Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-12-01
'Tb2 Bride :
: Of Day.

@No wedding" Lady Caroline re,
peated, blankly.
Then, ~brokenly, and in his own blum.
dering fashion. but. to Lady Caroline's
quick comprehension intelligibly. Tom
told the whole tragic story Of that
nights romance, and Of the parting
with the girl who was TO have been his
wife.
lencc, with compressed lips and eyes
that shone brightly.
The world called Lady Caroline Cal
ton a proud woman, and her son, &C
quiescing in that opinion, had counted
on that pride as certain TO be arrayed
against him. But, If that were an me
my, the romantic element in her lady.
ships nature was sufficient TO over
whelm il, and that came to his a.d.
IL Lady Caroline was disdainful OF
those who, without any real claim
presumed to consider themselves on a
par with her. she was also warra.
hearted, compassionate, ard a loyal
friend if a bitter fee, always acting Oh
what in a man would have been called
an impulse of chlvalry and generous
recklessness. Such impulse stirred heI
as she stopped to kiss her sons brow
and whisper softly:
Poor boy, We will go and see them
tomorrow"
"Wey' Tom echoed, quickly, for he
had pictured his proud mother shr nix
ing from the scandal that must ensue.
"Ies-we! Poor Grace will need all
her friends about her: and my pace
will be by my daughters side, for Ruth
becomes my child from to-day!'
She spoke with a quaint air Of au
thority that well became her, and
Lady Caroline seemed most good and
beautiful in her sons eyes. Tom
looked at the little woman till tears
dimmed his sight. Then he rose, and,
impulsively embracing his mother,
kissed her heartily.
Heaven bless you, you dear crea-
ture." he cred. you have lifted q
great load from my mind. and made
me feel almost happy, after all"
Then he went up 10 his room, leaving
Lady Caroline. in a huetter of min
gled pain and pleasure.
She kept her word legally. and was
over at River View SO early the next
morning that Ruth. who met her in the
hall, hardly believed that her eyes
were not playing her some strange
trick.
Lady Gardiner she cried, drawing
back and looking so pale and scared
and childish, with the dark. purple
rings, caused by sleeplessness, round
those big eyes which Lady Caroline
had always thought so ~audacloGsly
bright, that the heart of the elder We
man warmed to her as it had never
doEe before.
"Yes-it is I, my poor child. / feel
so sorry so grieved, for you all. No
do not run away, Ruth, my little
daughter-come here
Lady Caroline opened her arms, and,
with a little, inarticulate cry of low
ing. grateful wonder, Ruth went 70 her.
and, laying her head upon the elder
woman's shoulder, wept such heart
felt tears of gratitude as she had never
shed ON her own mothers breast.
''You are so good, so kind; and
thought feared" the girl uttered,
incoherently; but Lady Caroline was
well content that the sentence should
remain lECOnlplete. "
Il know. my dear; Tom told me ALL
she whispered, soothingly. II hope
we understand each other now"
They did, without another word.
The two women, who each enshrined
Tom Carlton as an idol, and who had
hitherto regarded each other with q
somewhat Jealous distrust, loved each
other from that hour.
1t was no small matter to the River
View people that Lady Caroline Carl
ton stood so %staunchly beside them in
the dark days that followed. AS a
matter of course, the true state of af
fairs was kept n close secret. While
Herbert Santley still lay between life
and death. and any moment might re.
move the barrier that had arisen be-
tween them. neither Grace nor Vincent
Erie thought it well TO proclaim that
such had yer existed.
But though they held their peace,
and the doctor who was called in knew
his patient only as "Mr. Herbert"-a
friend Of the family - enough had
leaked cut to stimulate local curiosity
and set a thousand absurd runners
afioat.
'.The nan was an old lover-a hus
band, perhaps" went the covert VIII $
per; and the doubt woald have be-
come a certainty had not Lady Caro-
line interfered and set the matter al
rest.
Il understand that there has been
much gossip about my sons deferred
wedding she remarked, in her trench.
ant and disdainfui fashion, one after.
noon, at Mrs. Beecllcroft's, wherS
most Of the scandals were hatched
over cake and tea. ''Well,' continued
her ladyship, that was, perhaps, to be
expected. a place like this thrives up
on gossip, and it would be hard 10 de
prive it of it's natural food: but Il
! may be well TO hear the truth for once
VIII you be kind enough. Mrs. Beech.
croft, to inform all whom it may OF
may not concern, that the marriage
was postponed by Miss I.eger's wish
solely in consideration for a dying
man? And will You please add that
my son Is not more anxious to claim
his wife than / am TO receive the
daughter-in-law whom | already re
gard as mySown childg'
After that, the g0ssips let Ruth
alone, though they still kept an un
ceasing watch on River View, and
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