Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1900-04-26

!
! his Wife there was no lady staying
mere with him"
No. il was all nonsense" affirmed
the lady-yisitor Every one is won
ldering, though, why, when he was in
such deadly danger. he should have re-
NAMED here 50 long My husband talks
/ OF going away at once. 1t has been
shock TO US for we really liked the
young man He was pleasant, hand
some and well-bred with a certain
natural elegance OF his own which
made conversation with him very
agreeable" and after few more
words the lady departed to discuss
with some one else the terrible story
Of this Mr. Nugent."
Il am afraid, said Lady Station, as
the door closed, that we have been
very imprudent, Helen. | wish we had
never allowed Mr.. Nugent, or Caring
ton. to speak to us
There has been no harm done for
tunately.' returned Miss Digby Il
am thankful matters are no worse. The
incident has made me very miserable
! cannot bear to think of that hand
some, pleasant, clever Mr., Nugent in a
felon's cell"
Ethel listened to every word Fortu-
nately no one spoke to her, for all pow
Ter of speech had gone from her A
great binding mist came before her
eyes, shutting out the shining sea, the
green lawn, the blooming flowers
blood-red mist; a roar as of rushing
waters filed her ears, her face grew
white and cold as the face of the dead
She would have fallen but for the des-
perate grasp with which she chung to
the woodw work Of the window.
The anguish Of each moment seemed
endless; the light, careless voices dis
Icussed every detail of the event, and
told how Laurie Nugent, the man she
had married, was a forger and
thief.
How did she live through it? In
after years her wonder was that the
shock did r OF kill her. 1t was her hus-
band that they had carried away to
prison. The CLEAN of the wedding
ring on her hand caught her attention
and turned her faint with a cold. ter
rible dread. There was the purple
bruise made by the grayestone only
three hours ago. Oh, fatal hour-fatal
omen This was the revenge for
which she had parted with her liberty
! her freedom-for which she had mar
ried in secret, to repent at leisure This
was her revenge-revenge which had
recoied most terribly on herself This
sweet, plying woman was the one she
! had intended to crush under her feet
and the man WAC was to have helped
her triumph was forger and a thief.
Another great gasping sigh her
strength seemed TO be leaving her; her
heart beat painfully; her limbs trem-
bIed. Did ever summer sun shine on
such a woeful despairIng face2
Ethel" said Miss Digby. you must
be tired after your long wax. The bell
will ring directly for luncheon. and you
! will want to arrange your dress"
She dared not turn round lest that
CHASTITY face should be exposed to
view
You had better go to your own
room, my dear" suggested Helen. Il
expect to hear the bell ring every min
lutte"
Slowly-for the strange trembling
had not left her limbs-Ethel walked
away, aud neither of the ladies noticed
that she CROPPED with her hands before
her, as one suddenly struck blind.
She had just strength to reach her
own room She caught one glimpse Of
her face In the mirror, where 50 short
a time since she had a vision of fair,
youthful, bushing lovelness. She saw
a white face there now, with pale,
trembling lips, and a look of woeful
fear in the violet eyes 1t WAS as
though some blight had fallen over the
proud young beauty and laid it low.
She stood for a few minutes looking
az that CHASTITY face, and before her,
In letters of fire. she saw the words
'torger aud thief" Look where she
would, turn where she would, the fiery
letters were there, burning her eyes
burning her brain
"Forger and theft" Oh. cruel fate,
cruel cheat cruel destiny, She took
the wedding ring from her finger. and
[ lrampied II with a passionate cry OF
anger and scorn under her foot She
Ethel Gordon --one Of the grand old
|Gordons OF Fountayne- married to
forger aud a thief She one of the
|dauntless yace whose warriors had
died on the battlefield and whose wo-
men had held their own in times OF
ield.lest danger and perll--a grand,
|dehon5ir race who had laughed at all
THINGS low aud mean she. the wife Of
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