Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-06-23

llt.
Il will co. Afra replied, calmly.
There was silence in the darkened
chamber. The bright spring day was
drawing to a close. The dying man
moved restlessly.
Lady Groby went to his side.
"Nyhat is it Ricco?" she asked, with
motherly tenderness, for the world had
not quite deadened the woman's heart
in her bosom.
"Afra-how l wronged her." he NUT
tered-''how we all wronged herl"
my dear boy, let bygones be by
Cones"
"She will not GOMEZ sinred too
decply to be forgiven
Hush! Hush! After all. the wisest
Of us sometimes make mistakes"
but it is all over. The mine"
Don't let your mind run on such
matters. All will come right. You
must get well, and then"
''The mine! Jack did not mistake-I
wronged him cruelty"
did not mistake?'-and Lady Groby
listened e~agerly-'did not mistake
about the mineT'
"No; Hartrigg was right all through,
and Wrong from first to last. Wrong
-wrcng,'
"Iiicco, does 1t matter much? You
can put everything right by-and-by,
can't you? Your wife will nurse you
back to health and strength, and you
will be happier for all this
."Happier-fOr having broken a COM
rade's heart and destroyed a woman's
affection? | listened to the voices CT
the evil angels and threw my chance
away. We never get a second. Life is
bitter"
Dear Ricco, try to compose yourself
TO sleep"
sleep! 1t will be one long sleep
soon"
There was a sound in the corridor-a
soft rustic of a woman's dress and sub
dued voices Then the door was opened
and Mr.. Cleavland came to the bed
side.
The dying man started up and cried:
come?'
"She is herey' returned C%leavland.
briefly.
81 must say" Lady Groby told Lady
FitZAltamont, in after confidence,
that she behaved s~plendidly. For the
whole of that terrible week she lever
left him.. No wife could have shown
him more tender attention or displayed
greater affection. You see, there had
been a game of cross-purposeS between
them all along. Dereck had a very ca
PRECIOUS and ungovernable temper
poor fellow!-and-and she-well-she
is-shall / call it firm-perhaps obstin-
ate? Things went hopelessly wrong
between them; but l must admit that
| cannot excuse much of the poor boys
conduct to her and her brother. But
his wife forgave him, and has proved
herself thoroughly disinterested. No,
she won't take one farthing of the
great fortune he left behind-nOthing
but her share of the mine. which has
turned out to be a really valuable prop
erty. She absolutely won't take Der
eck's share in it-only her own. But |
can te~. you that that isn't at all bad.
A syndicate has purchased the reef for
fS0, 200, and half of hat is hers. She
has gone to Mount Sorel, and my poor
/ sister is charmed with her. Perhaps,
even il the unhappy boy had lived,
things might not have turned out well.
HI would no doubt have made ducks
and brakes of his fortune-as it was.
he spent a terrible sum. No, he would
never have been content to live quietly
at home, like other people, | really be-
lievc;;" and Lady Groby wiped her eyes.
eff poor old Juggins had not left him
all that money" she added, "he would
have remained in Africa, worked uD
1 thiS ,ninn hpnn n hnYnu and nrnlnnr-
Gus man, had a thoroughly good wife
at his side, and returned to England a
credit to us all. But he had every
chance when he succeeded to that for
tune, which seemed to stife every
thing good in him. It's a bad thing to
be too rich"
From which remark 1t would seem as
If Lady Groby had taken to heart the
lessons of af1iction.
Afra returned from Ireland, where
she had comforted the heart-broken
mother as best she could. She had re-
turned to the old studio, which would
soon cease to be her home, for she was
determined to break away from every
thing that could remind her of her old
life. Beta Mansfield was not only in
dependent, but rich, and the two wo-
men had decided upon spending the
winter in Italy.
Henry Cleavlard had apparently
gone out of their lives. Since he left
Mrs. Packenham at her husbands bed
side, she had not seen him. She told
herself that it was better that icy
should not meet again. And yet. had
he % been her best friend? Did she
not owe everything to him? She had
promised Lady Mount Sorrel a picture
of Dereck's grave, and, although it cost
Afra a great pang, she resolved to keep
her word.
Her little brougham waited outside
the cemetery, while she made a sketch
OF the white marble cross which she
had herself designed, and which had
only just been placed In position.
When she had finished the sketch.
she turned to go, but something oc-
Cured to her at that moment. Had
she lone what was right TO the nan
who slept below? Had she been wise
in fleeing from HMM breaking loose
from a tie which might have saved
him? She could not tell. She had not
been brought up In that school of