Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1899-05-11
Within. where the light mas fully

the way and / will follow you TO tne
dining hail. If / mistake not, Mon
sieur Gervase is her guest to-night at
dinner?' -
"Yes. madame replied the man, Dut
making no attempt to move in the d.
rection indicated.
she drew herself mp to her full hight.
az am Madame Geryase," she salu.
"Show me the dining hail.!
No longer he dared refuse to pey
A after he threw wide open
the folding doors, which led from
marble ante-room filled with piahts'
ana with a fountain OF colored waters
in its center, into a small but eXquls-
tie apartment, where sat, at Il rounu
table. ornamented with choicest frult
and flowers, two persons,
They both turned, the man starting
to his feet, the woman sitting quiet,
with a supercilious smile upon her Ups,
as the lackey, in clear, ringing tones,
announced:
MADAME GervaSe!'
One Florence stood notion
less, surveying the scene which met
her view; then she advanced steadily
into fhe room, and paused but a Few
feet distant from where the countess
sat.
Louis Gervase' face grew livid with
wrath. He looked from one woman to
the other, and h~alf-opened his lips %
speak, but could think of no words to
utter.
Madame" began Florence, my VS.
it tonight is to you, not to my hus-
band-for, deny me though he may, he
is my husband, as l hope to prove to
you. I did very wrong, perhaps, the
other night, when | so publicly assert
ed NY claim. If you were ignorant or
it, you should not have suffered for his
fault; but if you have ever loved, and
suffered from the pangs Of jealousy,
you can forgive the impulse which
prompted my act.
Il have been married, madame, a lit
tie over a year. l was not a great Ia
dy, like yourself. / brought to my hus-
band neither dowr nor title, save the
dover of my love and the title of my
purity. | loved him so well that, for
his sake, | left father, sister, home.
only last night | learned the full
measure of my crime. 1t killed my
father. In reality, l murdered him.
But | loved this man so well that for
his sake l gave up all and followed
him. | did not know that he was richi
| thought Of II. He brought me
TO Paris, and there made me his wife.
He swore to kill himself If l would not
consent to this step. How could l
know he used the threat only as a
lever to move my will?
well as / say, we were married.
For six months | Was happy-supreme-
ly, wickedly happy-then the first
cloud crept into my sky. Louis devo-
ton lessened, but always, always, I
hoped to win him back.
That very night l saw you with him
at the opera, / had dressed to please
his eye, to win his smile. / had heard
of his attentions to you. Someone,
that evening, sent me an anonymous
note, telling me where / might find
you together.
without fixed plan or purpose other
than that, / went TO the opera. You
know what happened there; but you
do not, cannot know, that that same
night he returned to his home only TO
confirm, with fresh cruelty, what he
had there told me. He acknowledged
that he had cheated and duped me,
and he babe me accept my fate.
An, madame, you are young. as I
am young-more beautiful than /! You
are rich and powerful; | am poor and
nameless, since he denies me the right
even TO his name. You have over him
the influence / have lost.
For the sake Of our common wo-
manhood, throw off whatever spell he
may have eXerted oyer you, and bid
him repair the cruel, wicked wrong he
has committed! Look in his eyes and
ask him if n word | have uttered is
not true.
Il am not Of your country nor his.
Even my wrongs must ring out in n
fcreign tongue; but, oh, madame. you
viii listen-you will haed."
1t had been impossible to stem the
torrent OF her words; but Adele d'Au-
bigny, save that the white. ieweled
hands We're interlocked a little more
tightly as they lay in her lap, gave no
other sign that they had penetrated
beyond her hearing.
She turned now toward the man
whom rage had rendered speeches..
Louis" she said-and Florence's
eyes blazed as she caught the intona-
ton which she gave the name-"Louis.
| scarcely can ask my servants to
show Madame Gervase my doors, If 1t
Is true that she possesses any title to
that name; but, otherwise, l find this
scene only a shade less disagreeable
than the n she previously enacted
Tor my benefit. Shall I ring for
Jacques or no?"
"Ring!' he answered, CURLY; but he
fairly Kissed the word from between
his set teeth.
The countess stretched forth her
hand toward a tiny gold bell within
her reach.
But Florence made one quick step
forward and caught her arm.
For the first time, the eyes of the
two beautiful women met, flashing de-
flance and disdain.
How dare you summon your hire
lngs to thrust from your presence the
wife, while the husband is your
Suestg' she said. II came here tonight
to make my appeal to you. Your own
heart tells you that each word / have
uttered is the simple truth, and yet Won
dare turn me from Your doors, which