Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-10-11

Violet, however, was worth an.
effort, any trouble that he might ex
perience in winning her. The OIL
name, held in reverence for so man.
| generations, the old titles gallant.
kept, the grand old home, the famil.
honors-he would have sacrificed
them all. would have laid them all a
her feet.
The hot, impetuous love that like {
lava tide, swept all before it, was Ont
/ Of the characteristics of the race. The
! RIVERS were a very old family, ant
had come over to England with the
| Conqueror. They were a branch o.
the great De Riviere family A:tel
they settled in England, as time went
on they dropped the Ode" and adopted
the English method of spelling the
name. They had not lost the Norman
style of features, the dark hair, and the
dark eyes of the Norman race; but
they were English enough in other re-
spects. The family had passed
through vicissitudes; they had been
sometimes rich, sometimes poor, but
always loyal. A RIVERS stood by the
side Of Edward the First when he
showed his infant son to the assembled
chieftains; the RIVERS fought boldly
in the crusades; a RIVERS saved the
Kings life in the War of the Roses.
! they did no accumulate money, they
acquired fame and honor.
It was the Merrie Monarch who gave
the grand Old estate of Ryverswen to
the head Of the family, together with
his barOny.
The old race was fast becoming eX-
tinct now When Philip, Lord RIVERS,
died, he left three children, two daugh-
tiers and one son. The son, being Their
only five years old, had a long minority
before him. The elder daughter, Mar
guerite, a beautiful brunette, married
the Earl of Lester. The second daugh-
ter, Monica, was still unmarried, and
lived with Lady RIVERS. Personal
beauty was one of the characteristics
Of the RIVERS family. Their daugh-
ters always married we'll, for they were
among the most beautiful women in
the land, and their gift Of beauty had
brought them into relationship with
some of the Oldest families in the
country That Monica was still I'M
married was her own fault. She had
admirers in plenty, but none that
pleased her
During the minority of the young
Baron, the family had resided at
RyversweH. When the young heir
came of age he would live there; and,
in the event OF his marrying, his moth
er would retire to the Dover House,
a pretty. picturesque dwelling standing
near Mount Avon. Lady RIVERS was
quite agreeable to this arrangement.
She had enjoyed her life and lived her
day.
Her great anxiety now was to see
her son we'll married. She had several
eligible heiresses in view; but there
was nothing to be done until he was
cured of his art craze.
1t was a great blow to Lady RIVERS
when, one day her son turned to her
and said:
Mother, I wish had been born to
be an artist"
My son." said the proud lady re
garding him in CONSERVATION, never
let me hear such a sentiment from
your lips again. You may be a patron
OF art-the Ryverses have always been
that-but an artist-oh, never!"
One might as we'll have forbidden the
wind to blow, the stars to shine, or the
flowers to grow, as have forbidden the
young heir to paint. He was an artist
born. He had the keen perceptions,
the passion for color, the fine, true
sense that show the artist. He began
in the nursery. where his sketches were
the admiration of nurses and servants
| Lady RIVERS repressed his talent; she
! never praised it, never alluded to it.
and made it point always to speak
of art and artists in the most con
! temptuOus fashion,; but she could not
change the boy or alter his temper
ment.
A fine brave, handsome young Eng
! lishman, Randolph, Lord RIVERS, was
! the pride and delight of the whole
| household. His mother almost wor
SHIPPED him, his sisters loved and were
proud of him. Now he had grown to
the age of twenty, and this sketching
tour was to be one of his last indul
gences of youth. His childhood and
youth had been irreproachabIe: even
| Lady RIVERS herself admitted that his
love of art had kept him from amy
! thing worse" Mother and sisters
were looking forward now to the time
! when he should take home a wife tc
| Ryversdale-one worthy to reign
/ there and sustain the prestige of the
| grand old race.
! And this was the young fellow who
was going mad for love of Violet Bea
| ton at st. Byno's.