Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-12-10

illness, he went out and closed the
door, leaving her alone in her despair.
Have you been through it, reader?
Do you know the agony, the torture Of
the hour in which your idol first fell,
and you fond, instead of gold, it was
common, sordid clay? Dou you re-
member an hour when outraged love,
wounded pride, sorrow, remorse, and
despair battled so fiercely in your
heart that death would have been far
easier to bear?
Who would have known the squires
daring as she rose from the couch
where careless, unloving hands had
laid her? How she PAGES up and
down the room, crying that her sin
had foun her out! How she struck
her White breast with her clasped hand,
and prayed to die! How, when the
passion had exhausted her, she laid
Rupert Dacre loved so dearly-hum-
bled to the very dust The long night
passed, and morning flushed the skies
before she rose again.
She was a fair, willful child when
Lyster Ayrton lured her from home;
she was q grieving, passionate child
now; not woman, though her heri-
tage of sorrow was come. It would
take long, bitter years of grief without
hope to change the brilliant nature,
and perfect the beautiful, faulty SOUL
With the morning light she rose, and
stood face to face with her despair;
her life lying before her; her idol de-
throned, never to be replaced more.
She knew him now as he was-false,
vain, mean, and sordid; and she knew
that she had given her beautiful youth
and her loving heart to one who did
not care for the gift. She wept no
more, for her sorrow lay too deep for
tears. Once she thought she would
leave him and go home. They would
receive her-they would take her in,
as lost child; but her pride rose all
in arms at the thought. She had
sought her own fate, and must abide
by it. Come what might, she would
keep her place by his side until death
released her.
She did not weep over her lost
happiness, as she would have done six
months ago. She had gradually
learned a lesson She was beginning
to understand the words sorrow and
pain, which had once seemed vague
indeed to her. She was stunned, as
one leaving the best-beloved we'll and
returning in an hour to find him dead.
OF one thing she was most firmly re-
solved neither entreaties nor threats
the squire, or write to Sir Rupert.
She did one thing: she collected all
her jewels-some Of them valuable
ones that the squire had given her
and made them into a parcel. They
were worth more she thought, than
Lyster needed.
When he came home again, after
three days absence, she gave it to
him, saying simply:
'"These are my jewels, Lyster; sell
them to meet your bills"
He laughed, and flung them down
contemporary. twas no part of his
OChO111C " PcIJ lIIO 0COCO Will e1AAJ
thing belonging to himself. Such a
proceeding was far too honest for Lys-
ter Ayrton
He said no more to Sybil about
writing to Sir Rupert. He did not
quite understand her. He had pur
poseIy refrained from going home, ex-
pecting reproaches, upbraidings, and
tears; but to his surprise his wife was
perfectly calm. Her face was very
pale, and her manner very quiet 1t
was a great relief to him. He forgot
to ask himself through what ordeal
that loving, impetuous nature had
passed ere she could meet him so
calmly
He spoke few ordinary words of
greeting, and she replied Lyster Ayr
ton mentally blessed himself that 1t
was no worse.
AS the days rolled on, he saw a great
change in her. The old impulsive ma
ture seemed to be dead. She never
caressed him, never laid her fair face
against his; all the girlish love, the
childlike worship, had died away.
False and sordid as he was, Lyster
Ayrton missed them. He tried once or
twice to reawaken her love, to bring
the lost sunshine into her face, the
vanished smiles to her lips; he had
better have tried to put life into a dead
body than to make the love he had
ruthlessly destroyed bloom and bios
som again in his wife's heart.
1t is a sad story to write; but, alas!
common one. Captain Ayrton lost
ground daily. He went deeper and
deeper into debt, trusting always that
the squire would relent. He could not
meet his bills, and was forced to sell
his commission. This gave him for a
time good supply of ready money.
He paid off few of his most press
ing debts, and resolved to enjoy life
never doubling that when the master