Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-05-23
brilliant woman the world Judged

brilliant woman the world Judged
her.
For some few days after her ar
rival she was listiess, and seemed to
be buried In deep thought, and she
took little part In the conversation
going aro4nd her.
"Gwennie, you have lost your high
spirits" Mrs, Ingram said to her one
day; you do not laugh and talk as
you used to do"
II am growing old and steady,
grandmamma. Life loses its sweetest
illusions as the years pass"
Keep them as long as you can"
said Mrs. Ingram. Once gone, they
can never be recalled"
Il am not sure that | would recall
mine IL l could" said Miss Mari.
Miss Beaton, have you had many
illusions?"
Violet paused for moment before
she answered. Had she found any
part of life sweet?
Yes, when she first knew her brave,
handsome young lover, when he had
wooed her in "June's palace paved
with gold" when she had first be-
lieved in him and his genius, before
she knew that he belonged to a class
she detested. Yes, she had had her
Illusions.
yes" she replied, 81 have had
some; but they are dead"
And strangely enough, the sweetest
illusion of both had been love Of the
same man.
Days passed on, and the two women
unconsciously drew nearer to each
other. The heiress liked the beauti-
full, golden-haired woman whose fair
face told a story that no one yet had
read; and Violet half liked, half
feared, the lovely brunette who
should-so her family said-have
been her husbands wife. Was it
love Of her husband that Swallowed
the face OF Miss Mari? Why did
she sit hour after hour with such :,
listless expression on her face, with
such a far-off look in her dark eyes
Was it for love of him? Was it for
love of him that this girl seemed 10
live in the world, but not to be of it?
In the morning. when the letter-bag
was opened, it was amusing to see
how many letters were addressed to
the heiress. None ever came to
Violet.
What number of letters,
Gwennie." said Mrs Ingram once.
Some are begging-letters," ex-
planned her rra 'lddaughter, 'somc
bills. some circulars"
And some love-letters" interposed
Mrs. Ingram.
Yes" replied the girl, with n
dreary sigh, there are many love
letters; those are the most tiresome
OF ALL"
II should not have thought so at
your age" said Mrs. Ingram.
Il am older than my years." sigh ID
tho heiress.
And Violet wondered il it were love
Of Randolph, Lord RIVERS, that made
her older than her years.
Love often lies dormant until some
thing quickens it into active life.
Violet might have lived for years
hated her husband most, but for the
jealousy that sprang into life when
she found that another woman loved
him. She had never been jealous;
she did not know what the feeling
was like. The pain was quite new to
her, but none the less bitter.
When Violet entered the gates of
Queens Elm, the love that she had for
her husband was weak and feeble.
Jealousy was the wind that flannel
the smoldering fire into fiercest blaze.
She had noticed more than once
that Miss MARI always wore a gold
locket. In the morning it was half
hidden by the folds Of her bodice, in
the evening 1t shone on her fair,
shapely neck; and Violet wondered
why her hand sought 1t necessarily.
Whether she sat reading, talking, or
thinking, she nearly always held it in
her hand. II any one addressed her
suddenly, If any unexpected noise
startled her, her hand sought the
locket or clasped 1t more tightly still,
One morning 1t so happened that
Violet went to Miss Marr's room with
message from Mrs. Ingram. She
found her standing by the window,
with the locket in her hand. 1t was
most deliberately and exquisitely
chased, with magnificent diamond
in the center. Violet saw In a mo-
ment the cloud upon her face, and
asked, hurriedly:
What Ia the matter, Miss MARI"
The heiress looked up with smile
and a sigh.
Il am in trouble she said; will
you help me? Something has gone
wrong with the spring OF my iocket'--
Il will not close VIII you look at 1t,
Miss Beaton?"