Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-11-27
CHAPTER VI.

Marc. She was one of tho fairest of the
fair of Vera Cruz and many a crown
Of beauty's winning had been placed upon
her brow. She was nineteen years of
age. and from her mother sac hid inner
tied the pure blood Of CASTLE. She was
rather slight in frame, but rs no means
too much so; to have added one span to
her height, or one degree to her size,
would have surely distracted from the
perfect symmetry of her form. Her hair
was of a rich, dark brown, and her eyes
of that dark, soft hazel which possesses
all the yiyacity of the jetty black, with
all the mild persuasiveness of the deep,
liquid blue. As she sat now by the open
window, gazing vacantly out through the
vines that clustered thickly about the
easement, her full, fair bosom rose and
fell as though the thoughts that moved
within We're of more than ordinary mo-
ment. The sun was just sinking, and as
the last shadows Of day heightened out
into oblivion, the door of her room was
opened and her father entered. He gazed
upon her a fer moments without speak
ing, and then he moved to her side and
imprinted a kiss upon her cheek She
started as though some small venomous
insect had fallen there. Why that quick
shudder should have come she could not
tell-the emotion was an instructive one
IA quick movement of her own soul
and she almost wondered at it herself.
Irene" spoke ST. Marc, taking a seat
| near his daughter were you aware that
Tudel had returned?'
Eyes, Cassandra told me he had come. p
And suppose you will be ready to re-
ceive him when he shall call upon your"
Il suppose l shall be obliged to see him,
senior"
'Ah. do you still cherish that old hat
red?'
You can call it old or not. just as you
please. 1t is my hatred Of all things
evil that leads me to despise Jliok Tu-
DEL"
bah! Why will you go so directly at
work to make yourself miserable, my
child? You must marry with him, and
there should be an end of your hatred;
for by hating him longer, you only sow
the seeds of your own misery. Do you
not understand it,"
Surely, senior, am not so blind as not
to see that my hatred of the man will
cause me misery if he is to be my hus-
band. But you cannot say that the pow
er of banishing the evil lies with me-"
Why not, pray"
Go put your hand into the blazing
FIRE, and see if you can Withstand the
pain by loving the fire."
But my hand was made to be destroy
ed by fire."
Ay-and 50 was my soul made TO be
miserable in its forced contact with evil.
can hardly yet believe that Jilok Tudel
will be forced upon me-"
Take care, Irene. Do not allow such
a feeling to creep into your bosom, for
you must be that mans wife. Remem-
Der, this is planned beyond all power of
redemption"
To this the maiden made no reply, and
after a while her father added:
II simply came to inform you that
Tudel had come, and thus prepare you
for his reception. For the rest your own
judgment will dictate"
With these words ST. Marc arose and
left the room. Irene had already prayed
to him enough; she had been upon her
knees often before him in earnest suppli-
cation that this fatal marriage might be
put away; but he had only maintained a
stern refusal, and she would ask him no
more. Why she should thus be sacrificed
to bloody pirate she could not imagine.
At times she tried to hope that her faith
er could not mean it, but this did not
avail her, for she never knew him to
trif1e. She could only think that some
stern, dark fate had arisen to drag her
on, and that her father was but one of
its tools. And lately she had thought as
little of that father as possible; there was
a chilly sensation in her soul whenever
she held his name in her thoughts, and a
dim, unspeakable dread dwelt with her
when she asked herself why this was so.
(To be continued)