Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1899-02-23

from a terror, scarcely caring that his
sisters words must have reached the
ears of the coachman. And now he
was at home again in Dover street,
and was sitting in the armchair of his
study, his nerves still shaken by the
scene he had just passed through.
The violence of bis sisters words Md
robbed them OF a possible effectf of
arousiRg in him feeling of Self
reproach. What. filled up the hori-
zon of his present thoughts was the
black ingratitude of her behavior and
his own past kindness and forbear-
anee. He was not in the habit OF turn
ing to his wife for sympathy, but he
resolved to write to her at once about
this with Emily. She would confirm
him in his resolution of having no
further relations with his sister and
her family and of blotting the thought
of them out of his life Emily had
only herself to thank, and for him it
was best so. His near connection
with all that ugly poverty could not
be regarded as an undesirable i'm
PNdAhuChl III slluSSlC up lnC oOSldi
ladder. His present position was due
to his own exertions, aided by a care
fully chosen marriage, from when
love had been the only element miss
ing. He took much credit to himself
for the success of his career, it never
occurring to him at any time that his
ambitions were unworthily placed.
Years rolled by and found James
Homersham we'll on in the path he
had chosen for himself. His child
less wife died shortly after the breach
with his sister, which nothing had
ever occurred to repair. Once or
twice he had caught glimpse of her
as he flashed past her in his carriage.
At another time they had almost ell
bowed one another in a crowd, and
he was surprised to see that she
looked handsome and not addressed.
He would have been more surprised to
learn that, with all her anger and re-
ers state formed an agreeable element
in her consciousness, and imposed GER
tain obligations upon her own manner
of life, of whose real source she was,
perhaps, unsuspicious. For his part,
he was never concious of regretting
the result of their last interview, and
the echo of her bitter words still
sounded across the years. He chung
to his old ambition, and knew few in
terests beyond the state of his invest
ments and the number and oistinc-
ton of his social engagements.
One morning he found on his table
a letter of invitation to the country
house of nobleman whose doors had
only that season been thrown open to
him. He was surprised at the mod
crate amount of elation with which
the invitation filled him, and thought
how differently the departed AIDE
laide would have been affected by it.
Somehow, of late, things he had al
ways priced did not seem to yield to
him the old satisfaction. He began
to be conscious Of unpleasant sensa-
lions when by chance a witness at an
exhibition of the family affections.
He put these sensations down to the
fact of his being a little out of health.
and on that account was inclined to
welcome this opportunity of spending
an April day or two away from town.
He knew little of his hosts. His
hostess was an American, and he had
gathered vaguely that she was not
held in special esteem among the wo-
men of her set. But the great fact
remained that she was countess, and
handsome one, too, and it was not
every day that he had chance of eat
Ing his morning egg in the company
of the English nobility.
The garden lay in a glory of after
noon sunshine. Mr. Homersham, pa
per in hand, descended the stone steps
OF the terrace, and waved a greeting
as he passed by the tennis-lawns to
the men and girls hard at play there.
During his morning ramble he had
noticed an outlying bit of lawn with
a sun-dial and scattered clumps of
rhododendron and lilac. 1t was here
he purposed to enjoy half an hours
east and respite from a noisy. chat
tering world. Arrived at the SPOT,
he chose with care a seat well within
range of the shafts of mild sunshine
and lay back in it, with closed ewes.
prepared to yield himself to the physi-
cal resources of the situation. The
voices of the distant tennis players
sounded family in his ears. A thrush
trilled for him from a white lilac
bush. The air was heavy witt the
scent of neighboring may-trees. On
the whole, he was glad he had come.
The other members of the house party
were agreeably people, really agree
able people. And most of them be-
longed to quite the best set. He felt
fattered at being asked to meet them.
How well Adelaide would have played
her part among them ALL AS for him
self, these things were beginning to be
too much of an effort If he had only
had child nova daughter! By the
bye, what a pretty little governess
creature( or was she nIreemaid3l ha