Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1899-03-09
CHAPTER wv

ing them. She looks very weary and pale
as she sits in the lonely room; book she
has made pretense of reading has fallen
from her hand, and lies UNDECIDED ON the
floor; her eyes are gazing wistfully into
the heart of the glowing Goals, as if at
some vision that enthralls her.
The postman is coming slowly and leis-
urely up the graveled walk, and as if he
did not carry in his ugly weatherworn
leathern bag score of missives that por-
tend love, or grief, or joy, or pain to those
who await his arrival. With an intensity
of eagerness, heart-sick longing, of
which he is perfectly unconscious, Yolande
watches his approach with straining eyes.
The girl comes along to the school room
with a packet of letters.
cat last" she says. "Oh, thank heaven,
thank heavenw
She dallies with her happiness little
while longer, she gazes with such an ag-
ony of relief and love at the welcome
name, she kisses with tender rapture the
still unbroken seal, and then slowly and
reverently, with lingering, loving touch,
she opens and reads her first love letter.
For moment the words seem to swim
before her eyes, a faint, dizzy bewilder-
ment steals over her senses. A love letter
this-these few cold lines, these rigidly
courteous sentences?
ooh, heayen!' she walls, and throws
herself down by the fire, the bright flames
of which have shown her only the broken
fabric of a dream she has raised to be
overthrown.
The very violence of her paroxysm Of
grief brings as violent a reaction. She
springs up hastily, and dashes away the
tears from her eyes in bitter scorn of her
momentary weakness.
"And it is for this [ have waited and
longed," she cries, in the depths of her
poor, proud, wounded heart-"this cold,
courteous epistle, that any man might
have written to any woman, save only
the woman he loves. Is this how he keeps
faith with me? Why, his silence was no
greater insult than such a pretense Of
remembrancew Then, with gesture of
supreme scorn of passionate disdain, she
filings the letter into the flames. 81 need
not trouble to answer that she says,
fercely, for her pride, and tenderness, and
love have been cruelty outraged. eff alb
sence has such an effect upon his love, he
may give it to one who will value it more
highly than 1 do. If a week of Pauline
Rays companionship can so easily con-
sole him for my absence, let him return to
his allegiance to her. l will have all or
nothing"
Crossing the passage that leads to the
staircase, her eye falls upon the second
letter, which she still holds in her hand.
1t is addressed in unknown writing; but
she pauses under the lamp and opens it.
It is an invitation from Miss Llewellyn
of Lewellyn Park, asking her to spend
Saturday and Sunday with her, and
bring her friend Rose Bertram also. AS
Yolande has only once met the kind oil
maiden mistress of the Hall, she is great
ly surprised at the invitation. Her first
impulse is to refuse it; and then her pride
steps in again and offers counsel to her
own future undoing.
"Why should l not enjoy myself while
camp? she thinks. eff he can so easily
forget, 1 need not hesitate to try to fol-
low his example,
That evening Yolande dispatches two
missiyes. One is to Miss Llewellyn, ac-
cepting her invitation with many thanks,
the other to Denzil Charters, at Beech
hampton.
1t reaches him safely enough the next
day; and, after all his misery and an
guish, this is the reward he gets:
'My Dear Denzil-I duly received your
letter, informing me of your arrival at
Beechhamptin. Pray do not hurry back
here on my account; there is not the
slightest necessity. l am perfectly we'll,
and looking forward with great pleasure
to visit to Llewellyn Park, where have
been invited for a few days. l think, as
I shall so soon be home, it is very unnec
essary for you to take the trouble of the
long Journey to Wales again. Doubtless
we shall meet quite soon enough. If you
see Lance Stapleton, tell him, with my
love, that l shall write from Llewellyn
Park in answer to his letter. Your affec
tionately, YOLANDE MERVYN.
With an increasing bewilderment that
would be ludicrous if it were not so deep
and so earnest, Denzil Charters reads
this cool production.
The post comes in at breakfast time,
and Pauline Ray sits opposite him at the
table, watching with covert intentness
every change of his face from surprise
and incredulity to shame and anger.
$50 this is the answer she sends to my
loving words" he things, as he crushes
the letter in his strong grasp. 1T is for
this I have hoped, and longed, and lin
gered."
He sits staring bIankly at his plate, I'M
conscious Of all other presence. stabbed to
the heart by the violence of this shock,
wondering dimly and dreamily to himself
whether it is possible that the same girl
whose lips have touched his own, whose
tears have fallen on his breast, can indeed
have nenned these cruel, heartiess lines.
The beautiful, guilty woman at the head
of tha table watches him with pitiless
calmness. That all his fabric of happl-
ness is laid in dust and ashes at his feet
is nothing to her.
sit works WE'LL" she says, when she is
at last alone, guilty joy in her heart
passionate exultation in her voice NO"
/ have but to wait a few days more and
the prize is NINE
CHAPTER XVI.
Despite all Yolande's efforts and strus-