Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-01-12
HER ONLY SIN
= BY =
BERTHA NJ. CLAY.


been the first to say to me, I love you
| swear fealty to you; I will be true t
you until death; | Will be friend NOR
than in name. If the time shoul,
ever come when, By laying down n,
life, I can save yours, / will do it.
the time should ever come when I cal
take a trouble from you, or by sui
fering myself, save you from suffering
will do it or undergo it."
Katherine was touched by the earn
est, passionate words.
How much you think Of kline
words, Veronica" she said, quietly
"Ah! you do not know. I have beer
all my long, solitary life without
| them. For years l heard but one voice
and it never addressed me kindly. Nc
one in all this world has ever been
so utterly alone"
! ut is all ended now" said Kathe-
rine; ''you have us to love you
Eyes, it is ended" returned Yer
onica. EDO you know, Caterina, that
could not believe the world was fair
or bright? 1t seemed to me impos-
sible. I knew that the skies were
blue, and that the light of the sun was
all golden, but [ did not understand
seems common to you. Once, long
ago, l found an old book Of poems,
and 1 read them. They were all about
the beauty and passion and tenderness
of life. / thought the man who wrote
them-Alfieri-was mad; now I think
there was some method in his mad
ness. Do you know, Katherina-I like
to give you the soft Italian name-that
for long years / have never had but
one thought, and that was how soon
Heaven would let me die?"
Katherine caressed the dark, shin
ing waves of hair
Such thoughts as those have
brought all those mystical shadows
into your eyes, Veronica; we must
have no more of them" she said.
Even my NAME" remarked the
girl has a sad kind of music in it.
And SO you love me, Katherine? Tell
me what to do for you, how to thank
y
with your eyes, | will hear with your
ears. l shall go to sleep happy, |
shall wake up happy, thinking to
myself that some one deems me beauti-
full and that some one loves me. You
have frightened all my life for me by
your goodness"
L do not think it is goodness, -
.oi1 - So, 81, ~,
that l cannot help it.
1T might have been different" re-
joined Veronica. You might have
been angry and yeXed that a stranger
should come into your home-the very
heart of your home, as it were; you
might have received me coolly, treated
me unkindly, laughed at me even, be-
cause OF my strange dress and strange
manners; but you have been an angel
of goodness to me. For that | will
give you my life should you need it,
my service always; my life il you Will
take it, my heart always
DO you know, Katherine" she con-
tinued that once--oh! long ago-I
was arranging an old wardrobe for my
aunt, and | saw a little parcel of white
paper? | opened it and inside it lay
a long tress Of shining golden hair
SO much like yours. | was almost
frightened at it, for it seemed to twina
round my fingers as though it were
living. | took it to nay aunt and
showed it TO her. She grew so angry.
Whenever you see hair like that she
said, always pray that England may
be ruined by its own gold, by the greed
of its sons and the folly of it's daugh-
ters.' Her words come back to my
mind now as | hold this golden hair in
my hands"
They were very horrible words,
and your aunt must have been a
| wicked woman TO utter them. What
harm had the English done herr"
Il cannot tell, but she hated them
| She was angry that l wished to learn
| English, but / would. 1t was strange
| that when she hated it | should love
it. | think England beautiful. Our
| Venice is perhaps one of the fairesl
! spots on earth, but everything seems
! brighter and happier here
Papa said Katherine, that same
evening, Il fancy your ward, Veronica
has been very unhappy all her life
4 hope not" he returned, quietly
Il feel sure of it. | have been con
trasting her lot with mine How
strange it is, papa, that in this world
things are so unequal.-som have st
much, others SO little! Veronica seems
to me to have had nothing"
He made no reply, but he thought tc
| himself that it was hard, seeing thai
they were children of one father Later
on he drew Katherine's golden head
down and kissed her face
You will be kind to Veronica, my
dear?' he said. "A ioyless life is hard
| to bear"
And Katherine obeyed him, because
it was impossible to know Veronica
and not to love her.
CHAPTER ".