Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-12-22
kind friend who had stood at Giulia's

kind friend who had stood at Giulia's
death-bed
Assunta promised TO adopt the
child if Jasper would renounce all
claim to her, if he would allow her
to bring her up after her own fashion,
in perfect ignorance of him and all
belonging to him, believing that her
parents were dead: moreover, he must
promise never to claim her.
He was kneeling by his dead wife's
side when the conditions were brought
not open to say, Love her because
she was mine" the cold hands could
to him. and the dumb white lips could
not be clasped in duplication to him
the mothers heart could not speak il
the closed eyes. The only human
being who could have S1leJ ,he liz.
tie one lay there, ''stone-dead ana
STILL" and, as he looked at the
beautiful face, so calm in the majesty
of death, he turned to the bearer o.
the message and said:
Tell Assunta di Cynthia that is.
proportion as l loved my wife I dis
like the child, and that give her en-
tirely to her, never wishing to see her
or hear of her again.
At the same time he was just. He
offered TO settle certain sun
money on the little one. more than
sufficient to educate and dover her.
Assunta's pale face flushed crimson
when she heard it.
Il touch the accursed English GOLD
she cried. 81 would see all Venice
perish first!"
Without another word, she took the
child in her arms and left the house.
Even in death she refused to look on
the face of her sister again.
Then came for Jasper long BLANK
He remembered in after-years that he
stood by the grave of his wife; he
remembered falling upon it with a
loud, bitter cry; then came a blank.
The roses and passion-f1owers were
in full bloom when that happened;
when he recovered his senses the
roses had withered, the passion-fow-
He was lying, not in his own house,
wise doctors had forbidden that
but in one of the large hotels in
Venice, fighting for his life. He lived
but the world was never the same to
him again. His youth, his hopes, his
heart, all lay in the grave of his young
wife. He was never the same. When
he was strong enough to travel, he
returned home, and his parents were
almost beside themselves with grie
at his changed face.
"A fever caught in ITALY" explained
it all. Lady Brandon sighed mourn
fully over it. "Ah! if he had but been
content to stay at home"
Then he realized what he had done,
what he had suffered. what he had
lost He was not ashamed of his
marriage, but he shut up the sweet,
sad love-story in his heart, guarding
it as miser guards his gold-not to
have saved his life could he have
spoken Giulia's name. 1t seemed
impossible to him that any one could
understand that sweet, mad love Of
his. How should they? And he could
not tell them. He shut up the sweet,
sad story in his heart and lived on it.
People called him proud and cold,
reserved and silent; they never
dreamed of the burning love beneath
the ice; there was no one who ever
suspected him of a wild, passionate
love and a sorrow that would be has
until he died Time passed on; he
grew stronger; the full tide of health
and strength returned to him, and
with it came a longing to take his
share in the full, active life around
him.
He plunged into the hottest fray q.
political life; his speeches rang
through all England. Men named hin
with the deepest admiration; he was
power in the state; he spent his day.
in work, his nights in study. Did he
forget?
At times, when the busy members
around him were disputing vehem
emily, he found himself standing on
the Rialto at Venice, gazing at sweet
girl-face. He found himself under
the vines, with roses and passion
flowers clustering at his feet, white
hands warmly clasped in his own, and
a golden head lying Oh his breast.
They wondered, those who watched
him, why at times he rose suddenly
with sitting cry, hinging out his
arms as though the breath of life
failed him. They thought the passion
of his own words moved him. How
should they guess of the sweet, short
love, and the tragedy which had ended
it?
Time passed on Sir Francis grew
old and feeble; his one longing was to
see his son married before he died
The first time he mentioned 1t, Jas
per drew back with horror on his
face.
To be continued. -