Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-12-21
Story Of the Wedding Ring.
By BERTHA NJ. CLAY.
Continued.

continued.
Then. when the London season
opened Lord Carlswood took her Il
london. to Bralyn House. She mad
her debut in the great world, and wa
received there with open arms. Lore
Carlswood's prophesy was realized
her marvellous beauty and grace
created a perfect furore More thar
ever he regretted her unfortunate mar
riage but for that there was no ranl
she might not have attained. The only
thing that reconciled him in the leas
to it was the fact of the child's eX
istence.
There opened then to Ismay Valid
ron a most brilliant life; nothing thai
she had ever dreamed of equalled this
magnificent reality. There was one
drawback. She had one dispute with
Lord CarlswoOd; he was very DESTROYS
that she should relinquish the name OF
Waldron, and that she would not con-
sent to do. She looked at him with
flashing eyes her beautiful face Grim
son with anger.
Il have broken my husbands heart,
she said; II have deserted him; | have
spoiled all his life; but I will not give
up his name. I was proud enough the
day I bore it first; I will not give II
up"
He saw that it was useless to urge
the point 50 he ceased discussing it.
Ismay had more spirit and determina-
ton, than he had given her credit for.
She was known as Mrs. Waldron, -
Lord Carlswood's beautiful grand
daughter People at first used to ask
where was her husband-who was he?
and the answer was, "She married
very much beneath her, and is separ-
ated from him.
After a time they ceased to ask, and
the beautiful Mrs. Waldron became one
of the queens of the fashionable world.
How admired she was. Men spoke of
her with wonder-of her marvellous
loneliness and grace her bright smile
her quick ready wit, her radiant face.
Ismay Waldron enjoyed her life. She
gave herself up heart and soul, to the
spirit of gaiety; no party, no ball, no
soiree was complete without her; she
pleasure. Lord CarlswoOd smiled as
he watched her.
u was not mistaken in my estimate
of her character" he thought. "She has
forgotten her husband"
He became warmly attached to her
chiefly because her great beauty and
popularity hattered his pride. He
CHI al
resembled her mother, the KatriRe he
remembered as child, and had loved
so dearly. He took great pride and
interest in the little Leo-his heir who
was to be, the Lord CarlsWood of the
future
There were times when Ismay VALID
ron looking around her, said to her
self 81 did we'll; if the time and the
choice were to come again, | should do
the same. 1t would have been cruel to
waste such a life as mine in a wood
keepers cottage; it would have been
cruel to deprive my beautiful Leo of
this grand heritage"
So year after year passed, and with
time her beauty developed into mag
nificent womanhood; she grew more
fashionable more popular. The beauti-
full Mrs. Waldron was perhaps more
universally admired than any other
lady in London. The world loved her
as she loved it.
There were times when she hardly
realized that she, the admired and fiat
tered beauty, the queen of the season
the most popular woman in London
was the wife of Paul Waldron. In
the midst of her grandeur she looked
back with a sick, faint shudder on the
past-that past wherein she had been
the disconnected wife OF poor man.
She had reached the climax. Life
had nothing more to give her Wealth
luxury magnificence, pleasure I'M
bounded, admiration-all were hers
The world she had once looked upon
with such longing eyes now lay at heI
feet. She delighted in her own beauty
she took the greatest pride in adorn.
ing it, she was never weary of con.
templating it.
The admiration of men pleased an(
amused her, it did no more. She wa:
vain and worldly, she loved riches ant
grandeur better perhaps than she
loved her own soul; but she was neve1
even in thought, false to Paul Wal
dron. She never forgot, that. though
parted from him-though she had de
serted him-she was still his wife. NJ
one dared to speak to her of love tina
she could not receive. Yet some of thu
4
fain have wooed her, had she been fire,
to be wooed
Lord Carlswood noticed that trait il
her character, as he noticed every
thing.
She is a true Carlswood," he sal,
more than once. she is beautiful an
pure as were all the women of on
race
So the years passed away to Isma
Waldron, one of the most admired an
celebrated women of her day
CHAPTER XIV.
There was one season in Londo
when people were all talking of
new man." who had made his entr
into public life. He was Mr.. Dale
Of Ravensdale, who had been recent
returned as VI. P. for Taverton. A
first Tories, and then Liberals, ha
tried to ignore him, but he was becon
ing power amongst the people. H
had made some of the most brilliar
speeches ever delivered in the Hous
of Commons.
If he would but become one of us.