Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-06-06
"Yes-left him'-there was a

| "Yes-left him'-there was
passionate ring Of scorn in the speak
er's voice-"left him; but 4 must owl
| that she seems to have had grea
provocstion. Lady RIVERS hao
wanted me to be her sons wife; thi!
marriage was altogether distastefu
to her. The girl was very beautiful
but she was high-spirited and wilful
The dowager might have made mat
tiers much pleasanter, but she never
tried. The RIVERS are all proud
people. This girl was just as proud
but in the very opposite direction
She admired all that they disliked
| she condemned ali that they most ad
! mired; she did not abate one of her
prejudices; she gave back GOODNESS
| for GOODNESS, pride for pride. All
| me, would not have done so had
been in her place."
What would you have done ?''
asked Violet, wistfully.
She did not like this portrait of her
self drawn by another hand.
Il, for lis dear sake, would have
done my best to conciliate them" she
replied; Il would have trampled all
my own miserable feelings under
foot; l would have thought first Of
him and his interests; 1 should have
studied him, not asserted myself, as
she did,"
Again the warm blood rushed over
Violet's face, and a mist seemed to
hide the face of her husband from her
view.
True, feeling makes all the differ
ence," said Miss Mari 81 should
have done all this because l loved
him; she failed to do it because she
did not love him enough"
Did she not? Was it love, hate, or
jealousy that sent that burning thrill
through her heart, that made her long
almost to check the very words that
came from her rivals lips?
1T was, or rather it is, sad story
altogether" continued the heiress. II
really think that if the dowager had
seen that the girl loved her son, she
might in time have learned TO like
her; but she assured me that she did
not love him. When she saw this,
when she realized what a fatal mis-
take the marriage was, she, the
dowager, took desperate, and, I
think, most unjustifable step. She
tried to set the marriage aside 1 do
not know on what grounds or under
what plea. l condemn the action al
together. Nor can I understand it on
the part Of woman like Lady
RIVERS, unless she were driven almost
thought that, as her son was not OF
age, some flaw might be found in the
marriage, and that it could be set
aside"
Il call that wicked" cried Violet,
with hurrying breath-"wicked and
cruel!"
81 quite agree with you," said Miss
Mari Nothing could justify such
conduct. 1t had fatal result, too.
Lady RIVERS wrote to London to con.
suit a firm of lawyers about the
validity Of the marriage, and most un-
through the mistake of a
servant, the answer to this letter was
taken to the young wife. She read it,
and it drove her almost mad.''
Faster and faster beat the heart of |
The listening girl. This was how her |
conduct looked to others; this was
how others thought and spoke of her
"She went to the dowager with the
open letter in her hand. There was a |
terrible scene between them. She |
was proud, indignant-the dowager
cool, contemptuOus. She declared |
that she would save them all trouble. |
that she would annul her marriage |
herself. She left them; and they
have neither seen nor heard of her |
since. A strange story, it is not!
Most strange" replied Violet, with
lips.
How many lives are spoiled by this
marriage" said Miss
Mari. Mine, for I shall never love
any one else; Lord RIVERS, for he is
the most miserable of men; the poor
young wife's, for she must be
and the dowager's, who
can never be happy again. All those
lives, which might otherwise have
been happy, have been spoiled by this
one most unhappy marriage. When l
last visited there, Ryversdale did not
seem like the same place. Lord
RIVERS had gone away, vowing that
he would never return until he had
found his wife; Monica RIVERS, one of
the sweetest and brightest Of girls,
was never without tear in her eyes:
the dowager was quite unlike herself.
1t was a most miserable visit for me.
and was glad when it ended. OF
course, what must be must be; but.
oh, how happy we should all have
been if he had chosen met"
To be continued.