Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1899-04-06

the mist refused to gather, and for tHe
time it had no more to tell.
When Florence entered the break
fast-rom the next morning she found
Della there before her. But great
and awful change had come upon
her, and her face was wan and drawn
with suffering.
In an instant Florence was at her
side. 20 Della, you are I'LL What can l
do to help your
Mrs. Pendexter reused herself and
looked intently at the face of her
friend, which plainly revealed that
she had passed sleepless night. Sud-
denly hard, unmirthful smile passed
over her cold, white face. >,
Your alarm was just" she said
harshly. Read this and see"
Florence grasped the paper, and the
words revealed themselves as by a
lightning fash and fixed themselves
indelibly upon her tortured brain
IAN accident on the elevated the
evening before-one man killed out
right, another so badly injured that he
latter Percival Haven" the rest blur
red and faded from her sight.
Madam is served"
They placed themselves at table
After vain pretense at eating they
arose and each in silence sought her
room.
Florence had longed to throw her
self beside her friend and weep her
heart out clasped in Della's arms, but
Mrs. Pendexter's manner was Jelly
cold and forbidding
At last the luncheon hour came.
Again they met and made another
vain pretense at eating, and again
they parted in silence
But not long after Mrs. Pendexter
quietly left the house. She was plainly
dressed in a dark cloth suit and her
face was yelled. She left no word
where she was going, nor when she
would return.
She was going to Percival Haven
and her passionate prayer was, GOD
grant | may not arrive too late!
She reproached herself now that she
had not gone to him earlier in the day,
when she had first learned of his ac-
cident and the awful danger he was in.
She knew it was an unconventional
thing to do. But surely Mrs. Pen
dexter, whose discretion had never
been questioned, could go unchalleng-
ed to the bedside of a dying friend
friend? Oh, the mockery of that
word when she knew that she loved
him passionately, jealousy, more than
all the world beside, and that if he
were dying, as the paper said, she no
longer cared to live!
She had been gone but a few min
utes when Florence came down from
her room, and paused before Mrs.
Pendexters door. Della, dear, l am
going out in the park for awhile, just
for little walk along the river"
The half closed door was opened by
Marie, Mrs. Pendexter's maid.
Madame is out herself, mademoi-
selle." she said. "and she left no word;
but | will give her your message when
she returns"
Slowly Florence paced the gravel
footpath above the river.
What was this grief that had come
so suddenly upon her? She had given
her heart, unasked, to the man whom
Della loved; and Della, her friend, to
whom she owed so much-a whole
winter of happiness-was estranged
from her; and Percival Haven himself
lay dying,-might even now be dead!
Oh, it was all so terrible,-such an
awful tragedy, and it nad come upon
her all unaware At this time yes
terday she and Della had been so
happy together, and now-this wide
gulf of misery had opened between
them, and in it lay the dying man
who had-perhaps unconsciously-
won the love of both. Oh, if only she
could die-instead of Pereival! Her
would be a small sacrifice if by it
she could procure their happiness!
The afternoon sun shone warmly
upon her. The snow had disappeared
from all the slopes and in places the
grass looked almost green in the
golden sunshine. The tall trees be-
tween which the pathway lay, cast
their long shodaws across the slant
ing lawns. The river below had
sparkled in cheerful mockery of her
overwhelming sadness. But the park
seemed quite deserted and the distant
river craft silently and swiftly glid-
ing upon their way were the only
moving things her eye could see.
She went on until the path was
abruptly blocked by a fallen tree. 1t
had blown down in a recent storm.
and although some of the branches
had been Topped off and carried away,
there yet remained this barrier across
the path, breast high. She leaned her
arms upon IL and by and by she
dropped her head upon her hands and
her tears fell fast.
Miss Fielding. Florence.-my love,
my own! What is the matter?"
She raised her head at the familiar
voice she had thought never to hear
again and turned quickly, raptur-
ously-
"Perciyal, you! and alive and well?