The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-10-07

~houShliess girl oI slXteen-to marry
him secretly when she was staying
with an invalid aunt in London"
of sixteen!' she exclaimed eager
ly. You mean that she-she was
your brothers wife before l left you
all-all that time she was with us,
your brothers wife?"
Yes, yes At first the excitement
and adventure had pleased her, but
later on. when she came to know Ar
thurs true character and mode of his
life-how he had squandered his for
tune, was Stunned by honest men and
respectable women-when her uncle.
who had heard some rumor of a child
ish attachment between the pair, in
formed her that, II she exchanged an
other word with Arthur, he would not
only alter his will and leave her pen-
niless, but would expel her from his
nome, her complacency changed to a
state of misery and almost u~nbearable
suspense, which by degrees taught her
to hate h cause of her selfish ter
ror, and made his existence a posi-
tive nightmare to her.
"At last. after a stormy interview
Arthur consented to emigrate to Aus
tralia, pledging his word to remain
there until the General should die. and
Edith's inheritance be quite safe.
HE sailed, but after a time firing
of Colonial life, broke his solemn
promise, and a month after our arriv-
al at Colworth he turned up at South
ampton, and Edith in her terror of
discovery confided her secret TO me
implored me to help her and induce
my brother to return to Australia at
once.
Il promised to help her by every
means in my power, wrote at once to
my brother, begging him to leave; but
he refused point blank until he had
had at least one interview with his
wife, whom, with all his faults, l be-
lieve he truly loved, as his conduct
within the last seven years has amply
proved. Seeing he was not to be shak-
en-, we arranged that the meeting
should take place at Colworth, where
there would be less chance of detec-
ton. 1t was in vain. | begged Edith
to let you share the secret: she was
infieXible on that point. Her motive
for that reserve at the time I thought
trivial and unreasonable; but I have
since fathomed the terrible
ing vanity and heartlessness OF the
woman, and IA now understand II
perfectly. She was jealous of YOU. nv
darling; that l should have so quick
ly recovered from her wanton attack
was a stab her vanity resented bit
terly; h saw more clearly than I
could see myself-dull fool!-how
thoroughly happy l was, how dear you
were to me; and sc she set about,
with a thousand nameless, almost in
tangible wiles and articles, to wreck
the happiness of a man who was shell
tering and protecting her, fighting to
preserve her fortune and honor. With
broken, half-sti1ed hints and mum
does, h gave me to understand that
l would have been her choice had
spoken long ago, before my brother
tried by every means in power to wean
me from your influence, to force on
M the fact that l had made a tremen-
dous sacrifice in marrying you, that
my chivalrous and tender bearing to-
wards you awoke in her feelings that
made her own wretched fate almost
~unbearable, and at the same time, |
presume, from what I've heard, that
you, my poor darling, did not escape
her"
Paul, that time when you left me
alone with her, when you went to Lon
don"
ITO meet her husband-yes?"
"She told me-not at once, you
know, but by degrees-it-it took
three days, Paul-that you-you had
loved her passionately for years, that
you a proposed to her a few days
before you met me, that, aver after
her first refusal, you had followed her
about London, trying to make her
change her mind. and that, failing
that, you-you had rushed back to Ire
land in wrath and despair, and-and
married me-"
she told you that-the jade?"
Not boldly, as I tell you now, but
with little hints and jokes, half laugh
ing signs that were almost worse"
my poor brother! Well, my darl-
ing, the end anne. You followed us
that night, and saw the meeting be-
tween husband and wife"
Paul, Paul! You mean it was not
you | saw holding her in your arms,
imploring her to fiy?"
"No 1t was Arthur. We were more
alike then than now, love, and l had
lent him my big gray ulster, for be
complained of the cold. The-the mis-
take was natural; but, oh, how awful
in its consequences to you and rel"
go on-oh, go onr' she cried
breathlessly.
When convinced of your terrible
death, brain fever set in, and for some
months / was unconscious OF my loss.
I recovered, rose from my sick bed
wretched in heart and body, the love,
hope, happiness of my life buried in
your grave. I left Europe-traveled
aimlessly in Asia and America for six
years. In the meantime the old Cen
eral had died suddenly a few weeks
after your disappearance, leaving his
niece sixty thousand pounds in hard
cash, but the Hall and surrounding
property to a male relative.
Edith married Arthur publicly al
most at once, and they settled down at
Colworth, renting the place from me.
A few months ago my brother. who is
now a most exemplary member Of So