Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-01-31
CHAPTER XIII.

feathery flakes continued to fall.
The servants had been appraised of
the astonishing event and they gath
upon the drive.
"a very sensible thing for 'em to
do" said James. .She is the sort of
mistress / want to work for. l should
have left the other if she hadn't gone
to the bottom of the Atlantic. |
haven't lived with the aristocracy for |
ten years without knowing sample
when / see it. The good Lord has
been kind to the major
81 wish she had waited awhile. just
! for the looks o the thing" said Katie, I
Blanche's favorite maid "Then she /
could have had swell wedding, plen-
ty of presents, and"
and give you all her old clothes"
sneered James, who was too fat to
make use of the majors discarded
/ apparel
Il get everything ! want anyway"
| was Katie's defense. 1T is only be-
cause / think she deserves all that any
4 rich young lady has that | object to
this kind of marriage; but if she is
only happy, won't complain"
These gossiping hirelings We're at the
windows when the returning carriage
appeared in sight an hour later. The
brides beautiful face was flushed by
the contact with the wind. and she
had never looked so happy or moved
with sosmuch grace. Talley and Miss
Dean had very serious faces as they
came up the yeranda side by side.
well, it is all over said the major
to his bride when they We're alone in
the luxurious company chamber, where
red fire glowed. He had never been
such mystery to himself as now. He
felt as if he were drunken with de-
licious memories of their old court
ship.
Eyes, am your wife at last" she
said. with smile. Il am your wife,
and ] am going 0 make you happy. |
feel it away down in my heart
"You feel it." he repeated. as if in
dream, ard he helped her to take off
{ her CLOAK. He felt her warm breath
on his face. He. laid the cloak aside,
then drew her into his arms and kissed
: her. "And so do l, dear girl. And so
do IT,
At that strange moment Jeanne
Goddard and all her evil plans seemed
as ouch removed from his life as if
she had never entered it. 1t was as if
the old life had come back to him
: the life in which his love had for it's
object a creature so pure and unde-
filed that it lifted him up and opened
his eyes to spiritual possibilities.
81 was at first afraid you would not
l consent so soon after-after her
I DEATH he said.
I, 81 felt that il was my right to have
you now" said Blanche, frankly
4 "She told me how she had deliberately
beguled you from me when she dis
covered that You loved me. The nigh
before she sailed she confessed sh,
: had resorted to every trick and arti
cast me aside
u ''She told you that?" the major ex
claimed.
;, 'Yes, and not only that, but she salt
she had some sort of presentimsn
that she was going to die abroad, and
', said if anything did happen to hel
she hoped l would marry you. Oh
J I've tried to regret her death-to fee
$, sorry for her at being taken away il
e the midst cf such sins, but | cannot
l She even tod me-oh, / can't tell 20,
r. what else she said. It makes me al
NJ, ,ct bofa ba,. ,oepopry - =
Y please go on said the major.
u "She confessed that she was un
is happy with you-that she wanted It
get away from you-that she married
d you, simply for your money"
d 81 suspected that" said the major
le dreamily.
1t seemed so wonderful to him tina
Il, he could now calmly contemplat
Jeanne's shallow faithlessness with
d out the pangs such thoughts had a
ways caused him. Was it because h
Il really loved his ward and that he ha
to never loved Jeanne--that his passio
for her had been only base infatua
If ton which had already taken wings
+. He could not answer these que.
I" tions; he could only wonder at til
ie strange exultation which was swell
Mt ing in his breast-the boundless e,
It. thusiasm over the thought that h
st was loved by the beautiful youn
er creature before him. He lost sight {
the wrong he had done her She ha
ou only short while to live-that tim
at he told himself, should constitute h
ed life and hers; beyond that brief p
is. Rod he could not reckon.
r. ''You have suffered?" he heard hiI
I self murmuring.
at Ever since that awful day whe
you introduced me to her in the dra,
he ing-room. l had never dreamed TIL
nd God intended you for anyone but IN
all You had been my whole life, al
pc even afterwards, when saw the no
lst she had on you, could not keep fro
suffering. The pain, the loss w
it with me night and day. l hated he
he l despised myself. planned tho
sand times to leave, but / could N