Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-06-22

thing else to love. But the pale visit
fui face Of the lady moved him. Ii
the chances were that il would die on
the journey. And after ali, it would
be a perpetual reminder Of his sorrow
and his loss; still, he would not part
with it altogether He could not con-
sent to give up all claim to this his
only child. So the matter was COM
promised, and he agreed that Madame
Monteleone should have charge Of his
daughter for at least the next twelve
years, if she lived so long But to
this he would not even agree, unless
the Spanish lady would allow him TO
contribute certain sum annually to-
wards the support and education of
would have consented to almost any
terms he chose to offer, so anxious
was she to retain her daughters child.
SO Lord Lynne left the country
where he had loved and suffered so
deeply, sorrow had aged and altered
him. His mother hardly recognized
in the sad thoughtful man the bright
faced boy who had been away so short
a time. Lady Lynne had said nothing
when her son wrote to tell her of his
marriage with the beautiful daughter
of a noble but impoverished race: but
the disappointment had been as great
to her as to Madame Monteleone. She
knew that the only hope for her son
was to marry some one with money.
and she had selected in her mind the
lady whom she wished to see his wife,
"a quiet gentle English girl, without
any pretentiOns to beauty, but the sole
heiress to an enormous fortune. But
this hope died when she heard that
her son had found a wife
for himself, and she wisely abstained
from saying anything either of her
hope or disappointment When
Stephen wrote to say that after the
birth of his child he hoped to bring
his wife home to Lynnewolde. she
made what preparations she could for
them; but when she expected to hear
something definite as to the time of
their arrival, there came the sad news
of the death of the young and beauti-
full bride.
Lady Lynne realized how great her
sons sorrow was when she saw his
altered face. At first she felt some
little disappointment at not seeing
the little Inez, but upon reflection she
felt it better that he had returned
alone. For some months she felt
anxious and alarmed about him; the
spring of his life seemed gone. No
smile ever came to his lips; never for
one moment did his sorrow leave him. |
His mother began to fear that his
heart was buried in the grave of his |
beautiful and beloved wife. He could |
not endure to hear her name men |
toned; he could not bear to dwell up
on that one brief year when she had |
been with him. But as years rolled |
on the bitterness of his grief died
away.
While he lived, Lord Lynne never |
really loved or cared for any other |
but in time he yielded to his |
mothers wishes, and brought home to |
Lynnewolde as his wife the wealthy |
and gentle lady whom she had Sc
lected
During the first year of his second |
he was wretched beyond ex-
preston; he could not help it-he /
could not avoid comparing the pas
Sionate, beautiful Spaniard with his |
calm quiet English wife; but when
his daughter, the little golden-haired |
Agatha, was born, he grew more
'econciled to his fate. He was a rich |
man now, and held a high position in
The country. He began to feel more !
interested in his duties; he became at
tached to his wife, in a quiet kind of |
way. He came to look upon that one
year of perfect happiness more as
beautiful dream than a reality; he !
tried to forget sunny Spain, her purple
hills, her myrtles and olives,-he |
tried to forget the lovely face that |
even in dying had smiled upon him: |
he tried to forget the past and live |
only in the present, and in some de-
gree he succeeded.
Regularly every quarter there came |
4 letter from Madame Monteleone. The |
child, she said, had even more than |
her mothers beauty, with all the fire |
and spirit, all the pride and hauteur
Of her ancient race.
Lord Lyme shrank selishly from |
seeing her. He did not care to re-
open the old wounds that had once
smarted so acutely. He dreaded lest |
the sight of the mothers face in the
child should bring back the anguish |
it had taken years to deaden. So time
rolled on; the Dowager Lady Lynne |
died happy in believing her son to be
so. The golden-haired child grew up
into sweet and lovely girl; yet no
word came to summon the eldest and
dearest child to her fathers home.
To be Continued