Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-08-27
CHAT FIR III.
81 shall Yet Win. +"

directly to her own room upon parting
from her lover. Once there, she sank
upon the floor, by a great armchair,
and burying her face in the cushion,
gave way to violent and nervous weep
ing.
The apartment was a perfect gem OF
taste and elegance, furnished in pink
and pearl-tinted silk, softened with
hangings of frost-llKe lace. Every &C
cessory, both needful and ornamental
that could contribute to either comfort
or adornment, had found it's way into
| this attractive room, set apart eX-
clusively for the favorite Of the house
Beautiful and costly tAings lay all
about The tables were strewn with
rich and elegant articles belonging to
the bridal trousseau, for the seamstress
had been busy here until a late hour
| Two or three lovely dresses, nearly
completed, lay upon chairs, waiting
one more trial to insure a perfect Mt
before the final stitches should be set.
Upon the handicapped dressing-case
there were packages and jewel-cases
Of every description gifts from the
numerous friends of the bride-elect.
But everything was unheeded by the
weeping girl. No joyous thoughts, no
bright anticipations of her approaching
nuptials filled her heart; every thought
Of happiness seemed to have oeen
crowded out by the misery that had
| taken possession of her.
| What could have moved the fair,
proud Margaret thus? 1t was seldom
that she allowed her self-possession TO
be moved by anything.
Proud she was, and sensitive to a
painful degree; but she was possessed
Of power of self-control which en-
abled her to conceal her feelings, and
| to expose at ali times a calm exterior
to the world.
| She was proud Of her noble breealng
proud of her stainless name; of her
large inheritance, and her kingly
| brother, whose equal, saving her lover,
she did not believe walked the earth
Pride was Pearle Radcliffe's one weak
point-her chief fault and besetting
sin; and in after years, as she looked
| back to this hour, she acknowledged,
with an humbleness of which she never
would have believed herself capable,
that but for the timely discipline
which One wiser than she sent upon
her, it would have ruined her life.
But this depression of which she had
told her noble lover, this nervous fore
bodnig and grief-did it prestage fall
from the high pedestal upon which she
had set herself and all that belonged
to her, to the exclusion of the proper
reverence and duty she owed to the
| Giver of all her blessings? We shall
see.
The devil in Adison Cheetham's
heart-it had only been lying in wait
during ali these years-began to work
| the moment he set foot over the thres-
hold of Richard Byrnholm's home
and had been introduced to his beauti-
full bride-elect.
He had never for one moment for
gotten or forgiven that ignominious
defeat which, years before, he had suf-
fered at school, and at the hands of a
mere lad, STRIPPING so much younger
than himself, and whom he had sought
only to make tool OF, to cater with
his wealth to his selfish desire, and
perhaps become a stepping-stone to
something better than his doubtful
future had heretofore promised. -Ae
was to be Richards guest for month.
He would doubtless met fair Margaret
Radcliffe every day; he would talk
with her, mingle with her in company,
be thrown constantly in her society,
and-what might he not be able to ac-
complish in a month?
Every hour in her presence wove
the spell of her charms more closely
about him. She was the most beauti
full woman, in his estimation, that he
had ever met. A mad idolatry sprang
up in his heart-a passion before
which he swore that every obstacle
should give way. He had determined
to win Richard Byrnholm's bride away
from him-if not by fair means, then
by foul.
81 love her, and she shall learn to
love me; I hate him, and [ will crush
him. have been waiting to do it all
these years. It will be a terrible re-
venge, but-a sweet one to me. l will
win for myself a fair bride, and, better
than all, an independent fortune" he
muttered to himself in the silence Of
his own room at Linden Grange, where
he matured his evil plans and waited
to smite the friend who had trusted
and loved him.
During the first week of his visit he
was all that was gentlemanly and
proper. The second, he bagan to as
sumo familiarity toward Pearle,
which, to her pride, was obnoxious in
the extreme
She had intuitively disliked him
from the first but it would never do
to betray it, for was he not the most
cherished friend of her lover? For
his sake, she must conceal her re-
pugnance and displeasure at his at
tentiOns as best she could
There had been an excursion arrang-