Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-09-23
CHAPTER XVIII.

genial voice, slightly trem~.ous houu
kindly emotion, reused me from my
grief-stricken attitude.
Monsieur, permit me to persuade
you to come away Poor little child!
she is free from pain now. Her fancy
that you were her father was a for
tunate delusion for her. 1t made her
last moments happy. Pray come with
mel can see this has been a shock to
your feelings"
Reyerently | laid the fragile corpse
back on the yet warm pillows. With
a fond touch stroked the flaxen head;
| closed the dark, u%pturned, and glaz-
ing eyes-I kissed the waxer cheeks
ard lips, and folded the tiny hands in
an attitude of prayer, There was a
grave smile on the yorng dead face
a smile Of superior wisdom and sweet
ness, majestic in its simplicity. AS
sunta rose from her knees and laid her
crucifiX on the little bIeast-the tears
were running down her worn and with
cred countenance. AS she stroye to
wipe them away with her apron, she
said tremblingly:
at must be told to madame" A
frown came on the doctors face. He
was evidently a true B%ritisher, decisive
in his opinions, and frank enough to
declare them openly. Yes" he said,
CURLY, madame, as you car her,
should have been here"
"The little angel did not once ask
for her" murmured Assunta.
"True," he answered. And again
there was silence. We stood round the
small bed, looking at the empty casket
that had held the lost jewel-the flaw
less pearl of innocent childhood that
had gone, according to a graceful SUI
perstition, to ornament the festal
robes of the Madonna as she walked
in all her majesty through heaven. a
profound grief vas at my heart
mingled with a sense Of mysterious
and awful satisfaction. | felt, not as
though | had lost my child, but had
rather gained her to be more entirely
mine than ever. She seemed nearer TO
me dead than she had been when liv-
ing. Who could say what her future
might have been? She would have
grown to wcTanhood-what then?
What is The usual fate that falls to
even the best women? Sorrow, pain,
and petty worry, unsatisfed longings,
incompleted aims, the disappointment
Of an imperfect aid fettered life-for
say what you will to the contrary,
womau's inferiority to man, her phys
ical weakness, her inability to accom-
plish any great thing for the welfare
of the world in which she lives, will
always make her more or less an object
of pity. If good, she needs all the
tenderness, support, and chivalrous
guidance Of her master, mah-if bad,
she merits what she receives, his pitt
less disdain and ~measureless contempt.
From all dangers and griefs Of the
kind my Stella had escaped-for her
sorrow no longer existed. | was glad
of it, | thought. as I watched Assunta
shutting the blinds close, as a signal
to outsiders that death was in the
house. At a sign from the doctor !
followed him out of the room-on the
stairs, he turned round abruptly, and
asked:
"Will you tell the countess?"
Il would rather be excused" I re-
piled, decisiyely II am not at all in
the humor for p scene"
"You think she will make a scene?"
he said with an astonished uplifting
OF his eyebrows. 81 dare say you are
right thought She is an excellent act
ross.
BY this time we had reached the
foot of the stairs.
"she is very beautiful" I answered
evasiyely.
con. very No doubt Of that" And
here a strange frcwn contracted the
doctors brow. For my own taste. |
prefer an ugly to such beauty"
> with these words he left me.
disappearing down the passage which
led to "madama's" boudoir. Left
alone, ! paced up and down the draw
ing-room, gazing abstractedly on it's
costly fittings, its many luxurious
k%nicknacks and elcgancies-must OF
which | had given TO my wife during
the first few months of our marriage.
BY and by / heard the sound Of yio-
lent hysterical sobbing, accompanied
by the noise Of hurrying footsteps and
the rapid whisking about Of female
garments. In a few moments the doc
tor entered with an expression Of sar-
donic amusement on his face. "Yesi"
he cold In reply to my look Of inquiry,
mysteries, lace handkerchiefs. eau-de-
Cologne. and attempts at faiuting. All
very well done, / have assured the
lady there is no fear OF contagion, as
under my orders everything will be
thoroughly disinfected. | shall go
row Oh, by the way, the countess re-
quests that you will wait here a few
minutes-she has a message for you
she viii not detain you long-I should
recommend you TO get back TO your
hotel as soon as you can. and take
some good wine. A rivederci' Any
thing can do for you pray command