Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1897-12-09

" tuc uEcpluce, WucTe Sne SAT
IN a kind Of semi-royal state, with Mrs.
Nlulclber for her lady in waiting.
MI. Nestorius seated himself near a
reading lamp, and opened his portfolio.
"flrst, let me restore the original pa
pers," he said, handing Lashmar a pack
ct. They are there, unreliable to the or
binary eye. You will keep them in trust
Tor Stella. Here are the copies. Four
are love letters, pure md simple, written
by the future Mrs. Boldwood to her hus-
band. The fifth and last is from Mrs.
boldwood's father. and it dated two years
after the date Of the other four, and was
written, as l understand it, just before
Stella's birth. 1t 10 a letter that may
have helped to bring around the mothers
untimely DEATH"
viii you be good enough to read them
to meY' asked Lashmar, hating himself
FOR never having learned Spanish.
"N-yun,, n-yum, n-yum" began the
statesman, murmuring gibberish, a. he
an his eye over the page. Perhaps it
is hardly worth your while to hear the
love letters. Such things are always
alike"
Il will have every word" answered
l.ashmar. If you don't read them I
shall think You don't know Spanish"
That is a challenge, said Nestorius,
80 here goes"
He cleateh his throat and began:
Alas! dear one, I know not where or
when l can hope to meet you again. Not
IN the church, or on the way to the
church. 1t In too dangerous. Nita never
leaves ine-and I had hard work to pre-
rent her telling my father Of our last
meeting. I will be in the garden between
seven and nine o'clock every evening. II
there might he a chance that way it would
be SO sweet to see you again, Just for a
few minutes by the little door, while Nita
has gone into the house on some errand.
You know how watchful she Is, and how
she always brings her sewing out into
the garden to sit with me. There IL 30
little for her to do in the house of an even
ing. My father 10 almost always out of
doors at his club or with his friends.
How Gun you talk Of your shabby coat,
dearest? Do you think I value people for
their coats? And il you are ever 10 poor
now. you, who are so clever, are sure to be
rich some day. Or, II you are always poor.
1t will make no difference to me. Nita says
my father has a large fortune; but l have
never seen any signs Of riches in our
house. We have no fine furniture, or
plate. or Jewels-only the things that my
greatgrandfather had before the PENN
sular war. We have all we want, but no
more. II you could only see my father
and talk to him and get his consent to our
marriage I should be the happiest girl in
Madrid. Yours everlastingly,
"INEZ."
The next letter was more impassioned
and glanced at past meetings, at vows
interchanged. The next, again, was a still
wilder cntpouring Of a girls ~all-confiding
love. No more talk Of the fathers con-
sent. All was surrendered to the lover.
''Whateycr may be your fate I will share
it. l will go with you to the end Of the
world" A second sutton had appeared, Of
noble family, wealthy, m~iddle-aged, IA.
vored by the father. The girl shrank
from him With loathing, flung herself in
to the arms of her out-at-elbows English
man. Take me away from them, dear
est" she pleaded, 'or my father will make
me marry that man. He ragged with
anger when l told him that there was
some one else I cared for. He swore he
WOulu IOSh HE Wy LII Aly WrOOluS uAy.
Take me away, Juan; make me safely
FOUR wife before he can lock me up. No,
dearest, I am not afraid of poverty with
you."
The last OF the four letters was the
briefest, arranging a rendezvous which
was to end in an elopement.
Then, after an interval Of two years,
came the fathers letter-curt, icy, in
cisive:
"You chose your own path in defiance
OF me. You may keep it. Whether it
lead you to the gutter or the grave is Of
no matter to me. You disobeyed and you
deceived me for the sake Of IN English
adventures You have your recompense
in your adyenturer's love. You say that
he is still devoted and that by the labor
of his hands he earns your daily bread.
You IRE better off than you have any
right to he-you, the disobedient, deceit
full daughter. You tell me that q child
will soon be born to you and that you
would win my forgiveness for yourself
and besreak my love for that unborn
child. I answer you that I have plucked
you out Of my heart, that you are for me
neither loved nor hated, but non-existent.
A0 TOT your UNBORN Cullu, tucTc - no OeB-
bars brnt about to be spawned in the al
leys Of this city whose birth will be more
Indifferent to me. x. O."
These initials were the only signature.
The only address was Madrid. Dificult
to trace the writer by such indications.
Are the language and photography
those OF an educated ~person" asked
Lashmar.
"Undoubtt dly."
"And the date would agree with that
Of SteliG's birth: Then we may dismiss
the idea OF q gypsy origin"
II think SO. This X. o. may have be-
longcd to the professional or the CONNER
cial classes. There Il nothing in the girls
letters t imply that her people were no.
BILE: and, indeed, her fathers eagerness to
marry her to q sultor Of good birth indi-
Gates that such 1 marriage would have
been promotion"
And this vindict1ve father II perhaps
the original Of the miniature"
'sliost likely answered Nestofius, clos-
ing his portfolio. ssThe costume y that
81 ave and twenty 20 thirty ysals asD. =
DpanisA elE1'a elope0ent With - Nngllah-
800 AnAA hA0AMnnRAnnN nnnn Anae n