Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-12-31


never altered for her, shining down
upon her with unutterable love and
tenderness, the roses dropped from her
hands, and she stretched them out with
a glad cry to him.
He was deeply moved. Had he seen
her in the first sorrow of her widow
hood, he would have felt less. It was
Sybil as he had known her, fair and
blooming, with something of the old
expression. The years seemed to fall
from him as he looked at ner; but for
the ring upon her finger, he could have
thought the whole nothing but ter
rible dream.
They we're rather shy and distant
with each other after that first kindly
greeting. Sir Rupert could not rest
away from her. the old charm was
working. When he was with her, he
knew not what to say; he was afraid
to speak of the past, lest it should
grieve her; of the present, lest it dis
turb the quiet intimacy; or of the fu-
ture, lest it should startie her.
He grew bewildered as the weeks
rolled on, uncertain as to whether she
cared for him, longing to renew the
old love yet fearing to mention it. For
Sybil had altered strangely; she rarely
looked at him, rarely spoke to him;
he saw that she avoided him, that her
beautiful eyes dropped if her glance
OF h hot cIo trn Trayn Inff
them alone Yet, despite all these
symptoms, he could not help grow
ing conviction that day by day he
grew nearer to her.
For Sybil-the willful, imperious
child, who had suffered more than falls
to the lot of most women-had learned
to understand her own heart at last.
She had learned to estimate at its true
value the character of Sir Rupert
Dacre She saw where she had been
led astray, where she had so fatally
mistaken silver for gold. She saw
how the glamour of fair face, the
sweet, false words from perjured lips,
had blinded her better judgment, and
caused her to make the greatest mis-
take woman can ever make She knew
now that Sir Rupert was far superior
to the man she had married, as the
sun to a shooting star.
She had mistaken passion for love-
Had it been less of a tragedy, she
could have smiled to think that she
had ever been deceived by the dropping
of graceful plume, or the glitter of
gold lace.
Thinking of the two as she had
known them, Tennyson S grand words
came home to her:
Il thought | could not breathe in that
pure air
That pure serenity Of perfect light;
| wanted warmth and color"
She saw now that she had been
something like Queen Guinevere, in
overlooking the brightest and most
perfect man for one who dazzled by
warmth and color.
In her sweet humility, she never
thought Sir Rupert could fogive her, or
love her again; and she grew shy and
timid, fearful of herself, knowing she
loved him, wondering only that years
ago she had not seen things as she IN
derstood them now.
Then she remembered for whom and
for what she had so lightly held the
great treasure of Sir Rupert's love.
Her face flushed hotly. How he must
despise her-how little and foolish and
ignorant he must think her, to have
been turned from him by that man
whose faults she had forgotten because
he was dead
One like Sir Rupert could never care
again for woman who had shown SO
little sense or judgment.
She resigned herself resolving to
keep away from him as much as pos
sible. Another thing troubled her,
Supposing- ah! supposing that in time
| he learned to forgive her, and care for
her, could she who had been through
such painful scenes; she wno had
/ borne oaths, blows, foul language; she
AAISNA
sin-could she ever become the wife of
an honorable, noble man?
All! no; the bright head drooDed
| lower and lower; but it could never
| be; the sin Of her undisciplined youth
had found her out She could see the
gates of a paradise she longed to en-
ter, but they were closed to her for
ever. She must stand outside with
folded hands forever and forevermore!
So she said to herself, and so she
believed; and she kept true to her re-
solve Of avoiding Sir Rupert whenever
| she could.
Her loyal lips never uttered one
word against the dead man who had
tortured her so; but one morning Sir
Rupert brought over new book, one
that pleased him very much, series
Of magnificent views, all taken from
the picturesque county of which Glynn