l have a fancy, dear Sir Ralph,
that one thing would make her that, and
very soon. 1t is you. talk to her about
you often and often, and she says: l
know him. He was very good. l think
he was the best man in the world so,
you see, she must remember you. We are
at Nice again, and-is it not funny =
papa got the very same house for us that
we had before when you and 10 were
married. | think she remembers 1t. Ev-
cry day she asks more questions, and
seems thinking out things for herself.
Oh, | wish you would come! You have
been away such long, long time, and
miss you very much. Papa is not bit
like you. He is always writing. Do please
come. Your loving little
DARBY"
AS | read those simple words the hard
crust about my heart seemed to be broken
up. | looked back on those two years
with a sense of wonder How lonely they
had been! How devoid of anything like
love, or comfort, or sympathy! Yet even
now, if I obeyed this summons, and went
back to my wife's side, what would that
life be like henceforward? However well
I might hide the fox, it's teeth would gnaw
at my heart beneath the cloak of indiffer-
ence.
told no one was coming. resolved
to take them by surprise. 1t was close
on sunset when l arrived at Nice, and
leaving my baggage at the station, drove
at once to the villa in its sheltered nook
of the Bay of Vilafranca.
Keeping behind the sheltering laurels
and arbutus I made my way slowly to
the house. The door stood open. l met
not single soul; l passed in. On the
right of the hall door stood ajar. From
the room within came the sound of voices.
I listened. Only too we'll 1 knew them.
The child's sweet plaintive tones, and
those of my wife. l crept up to the door
and looked in. The room was half dusk.
There was couch drawn up by the fire,
and lying on it little shadowy figure
the child's figure. Joan sat beside her on
a low chair.
II am sure he will come" Darby was
saying. ''You will be glad, dear, will you
not?''
very glad" came the answer in quiet,
fonoS-+hn 7 ,horo1 nf
yore.
Because he will take care of you, and
be good to you," the child went on. "Only,
Joan, you must promise to tell him ev-
erything He will not be angry. He is too
kind and good for that
"He was always good" said Joan soft
~. "And you! What should I have done
without you all these years? You held
me back from sin and from despair. You
gave me strength when | was weakest,
and hope when | was hopeless, and pa
thence when | was well-nigh desperate,
and love when all other love failed. Oh,
my child-my blessing! 1t is heavens
mercy that gave you to me! l see that
every day I live"
The next moment | entered the room.
CHAPTER xxx.
For moment we looked at each other
in silence. l had thought of her, prayed
for her, pleaded for her a hundred times
in hours of solitude and pain. I heard
her low cry, and saw the warm blood flush
her cheeks. l lost sight of all the sor-
rowful and torturirg past, and for mo-
ment remembered only that she was my
wife.
A sort of constraint came over me. The
fond words that had longed for utterance
We're frozen on my lips. Darby came to
the rescue with a torrent of questions
and remarks, and a few moments after
wards Mr.. Templeton entered.
We all sat down then, and the CONVEX
sation became general. They would not
hear of my going to the hotel; so my lug
gage was sent for, and did my best to
return the cordially of my welcome, and
to seem at home and content once more.
Joan was very quiet. Each time look
ed at the slight figure in its soft gray
dress, or the pretty head with its cluster
ing curls, strange feeling came over me.
A woman, no doubt, would have found
relief in tears. I-man-lke-was only
conscious of a pain that tugged at my
heart-strings and sometimes choked the
words in my throat. She looked so fair,
and sweet, and fragile. There was such
a delicate, tender womanliness about her.
that seemed to lose sight of that awful
time of doubt, and the torturing years
that had followed.
When she went away with Darby and
Roger Templeton had left, fell into deep
thought. My eyes rested ON the burning
logs, but / don't think they saw much of
them, for my heart was heavy. A soft,
rustling noise reused me at last. Joan
had come in, and was standing close be-
side me.
II hope," she said gently. "that you are
not sorry you came back?"
why should you think so?" I asked
abruptly.
For moment she was silent. Then d
2. snrt e desnerate appeal came Into her