Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-03-22
CHAPTER XIV.
y Cannot Leave Her"

y Cannot Leave Her"
Did she love me, or did she not?
That was question Laurie Nugent
often asked himself during the next
few days. He had deemed himself well
Versed in the ways of women; he
thought, with a half contemptuous
smile, Of how easily they were under
stood, of how easily they were man.
aged; he wondered at the nonsense men
wrote and uttered about the impossible
ity OF understanding the fairer half of
creation But this young girl puzzled
MIN. She had met him and talked with
him; she had even answered some of
the passionate love-letters he had writ
ten TO her; but her proud, serene, calm
face fairly puzzled him.
Her face never changed its color for
him. her eyes never dropped beneath
mis-, her hands never trembIed when he
| held them in warm, loving CLASH. she
lad none of the pretty ~shyness that he
thought belonged naturally to young
girls in love; she did not seem to study
his looks and words as others had
done; she was kind, gracious. gentle.
but she never lost her proud serenity.
her dignified calm He thought much
OF It, but he could not tell whether she
loved him.
NOR had Ethel answered a like aues-
ton satisfactorily. 1t was very pleas
ant to be wooed in SO chivalrous a fash
lon--to see a tall, strong, handsome
man submissive as a child; to know
that he obeyed her slightest wish. that
ne trembled at her frowu. that her last
word could raise him to heaven ar
hing him into the depths of despair
Ethel Gordon's love of power was graf
med by her ascendency over Laurie
Nugent 1t was fattering to see the
color change on his handsome face the
strong hands tremble at her approach
e BUT, II all she had read of love in poesv
was true, she did not love him She
believed she did. The break in the calm
monotony of her life had been more
than pleasant; the stir of gratified van
lty, the love of rule, the desire of do
ing something that Miss Digby did not
approve the wish to oppose her, the
delighted consciousness of her disobey.
ing her-all these things Ethel Gordon
mistook for love.
Ana so. installing she was bitterly
disappointed. She had now reached
the shores of that golden land that in
the distance had so completely charmed
her She found them bleak and barren.
the bright fairy-land was but a dry
waste She sighed deeply as she had
sad to herself that she was in love. and
that love after all was not what she
mad imagined. She recalled the glow
ing verses of the poets who had written
OF II, the glorious melodies that told Of
1t, the books written in elouuent words
win love for a theme, and that was all
IL ala not occur to her that she had
mistaken gratifled vanity for love. she
was not even conscious how far the de-
sire to oppose and thwart Miss Digbv
Influenced her: and she was disap-
pointed that love was not more en-
trancing after all. She had read some
where that 1t changed the very aspect
OF the world for those who opened their
hearts to IL. that the sunhsine became
more golden, that the flowers grew
more fair She had not found il so II
was very pleasant to be so tenderIv
cared for, SO assiduously worshiped: to
know that one mans thoughts were all
Tor her that his life was centered in
her; to know that her every action was
OF the highest Importance to him. But
there IL all ended; she could not under
stand what the poets had meant nv
rapture and delight. She owned to her
self that, now this great grand dover
OF womanhood had been given to her.
she did not think so very much of il
The part that she ,njoyed the most and
found the greatest pleasure in was re-
Numbering how completely she had lg-
nored Helen Digby.
What will papa think of me when he
learns that under her auspices. under
her charge and contro,. under her pro-
lection, have met a lover, settled my
whole life, and she knows nothing of
~ What will papa say to that9 What
will he think of her boasted prudence.
her power OF guidance"
Ii was neither kind nor 4 generous
view 70 take of matters; it was unlike
Ethel Gordon: but her dislike OF Miss
pigby had blinded her, and she went
slowly on the road that led to her
doom
To Be Continued.
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