The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1898-06-18
l !!!l|!||'|' VICTORY
CHAPTER NSgvs
US I,OvE.
B3 BERTHA II. clay.

sIf anything c redeem her, itswifis be
love So Miss Hastings had SAIL Of Pau-
line long months ago, when She had f!rstsecn
her grand nature warped and soufed bytiis-
appointment, Swallowed by the fierce desire
Of revenge. Nowslie was to see the fulfill
inent OF her words.
With a nature like pauline's, love was no
ordinary passion MI the romance. the fever,
the poetry of her heart and soul We're arousea.
Her love took her ont of herself, transform
Ell and trans.igured her, softened aud beauti-
lied her. She Was not of those who could
love moderately, and If one attachment awas
not satisfactory, take refuge in another. For
such as her there was but one love, ard it
would make or mar bcr life.
Had Sir Fanc ST Lawrence been mercy a
handsome man she would never have cared
Tor llIn; but his soul and mind had mastered
her. He was a noble gentleman, princcly in
lbs tastes and culture, generous, pure, gifted
with All intellect magnificent i'll itself. and
cultivated To the highest degree of pertec-
ton. The innate nobility of lis character at
once influenced her. Size acknowledged its
superiority; she bowed her Heart and soul
before II, proud of the very chains that
bound her.
How small and insignificant everything
else now appeared! Even the loss of OAR
rell Court seemed triiliIg to her. Life had
suddenly assumed another aspect. She was
man unknown land; She was happy beyond
everything that she had ever conceived or
Imagined it possible to be. 1t was a quiet,
subdued happiness, one that was dissolving
her pride rapidly as the sunshine dissolvcs,
snow--lappiness that was rounding off the
angles OF her character. that was taking
away corn and defiance, and bringing sweet
and gracious humility, womanly grace and
tenderness in their stead.
While Sir Vane was studying her as the
most difficult problem he had ever met with
he heard from Miss Hastings the story OF her
life. He could understand how the innate
strength and truth of the girls character
lad rebelled against polite insincelities and
conventional ulitlutlis; lie could understand
that a soul so gifted, pure. and eager. could
find no r~estipg-place and no delight; he
could understand, too, how the stately old
h%aronct, the gentleman of the old school,
had been frightened at his niece's originality,
and scared by her uilcamprom!sing love Of
truth.
Miss Hastings, whose favorltc theme in
Pauline's absence was praise of her, lad
tod both mother and son the story of Sir Os-
wald's project and its failure-how Pauline
would have been mistress of Darrell Court
n all her ,ncie's immense wealth if she
would but have compromised matters and
have married Aubrey Iangton. y
"L.angtona:' questioned Sir Nanc. 81
know him-that is | lave iicarl5o of him; but
! cannot remember anything more than that
he is a great fOIc, and n man whose word is
never to be bclicvcl.'
Then my pupil was right in her estimate
OF his character said Hiss Hastings. "Sie
seemed to guess it by instinct. She always
treated him with the utmost contempt and
scorn. have often spoken to her about it,
"iol may rely upon it, Miss Hastings, that
tile instinct of a good woman, in the opinion
she forms of men, is never wrong, " observed
STfVane, graveiy; and then he turned to
Lady st. Lawrence with the sweet smile his
face always wore for her.
Mother he said, gently, latter hearing
of such hcroisin rs that, you must not be an
Cry about Lillith Davenant again.
Flat is Il very different mattcr,'' opposed
.tiy st. Lawrence; but it seemed to her son
Very much the same kind Of thing.
Before lie had known Pauline long he was
not shamed to own TO himself that he loved
her far better than all the world bcside-that
life for him, unless she would share it. was
all blank and hopeless. She was to him as
part of his own soul, the center of his exis.
tencc; he knew she was beautiful beyond
most women, lie believed her noble and truer
than most of women had ever been. His
faith In her was implicit; he loved her as
only noble men are capable of loving.
As time passed on his influence over her
became %unboundcd. Quite unconsciously to
herself she worshiped him; unconsciously to
herself her thoughts, her ideas, MI took their
coioring from his. She who had delighted
II cynicisn, whose beautiful lips had uttered
such hard and cruel words, now took from
him q broader, clearer, kinder view of man
kind and human nature, If at times the old
habit was too strong for her, and some biting
sarcasm would fall from her, some cold cyn-
ical sheer, he would reprove her quite fear
lessly.
you are wrong, Miss Darreil--auite
wrong" he would say. "The noblest men
have not been those who sncefed at their fell
low-men, but those who have done their best
to aid them. There is little nobility in a
deriding spirit"
And then her face would flush, her lips
culver, her eyes take the grievcd expression
of a child who has been hurt.
"Can I help it," she would say, 'when I
hear what is talse?' NJ
Your ridicule will not remedy it." he
would reply. you must take q broader,
more kindly view of matters. You think
slrs. Leigh deceitful, Mrs. Vernon worldly;
but my dear Miss Darrell, do you remember
this, that III every woinn and man there is
something good, something to be admired,
some grand or noble quality? It.rnay be half
hidden by faults, but it is there, and for tho
sake OF the good we must tolerate the bad.
No one is all bad. Men and women are, aft
er all, created by God; and there is some
trace of the Divine image left in every one"
This was q new md startling theory to the
girl who had looked down with contempt
not uMmixed with scorn on her fellow-creat-
ures-judging them by a standard to which
few ever attain.
"And you really believe there is some
thing good in every oneT' she asked.
Something not merely good, but noble.
My secret conviction Is that in every soul
there IS the germ of something noble. even
though circumstances may never call it forth.
AS you grow older and see more of the
world, You will know that | am right"
Il believe your SHE cried, eagerly. II
always believe every word you say!'
Her face flushed at the warmth of her
words.
.sYou do me justice" he said. 81 have
faults by the million, but want of sincerity Is
not among them"
So, little by little, love redeemed Pauline,
took away her faults, and placed virtues in
their stead. 1t was alniost marvellous TO note
how all sweet, womanly graces came to her,
how the proud face cleared and grew tender,
how pride died from the dark eyes, and q
glorious love light came in its stead, how she
became patient and gentle, consideratc and
thoughtful, always anxious to avoid giving
pain to Others. 1t would have been difficult
for any one to recognize tho brilliant, willful
Pauline Darrell in the loving, quiet, thought
full girl whom love had transformed into
something unlike herself.
There came a new world to her, a new
life. Instead of problems difficult TO solve,
life became full of sweet and gracious lar-
monies, full of the very warmth and light of
Heaven, full OF unutterable beauty and hap
pincss: her soul reyeled In ii, her heart was
filed with it.
All the poetry, the romance, had como true
hay, more than true. Her girlisll dreams
lad not shown her s,lcll happiness as that
which dawned upon her now. She had done
what she had always said she should do