Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-06-04
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! A Golden Heart.
BERTHA NJ. CLAY.
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BERTHA M. CLAY.
TIrBTTIE INEEE1TEgEIlI IE1ElI
Continued.

to be a friend but l found her to be
a rival and a foe. She was very
beautiful, graceful, accomplished, but
not good, [ fear. She thought chiefly
of gayety, of balls and fetes and pic
MICS and parties; she thought the
only thing in life to be lived for was
the making-oh, children, / hate to
say the words to you!-the making
of good match. That gives you but
a faint idea of her She was unlike
other girls; she impressed every one
with her own vitality. No on ever
forgot her who had once seen her. She
was beautiful, after the fashion Of
Titian's women-with a splendid
color, richly-fringed, dark eyes, white
eyelids, masses of rich, dark hair.
Some one named us the rival roses
She was the red rose, I was the
white We knew our friends and adj
mirers by the color of the roses that
they wore at the different balls which
we attended; we had the red-rose
quadrille and the white-rose quadrille.
It was only friendly, pleasant har-
mony then, friendly rivalry, and our
war of the roses caused great amuse-
ment. 1t is sixteen years since her
name has crossed my lips, but | do
not think she has ever been one mo-
ment out of my mind. Her name was
Lola de Ferras, and she lived with
her mother at a place called Beaulieu.
near our home. They were French
exiles, and madame was very highly
connected. I want to make my story
short. [ married Lord Rhysworth-
the girls both started. and Kathleen
looked with piteous eyes into her
mothers face-"a nobleman who was
greatly esteemed in the county, and
we lived at a beautiful mansion called
Deeping Hurst You were born there,
Kathleen, and your kinsman, the
present Lord Rhysworth, lives there
now My father, Squire Cliefden,
lived at a pretty, old-fashioned house,
called White Cliffe" She would not
tell why she married Lord Rhys-
WORTH there was no need to do so.
"We were very happy for some time,
until your good and dear father,
Kathleen, took cold and his illness
ended fatally. You must understand
quite clearly, children, that at his
death, Lord RhysWorth left me an
ample fortune. He left Deeping
Hurst Manor to you Kathleen; and,
of course, Deeping Hurst, with all
its revenues, went to his heir. the
r
Gertrude looked up.
WAS he not my father, mamma ?"
she asked, quickly.
"You will hear all in time. my
Gertrude" answered Dolores. when
Lord Rhysworth had been dead two
years, 1 married Sir Karl Allanmore,
your father, Gertrude. | had been
acquainted with him before my first
marriage. He loved me very much in
deed, and | loved him Now comes
the part of my story" Dolores con-
tinued, that | do not care to tell.
Lola de Ferras loved Sir Karl, and
always hoped that one day she would
become Lady Allanmore:~ but Sir Karl
had never thought of her in that way.
She was very angry about my mar
riage. She came to see me, and she
inSulted me very cruelty; she said
that l had stolen her lover, and that.
if I had not come between them, heI
would have married her. It was a
most unpleasant scene, and at it's ter
mination she made a terrible vow
that she would have her revenge, even
if she waited years for it. All, my
children, she had it. No home was
ever happier than ours; no wife was
ever so blessed, so beloved! You my
Gertrude, was born; and I do not
think the sun ever shone on such
household | could never tell you
what Sir Karl was to me. He loved
you both so dearly; he never made
the least difference between you. 1t
is Sir Karl whom you remember,
Kathleen, not your own father. Our
nome was an earthly paradise; my
father spent the greater part of his
time with us. | always had a strange
dread that our happiness was too
great to last. told Sir Karl so, but
he laughed my fears away. I must
inform you that in the meantime Lola
had gone away. After awhile news
came that madame was dead and
after that her very name seemed to be
forgotten in the neighborhood One
morning-oh, my children, just as the
serpent entered Eden!-a letter came
from Lola de Ferras to Sir Karl.
was seated at the table with my hus-
band, my father, and you, my two
children, happy-ah, Heaven, who so
happy as [? 1 have never been happy
since, and I never shall be again.
Sometimes" added Dolores, 81 am
wicked enough to think that unless
Sir Karl is with me in heaven I shall
never be happy even there. Oh, my
children, what am I saying? But
loved him SOL" And her fair head
dropped on her child's, the child who
was so inexpressibly dear to her be-