Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-02-02
HER ONLY SIN
= BY y
BERTHA NJ. CLAY.

his own chamber, with hangings OF
black velvet and wax tapers, and the
fairest June flowers about him, whose
hands should never more gather4 Leaf
or blossom; and then with lingering
looks at the marble face, so grand In
its sculptured beauty, they had left
him to the silence that should never
more be broken.
Veronica sat in her own room-a
pretty room that opened on the west
crn terrace--silent, dazed, bewildered.
She still wore her evening dress Of
black lace; she had never changed It,;
her dark hair hung over her shoulders;
the beautiful face, with its passionate
sorrow, its untold story was pale and
worn, her eyes looked brighter and
/ darker. What had she not suffered sit
/ ting there-what emotion, what bitter
pain. what untold woe?
His daughter," She came back
/ again and again to these words, his
/ daughter" The proud, noble states
man whom all England revered was
/ her father, Oh if she could have but
| known It before, If she had but had
/ time to pour out the passionate love
Of her heart to him. If there had but
been time to tell him how proud and
| happy she was, how she valued her
| birthright, how she rejoiced in the
knowledge that he was her father
SO many things were clear to her
She had never understood his strange
] mi InTs ha1 N
avoidance One thing after another
unveiled itself, so that she almost
wondered at last that she had not
guessed the secret And she was
Veronica Brandon, heiress of Queens
Chace She repeated the name over
again to herself Veronica Brandon"
and each Time she liked it better. She
was heiress Of the grand mansion, of
the fair domain, of the broad lands, of
an the wonders OF wealth she saw
around her-she who had never known
of the luxury of having one shilling to
spend
Heuceforward she could do as she
liked, she could make every one
happy, she could lavish wealth on the
things she loved best, she could do I'M
told good
She was reused from her reverie by
the entrance of Lady Brandon. Look
ing at her, Veronica realized what she
had suffered her face was quite white,
with dark circles round the eyes She
had wept almost necessarily since her
husbands death but now she seemed
calm with the calmness OF despair She
closed the door, and, coming up to
Veronica, took the girls cold hands in
her own and looked earnestly into
her face
Veronica" she asked have you
kept the secret?"
The young girl raised her head
proudly
Did YOU think that | should be-
tray IT." she asked II am not a
traitor, Lady Brandon"
II know, | know; forgive me for
speaking hastily. Veronica am al
most mad You cannot realize what
| have to suffer; you cannot under
stand my position. | would rather
these are not wild words, but true ones
| would rather Kill myself than
that the world should know how cruel
ly | have been deceived, that had but
the ashes Of my husbands love, that
he never cared for me, that his heart
had been given to another before me
| could not bear t.. | could not sur
vive such a downfall to my pride, my
affection. my standing and position in
the world; ! should not survive IT,"
II am very sorry said Veronica;
] cannot help t. Lady Brandon it is
not my fault you know"
"Thiuk, too, OF Katherine, my
beautiful child brought up as her
fathers heiress All her life she has
deemed herself heiress OF Queens
Chace her future secure. Veronica!
think what a blow IL will prove for
her II will KIM hcr!' And the poor
ady's lips Quiyercd again, Then she
continued You do not know my peo-
/ Pile, the Naldoraines They are the
proudest people In England; they
would ! dare not think what they
will say or do when they hear that my
child Is disiuherited shall never
/ look them I'm the face again | wish
4 that had died before Jlis day came"
/ II am very grieyed.' Veronica,
but ! cannot help IT,"
1 Poor Katherinc so happy in her
mmrc' They called her hclress Of
Queens Chaco when she lay in her
cradle My pretty child II is not
right it is not just! | have done no.
thing 10 deserve e. An my life l was
good and faithful 60 my husband lie
has Left me lagacy ot sorrow and
shame Poor Nathcriuel how is she
To bear jt. Veronica VIII it make her
hate him and DISLIKE his memory"
no. she is too noble for that
said Veronica "Haye you forgotten
what he said to her on the evening be-
fore hts leathe"
NO o Veronica my dear, ! cannot
ton her-I cannot. indecsI She has