Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1899-11-16

not do so. have kept them; thinking,
and hoping that some day they would
be useful. | have them every one by
me now,
A sudden light came into Lord Carls-
woods face
THAT is good news" he said; 81
am indebted to you for your sense and
prudence, Thorpe"
He tried to speak calmly, but it was
easy to see that he was terribly ex-
cited. Mr.. Ford was more demonstra-
tive.
You have done the wisest and most
sensible thing you ever did in your
life" he cried.
Let us see the letters, Thorpe, at
once"
The man FASTENED from the room
and returned with bundle of letters
in his hands. He laid them before
Lord Carlswood.
They are all in order, my lord" he
said, ''just as received them; they
have never been touched. This was
the first and that was the last"
And then, discreetly, Thorpe with
drew. Mr.. Ford went over to the
table where Lord Carlswood sat-
you must open them, Ford-I can
not" he said His face was white,
his hands trembled. my daughter
oh, MY daughter!" he said to himself;
and Mr.. Ford opened the letters.
He was hard man, a cool, shrewd,
calculating lawyer, whose life had been
spent amongst deeds and parchments;
but, as he read, the tears rose to his
eyes, and more than one deep sigh
came to his lips. Katrine's first let
ter was girlish gay composition,
treating the whole matter of her elope-
ment and marriage as a jest, asking
her father if he would not be we'll
pleased to find his daughter married
without any trouble to himself. Yet at
the end there was a little prayer for
pardon. She asked him to forgive her
and not to feel annoyed. She had done
that which would make her happy all
her life. She would write again from
London, she said.
The second letter was full of praise
Of her husband. He was so kind, sc
good, so clever; there was no one like
him. The next contained an implor-
ing prayer that her father would
write. She had not meant to anger
him so deeply, and she would not be-
lieve that he intended to cast her off
Then came despairing letters, telling
how hard the world was using them
but always speaking we'll of her hus-
band, and always praying for pardon
The next letter came from Liverpool
and told Lord Carlswood of the birth
of a little granddaughter.
I'VE shall call her Ismay," wrote the
hapless young mother; "and l am sure
that you would love her if you saw her.
She has my face and my hair. Dear
est papa, forgive me for my little
daughters sake"
Then came a most despairing letter,
written from Chester. They were
starving, Mrs. Cameron said, and her
husband was i'll. The lawyers strong
voice trembled as he read the heart
broken supplication that followed. If
Lord Carlswood would only send them
bread to eat-if he would but give
them the crumbs from his table-the
aims that he would throw to the poor
est beggar
'She must indeed have changed, -
said the Lord of Bralyn. shea Carls-
wood-to beg for bread"
| Another letter told him that her
husband was dead, and prayed him to
let her come home to die
Il have parted with everything had
in the world" she wrote, except the
little gold locket that you gave me
with your portrait and the little ring
that you took from my mothers finger
for me; shall have those buried with
me-"
The last letter but one said she was
about to start from Chester, and would
walk tC) the town of Ashburnham,
where she would wait and rest for a
few days. The last letter of all came
from Ashburnham. and was dated July
ninth. Surely there was never a more
pltiful petition presented; there was an
appeal that would have touched the
hardest heart. and Lord Carlswood
| covered his face with his hands as he
listened. Katrine wrote from a small
stationer's shop, and the last penny she
had in the world was to pay for the
postage of the letter. She besought
him. for her dead mothers sake, for
the love of Heaven. to send her a little
money--to save her from starvation
and death-"ever so little" or she
must take her child in her arms and
lie down by the roadside and die
That was the last-there the tragedy
ended
IF you had received that letter.
asked Mr.. Ford would you have re-
fused her help?"
May Heaven be merciful to me-" he
said with a deep sigh, Il believe that
| should have done So"
What can have happened?" ques-
toned Mr., Ford muslngly. She never
wrote another letter. Did she die in
Ashburnham. | wonder?"
Lord Carlswood's face grew white
as with the pallor of death.
Die" he said-"die of starvation ?
DO not even hint at anything so ter
N.Hn i