Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-11-16

He was hard man, a cool, shrewd
calculating lawyer, whose life had been
lspent amongst deeds and parchments
but, as he read, the tears rose to his
eyes, and more than one deep sigh
came to his lips. Katrines first let
ter was a girlish gay composition
treating the whole matter of her elope.
ment and marriage as a jest, asking
her father if he would not be well
pleased to find his daughter married
without any trouble to himself Yet al
the end there was 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, so
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 little granddaughter.
I'VE shall call her Ismay," wrote the
hapless young mother; "and I 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 ILL 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; I shall have those buried with
me-
The last letter but one said she was
about to start from Chester, and would
walk to 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
pitiful 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.
eff 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 musingly. '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
rible. For Heavens sake, let us see
about it at once! Shall we go? I.
shall never rest again.
The lawyer was just as anxious, but
he foresaw difficulties. He knew how
hard it would be to discover what had
happened to poor and lonely woman
so many years ago.
Il will go to Ashburnham myself
said Mr.. Ford; Il will lose no time. I
will go at once; and the moment I
discover anything I will send a tele-
gram to YOU
Lord Carlswood could hardly control
his Impotence.
"You think it BETTER" he said, that
| should not go?"
ITO ha continued