Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-05-19
! uEHLElMIH...
a Society Novel.
nARaa coRELL
Continued.

The hours of the new day, day,
though seeming night, passed ON anu
it was verging towards ten o'clock
when she woke, raving delirious'y
Her father, Sigurd, Philip the events
of her life in London, the fatigues OF
her journey, were all iumbed fantas-
tically tosether III her brain-she talk
ed and sang necessarily, and, like
wild bird suddenly Gagged, refused TO
be ouieted. Ulrika was all alone with
her,-Valemar having gone to bose
kop,-and she had enough to do To
make her remain in bed For she be-
came suddenly possessed by strong
desire to go sailing on the Fjord-and
occasionally 1t took all ulrlka :
strength to hold and keep her FROM
spltngng to the window, whose whit"
frosted panes seemed to have some IA
tai attraction for her wandering eyes.
She spoke of things strange and new
to her attendants ears -treQuently she
pronounced the names Of Violet We're
and Lady Winsleigh with an accent OF
horror she would talk or
IpOTSt l4tI liner anu lNiAN i"i'N''
and she would call for Britta often
sometimes endearingly-som
impatiently.
The picture of her home in War
wickshire seemed to haunt her,-she
spoke of its great green trees, Its
roses, its smooth sloping lawns-then
she would begin to smile and sing
again in such a weak, pitiful fashion
that Ulrika.--her stern nature utterly
melted at the sight of such innocent
helpless distraction and sorrow,-
could do nothing but fold the suffer
ing creature in her arms, aud rock her
20 ard fro soothingly on her breast,
the tears running down her cheeks
the while
And after long hours of hewilder-
ment and anguish, Errington's child,
boy, was born-dead. With re-
gretful heart, Ulrika laid out the tiny
corpse,-the withered blossom of a
promised new delight. 4 miniature
form so fair and perfect that 1t seemed
sheer cruelty on the part of nature to
deny It breath and motion. Thelma's
mind still wandered she was hardly
conscious of anything and ulrika
was almost glad that this was so. Her
anxiety was very great-she could not
disguise from herself that Thellna's
life was in danger,-and both she and
Valdemar wrote to Sir Philip Erring
ton, preparing him for the worst, and
urging him to come at once,-littIe
aware that the very night the lifeIess
child was born, was the same on which
he had started from Hull for Chris
tiansund, after his enforced waiting
more TO be done now, thought ulrila
piously, but to trust in the Lord and
hope for the best. And Valdemar
Syensen made with his own hands a
tiny coffin for the l~y Of the little
dead boy who was to have brought
such pride and satisfaction to his
parents, and one day rowed across
the Fjord to that secret cave where
Thelmas mother lay enshrined IN
stone. There he left it, feeling sure
he had done well.
Ulrika asked him no questions Sh"
was entirely absorbed in the duties
that devolved upon her. and with an
ungrudging devotion strange to see in
her, watched and tended Thelma
constantly, scarcely allowing herself
minutes space for rest or food. The
idea that her present ministration was
to save her soul in the sight Of tn,
Lord, had grown upon her, and was
now rooted firmly in her mind she
never gave way to fatigue or inatten
ton, every moan, every restless
movement of the suffering girl, OBJ
tanned her instant and tender solicit
tude, and when she prayed now. 1t
was not for herself but for Thelma
Spare her good Lord.' she would
implore in the hyperbollcal language
she had drawn from her study of the
Scriptures-"As the lily among thorns,
so is she among the daughters! Cut
her not off root and branch from the
land Of the living, for her counter
ance is comely, and as bunch Of
myrrh which hath a powerful sweet
ness, even SO must she surely be to
the heart OF her husband! Stretch |
forth Thy right hand o Lord, and
scatter healing, for the gates Of death |
shall not prevail aginst Thy power!"
Day after day she poured out pc
titions such as these, and with the
logged persistency of a soldier serving |
Cromwell, believed that they would BE-
granted, though day after day Thei- |
ma seemed to grow weaker and weak
er. She was still light-headed her /
face grew thin and shadow her
hands were almost transparent IN
their Wilderness and delicacy, and
her voice was 80 faint as to be nearly
inaudible. Sometimes Ulrika got
frightened at her appearance, and |
heartily wished for medical assistance |
but this was not to be had. There |
fore she was compelled to rely on the |
ficacy of one simple remedy, an |
HIr Ia1 Iii, L Ill II