Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1898-08-22


sion, but she saw Valerie standing
near him, the bouquet in her hands.
81 have been trying to console my
husband, Miss Ross" she said in her
clear, sweet voice, "but he would not
be consoled. You we're late to claim
your promised gift of flowers
The earl bit his lip, and walked
away. A sudden wish came to him
that Valerie and her flowers were
far distant. A veil seemed to be
falling from his eyes. He glanced
from Valerie's handsome face, with
] it's hard, passionate look, to Alice's
sweet, lovely countenance lit with
womanly tenderness and gentleness,
and his wife's pleased him the most.
Her bearing, too, astounded yet graft
fec his PRIDE and unconsciously his
heart swelled as he pictured her
! triumph.
| Valerie, quick to read his honest
| face, understood these thoughts and
| she was maddened almost to frenzy.
The girls appearance, her GOODNESS,
were poisoned darts to Valerie's
| blighted heart, and she vowed to be
avenged and to abase the low-born
wife of Roy Darrell.
CHAPTER VIII.
The crowd of guests streaming in
kept the earl well occupied.
He stood at the head of the salon,
the slight form in white satin and
diamonds beside him.
To all and each Alice gave her
sweet smile and gentle word; no
trace of fear or awkwardness was in
! her demeanor.
Everyone was amazed.
They had come filled with wild
curiosity to see the farms girl who
had so suddenly and strangely be-
come a countess, and, instead Of
beholding a series of terrible social
bluIders performed by sturdy
dairymaid, they saw nothing but
lovely patrician girl, whose charms
and wondrous beauty eclipsed even
Miss Valerie Ross, long considered
the goddess of all loneliness by the
folk around the castle.
From her chair, Lady Darrell
noticed their astonishment; and felt
that she synpathised with it. Her
heart woke from the Ditter disap-
rointment that had lived in it ever
since the day she learned of her sons
marriage, to admire most genuinely
| the fair young wife.
"Where does she get her manner?'
she unused to herself. "She is pa
trician from head to foot. Roy has
no need of shame tonight; his wife
has achieved success"
Then she sighed a little as her
eyes wandered to a tall, stately form,
on whose red-brown hair the rubies
and diamonds quivered like jewelled
dew drops.
"Poor VaIerie!' she said to herself.
If it only could have been! am
sure she loves Roy now whatever her
feelings were before Eustace died.
/ She. too, would have made a proud
countess tonight Yet this girl holds
her own"
At last all the guests were assem-
bled, the testimonial was handed TO
tho earl, and dinner was announced
Alice found herself led in by Sir
Robert Carlyle, and smiled to herself
as she read the admiration anc
amazement on his face.
The dinner proved long and teii-
GUS to her, though not to the ma-
jcrity.
Alice had pleasure, however, in
looking at all the wonderful gold ano
silver ornaments, cups, goblets, dishes
and vases, that stood on the table.
1t was a glimpse of fairyland tC
her, and the earl, glancing from his
seat at the far end of the room
watched her bright look of admira
ton, and felt again that new sen
se.tion which was growing stronger
and stronger in his heart.
Dinner over, the ladies with
dew, and Alice found her time oc
cupied in chatting with all thu
great DANES, whose faces she recol
lected from seeing them in theil
carriages dashing along to NestleJ
town.
Valerie had said little all th'
evening, but she was thinking thu
more. Her hate for Alice had grown
tonight to passion. The truth
that Roy was gradually becoming in
terested-nay, attracted by his wife
. dashed her to madness. 1t was in
, deed woman against woman.
Lady Darrell was right, Valerie
loved Roy now with all the power
of her heart: not as she had wor
shipped Eustaee Rivers, but with {
great passion of genuine affection ant
tenderness. She had been living IL
dream these two days past
She felt secure in Roy's love, ant
thought of Alice only as cloud OF
the horizon of her happiness; bu
now she realized she was indeed
living in dreamland.
l Roy's eyes all this night had rested
! on mis- wife; a dawn of something
new and such as had never come fol
l her her, appeared on his face, ant