The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1898-12-27


but there's no blame and no shame,
Marjorie, on you and yours. Your son
is the heir of Annandale''
ooh, mother" cried Marjorie, sadly,
chow can that be? / am mother. but
no wife"
You're wife to yon Frenchman,'' an
swered Miss Hetherington; ''ay, his
lawful welded wife by the English and
the Scottish law. Out there in France
might reject you by the law of man;
but here in Scotland, you're his true
wife still, though l wish, with all my
heart, you were his widow instead"
is that so, mother?"
'True as gospel, Marjorie It's wi me
the shame lies, like the bright speck of
blood on the hands of the thames wife,
which even the perfumes of Araby
couldna cleanse awa'w
Don't talk Of that, motherr' cried
Marjorie, embracing the old lady. 81
am sure you are not to blame"
"And you can forgive me, my bonny
bairn?"
Il have nothing to forgive; you were
deceived as-as I have been. Oh,
mother, men are wicked!-I think they
have evil hearts,
The old lady looked long and fondly
in her daughters face; then she said,
with loving smile:
81 ken one man that has the heart
of king-ay, of an angel, Marjorie"
"Who, mother?'
''Who but Johnnie Sutherland? my
blessings on the lad! But for him, I
should have lost my BARN forever, and
it was for his sake, Marjorie, that
wished We were widow indeedH'
Marjorie flushed deep crimson and
turned her head away. Sutherlands
answering devotion had not failed to
touch her deeply, and she understood
it now in all its passionate depth and
strength; but she still felt herself I'M
der the shadow of her old sorrow, and
she knew that the tie which bound her
to Caussidiere could only be broken by
death.
Thus tine passed on, until the dreary
so memorable to France and French
men, set in with all its vigor. There
was little joy for Sutherland Indeed,
his trials were becoming almost more
than he could bear, and he was wonder
ing whether or not, after all, he should
leave his home and Marjorie, when
there came piece of news which fair
ly stunned him.
1t came in the shape of a letter and
a paper from his Partisan artist friend.
The letter, after a few preparatory
words, ran as follows:
'You may be shocked, but I hardly
think you will be sorry to hear of the
death of your little friends husband,
Leon Caussidiere. He disappeared in a
most mysterious manner, and is sup
posed to have been privately put to
death What he was, Heaven knows!
but he mixed a good deal in politics,
and Judging from what you told me
about him, I shouldn't be at all sur
prised to hear that he was a spy. WE'LL
at any rate, whatever he was he is gone
peace be to his soul, and [ fancy the
world will get on a good deal better
without him than with him. At any
rate, a certain part of it will, I know!
With this I send paper, that you may
read the official account of the death
of your friend, and know that there
is no mistake about it.
Having finished the letter, Suther-
land turned to the paper-glanced
down it's columns; came upon a mark
ed paragraph, and read as follows in
the French tongue:
"Caussidiere, holding an officers
commission under the Committee of
Public Safety, has been convicted Of
reasonable practices and put to death.
He was tried by military tribunal, and
executed yesterday
Sutherland put down the paper and
held his hands to his head; he was
like a man dazed Was he glad? No,
he would not allow himself to feel glad |
to rejoice in the death of a fellow
creature, even though he was his en-
envy.
And yet, if Caussidiere was dead,
Marjorie was free. The very thought |
seemed to turn his brain. He put both |
the letter and the paper in his pocket, |
and went up to his room. He could not |
work, but he sat down among his pict- |
ures and tried to think.
What must he do? Go to Marjorie? |
No, he could not do that-for she would |
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