Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-01-25

| for me and for Philipoa, my poor mother
/ would be forced to share.
All being now ready for our start, we
strove to win some hours Of sleep. Our
! efforts were Knocked to scorn Through
| that. the last night we might spend
| alone together. / believe neither my wife
nor myself closed an eyelid. Let me
draw veil over my wild distress and
/ Philippa's calm acquiescence in her fate.
/ Some grief is too sacred to describe
Morning! Bright. broad. clear. cool,
/ odorous morning! Our sleeplessness had
at least spared us the anguish Of awak-
/ ing. and, while for a moment glorylng
/ in the beauty of the world, to remember
/ what this morning meant to us.
Giving ourselves ample time to reach
! the railway station. We crept
| from our room, and. with eyes
! full of binding tears, cross the pleasant
patio. | paused i'll the center, and, pluck
ing lovely spray from the great orange
| tree. kissed it and gave it TO my wife.
Without a word she placed it IN the
| bosom of her dress AS she drew her
mantle aside to do So for the first time
noticed that she wore the very dress
which clad her OH that fatal night Al
thought it was utterly unsuited to the
! almost tropical heat through which we
should have to travel, I dared not remon-
strate with her. Now of all times, her
/ slightest wish should be my law.
Noiselessly | undid the massive studd-
ed gate. which at night time closed the
entrance to the patio. Unseen, we
/ stepped into the shady, narrow street
! Our luggage was light. / could carry 1t
with ease to the station, which was not
a great distance off. We were there
| only too soon.
we had to wait some time ere the
| train. which, following the example Of
| the true Spaniard, declines OH any cOnsid-
GRAFTON to be hurried made it's appear
/ ance. We took our seats in silence AT
! last the dignified train cOndescended to
move onward. We sat side by side,
and gazed in the direction of the beau
tiful city from which we were flying;
/ gaZed until we saw the very last Of it,
until even the great towering Giralda-
was lost to view. Then, and only
then, [ think we fully realized to what
end we were speeding.
The next three days and nights seem
now little more to me than Whirllng
| dream. On and Oh we went to work
out our fate; over the same ground which
had traversed, with scarcely less agi-
tated feelings, some months ago.
ground my teeth when thought how
little my strenuous and seemingly sue
cessful efforts had availed. Now, not
from any omission of precautlon: not be-
| cause the law compelled; not by the ex-
ercise of force; but simply Oh account
Of the great dictum of right and wrong,
| we were, of our own accord, retraclng
our steps to face the danger from which
we had fed Oh bitter irony of des-
tiny WI L., ,,,onor ! 80 no1v9 Nah
ing but so much dross. 1t could do one
thing, only one. that gold which / Law
ished SO freely on that journey. 1t
could assure that PhiliDpa and | might
travel alone. 1t could give US privacy
for the time that journey lasted, that was
all.
Yet although alone. we spoke but lit
tie. Our thoughts were not such as can
be expressed by words. Her hand
Misunderstanding when we could sleep,
waking and looking into each others
faces-knowing that every mile Of sun
ny or Starlit country over which we
passed brought us nearer to the end.
All. | understood then how it is that low
ers who are menaced ~ some great
sorrow can kill themselves, and die
smiling in each others arms! We might
have done so: but our deaths would have
left to perish that stranger whom we
were speeding to save.
SO, as in a dream, the hours, the days,
the nights, went by. We might have
been travelling through the fairest seen
cry in the world, or through the most
arid desert. | scarcely troubled to
glance out of the carriage window. The
world for me was inside.
1t was after we left Parls-EaTls,
stone's-throw of London-that ! aroused
myself, and braced my energies to dis
cuss finally with Philippa our proper
plan of action. l felt that my right
course would be to go straight to some
solicitor, tell the tale. and ask him to
put matters in train. But | could not
bring myself to DO this. Our secret was
as yet our own. Moreover. through the
misery of these hours, one ray OF hope
had broken upon me- If Philippa could
be brought to yield to my guidance, to
follow my instructions, it was not be-
yond the bounds of possibility that we
might be saved, and saved with clean
hands,
Dearest" 1 whispered tonight we
shall be in London
Her fingers frightened Oh mine. "-And
at Tewnham?" she said. I'VE shall be
in time p
in ample time But. Philippa. lis
ten"
Basil, as you love me, not one word
to tempt, to dissuade mel
Not one but listen. Sweetest. if you
will be guided by me. even now all may
go well. This mani
1.-THE poor man who is standing in my
place?
Eyes; listen. Heaven forbid that [
should tempt you. Think; he is, no
doubt, a man Of a lowly station in life.
Philippa, ! am rich, very rich
Il do not understand you, she said,
pressing her hand to her brow
Money will compensate for anything.
Let him stand his trial. He is innocent.
If there is justice in the land, he may,
he must, be found not guilty.
but the agony. of mind he must pass
through
For that I will pay him over and over
again. He may be but country boor,
to whom a thousand pounds would be in
exhaustible wealth. But, whatever his
station, the compensation sent to him by
an unknown hand shall make him bless
the day which laid him under the false
accusation. Reflect, look at the matter
in every light. l swear to you hat in
my opinion we may, with a clear con-
science, await the result of the trial.
She sighed, but made no answer. Her
silence was joy to me. 1t told me that
my specious argument carried weight. |
took her hands and kissed them. | told
her again and again that ] loved her: