Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-04-05
Continued.

proud, defldnt llgnL came lHLO HeI eyes
He was thinking OF nothing but love
and winning her; she was thinking
solely OF revenge.
With the stars shining down upon
her and the night wind whispering
around her, she gave herself up to this
dream OF revenge. Suppose that she
yielded to Laurie; that on Thursday
she met and married him. that they af-
erward went home and together sought
Helen Digby's presence, what tri-
umpn IL would be! She pictured 10
herself the scene; how she would take
Laurle's hand in her own, and say:
Miss Digby, this is the gentleman
you warned me against; he Is my hus-
band now. married him this morning,
and we are going to join my father in
Austria. He will know how to appre-
late your watchful care"
She smiled as she pictured the dis
may on Helen Digby's face; the tri-
umph would be complete and sweet;
she could ask no greater. 1t was char
acteristic of her that she gave no
thought to the future. This marriage,
II she agreed to it. would restore her
to her fathers love, her lost position.
She never once remembered that IL
she became Laurie Nugent's wife she
must go away and live with him. She
never once thought of the future,
whether he would go to Fountayne or
London; she only remembered that she
could take no greater vengeance on
Helen Digby than by proving to Sir
Leonard that he was quite mistaken in
his estimate of her.
That the vengeance might recol on
her own head did not occur TO her.
She never thought of the consequences
Of her marriage, she thought that
Laurie Nugent loved her very dearly,
and that all his happiness depended up
on her. II she could make him happy,
reehin her lost position, keep her
fathers love. and take revenge on Miss
Digby all at one stroke, how thankful
she ought to be. Then she reused her
self to hear what he was saying.
Il have my faults Ethel, but my
love for you Is greater than l can tell:
II fills my whole heart, and leaves room
Tor nothing more. IL you refuse me,
Ethel and l have to leave you, shall
become q desperate man: shall, care
for nothing; shall go to ruin as fast
as | can; life will have no interest, nc
charm for me. IL you will trust me
will grant my prayer and be my wife,
l will make you the happiest woman
in all the wide world"
He stopped suddenly, and by the
light OF the stars ne saw her beautiful
face raised to his
Is II right, laurie? VIII people
blame me afterward. and say have
done an unwomanly acton?"
There was something like remorse In
his heart when he answered, with all
appearance of frankness:
mo"
No one would ever blame her; people
did things of that kind every day. IL
there was any wrong. any harm In it,
he would not ask her to do II.
No" she said, with the simple faith
of child; Il am quite sure you would
not"
IL had never occurred to her TO ask
him any questions about his position,
his ability to keep a wife. his income.
his source of revenue; she had never
thought of 1t. She thought of two
things only-her desire to prevent her
fathers marriage. and her desire to
make Laurie Nugent happy.
Neither OF these two motives would
have been strong enough TO influence
her separately; the two combined con-
Quered her.
In after-years she wondered at her
own reckless want of thought. her care
lessness. her utter disregard OF all con-
sequences.
II must have been blind" she said,
when ] consented; nay, / must have
been mad"
The time never came when she ON
fessed that love OF Laurie Nugent had
influenced her. Of all the motives stir
ring in her heart and helping her on
TO rain. that was the feeblest. She be-
heved that she loved him; yet after
ward, when real love came to her-the
royal dover of noble women-she knew
that for Laurie NuSent she had felt
nothing but a kindly pleasant, almost
Indifferent affection. and that he had
won by her dint OF Gathering homage
and devotion which few women could
nave resisted
She wondered. too. in the long. sad
after-years. how she could have so far
forgotten her own ideas OF right ant
wrong how she could have taken pleas
ure in revenge SO unworthy az a Cor.
don: how could she have been 50 dea
&c all the appeals OF her better self. he
nobler nature; how she could hav,
rushed so hlindly SO madly on to he
fate. II she had had the excuse OF pas
sionate love, II would have been bette
FOR her-it would have lessened her fo
IL, IL would have been some excuse fJ
her rashness; but she was not IL
fiuenced by love.
''Ethel. said Laurie, you are