Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1900-05-10

II had been terrible to her that COM
ing home; the sight Of the familiar.
spot seemed TO show her
more clearly than ever what depths Of
degradation separated her from the
gay. proud young Ethel who had been
mistress there. She walked under the
shade Of the tall, spreading trees, and
che rustic Of the wind among the
branches seemed 10 have voice.
That voice said to her
You are the first degenerate Cor
ION Your predecessors were faithful
aad true; you are the first who has
married q forger and thief"
Sac walked in the long picture-gal-
lery, and the fair, proud faces of the
Gordons long since dead seemed to
look down on her with scornful pity.
forger and a thief, She fancied
each proud mouth repeated the words,
and she passed along the gallery, pale,
frightened, the shadow OF her former
self
In after-yeafs she tried to remember
now many deaths she had died before
the golden autumn faded into chill
winter. She dreaded lest this terrible
secret Of hers should be known She
would have endured any punishment,
rather than that.
What If Laurie should write and
claim her, saying that she was his
wife? True, II could do him no good;
it could not save him from the conse
quences Of his crime Perhaps, re-
Numbering how young she was, and
how completely he had deceived her,
he might be merciful and spare her.
She was so Innocent 50 ineXperi-
enced, that she did not know where 10
write to him She had On idea of
sending him a passionate appeal for
silence and compassion; but how
could She address her letter? Her life
had passed so happily until now
She knew, in some vague kind Of
way, that there were sin, sorrow and
crime in the world; that life had a
shady side all unknown to the limo
cent; she knew that there we're pris-
ons and scanolds; but IL was all in the
vaguest fashion She had never seen
anything OF crime, and now she was
suddenly brought face to face with It.
Her own husband-the man whom she
had married in secrecy and haste-lay
In a felon's cell. The man through
whose aid and help she had intended
to triumph over her rival was bound
hand and foot In the trammela Of
stern, terrible Justice
What should she do If ever he wrote
to claim her? She raised her beauti-
full despairing face to the bright heay-
ens
Il should kin myself, she said. "A
Gordon could never live in shame.
every loud ring at the hall door,
every Unexpected noise every look Of
excitement on the faces OF those near
her, sent thrin OF fear to her heart,
bleached her face, and made her hands
tremble so that whatever she was
holding fell
Ii seemed to her that her living mo-
ments were dying ones; yet she could
not tell what she dreaded Her hus-
band could not seek her, and it was
improbable that any one else knew the
secret stlll the terrible fear never left
her, never died away.
That was her first punishment; the
second was her gradual awakening to
a sense OF what she had done 1t had
seemed like q feverish dream 10 her
She had been led on from hour %
hour, day to day, she had been drawn
50 insausiby, so gradually. into the
net that she had not noticed it. Her
senses had been stepped ia a glamor
of hattery homage. and fancy which
she had mistaken for love
rhe desire for vengeance had hur-
rled her on, the pictured dream OF a
clever triumph had closed her eyes to
all else 1t had been a dream, and the
awakening was terrible 70 her.
Looking back calmly, she could not
believe that She Ethel Gordon-had |
been SO blindly misled Now that it
was too late. she asked herself where
WAS her pride, her dignity, her selt-re- |
sptcl where the pride Of race and
name that should have kept her from
SO terrible a blunder, so great folly, |
SO miserable a sing
Perhaps that was the greatest pun
ishmeut Of all She would look around |
her with dospalring eyes. asking her
self how long she had to live; how
long she must carry this terrible bur
den Of sorrow and shame There was
no help for her, no human aid or
power could help her She had taken |
her VOWS before Heaven. and only
Heaven could release her from them !
No wonder she buried her face in her
hands hated the bright sunshine, ana /
ionged only for death,
There were long nights when no