The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1901-11-07
But before they went out someone

| to his wife. The last time ne nau
asked her to sing with him she had re-
| fused.
Lady Hamilton was only too pleased.
! She went to the piano, and very soon
| the two beautiful voices seemed to fill
the room-I4ady Hamilton's clear and
sweet, the earls rich and musical
while the young countess watched
them with longing, pitiful eyes. They
were singing about love, love that
would never die, love that was immor-
| tai. More than once the unhappy
young wife saw the widow look at her
husband; more than once there came
to her a wild impulse, longing, to
strike the fair face. When the song
was over, IL was time to go and watch
the sunset. Hildred saw that her hus-
band did not leave Lady Hamilton's
side. He remained near her, saying:
I'VE will watch the sun set over the
lake. 1t is one Of the prettiest sights
at Ravensmere."
She did not hear Lady Hamilton's
answer; 1t was given with smiling lips
and laughing eyes. Was it her morbid
fancy, or did she really hear her hus-
band say, "Yes, and / will tell you the
story OF my marriage"
She did not wait to ask herself il it
were mere fancy. She believed that
she heard it, and the idea of it drove
her almost mad. They were going to
watch the sun fade amongst the flow-
ers, and the earl would meanwhile en-
terrain his companion with the story OF
his marriage-how he had to wed the
money-lender's daughter, or else lose
Ravensmere, but how he had avenged
himself by neglecting her. Hildred's
heart and brain were on fire. The hus-
band she loved, despite his neglect, and
the rival whom she disliked, were go
ing to laugh over her together.
An idea suddenly occurred to the un-
happy wife-they should MT do this,
they should not laugh at her, her love
and her jealousy should not be sport
for them. She would follow them I'M
perceived, and then, when they began
to laugh over her story, she would
confront them and dare them to
amuse themselves with her anguish.
AlEthe pride of her nature was aroused
She would suffer death rather than be
laughed at by her husband and her
rival.
She was bewildered-no herself
She had never been herself from the
moment in which she recognized the
fact that she loved her husband with
all the strength and passion of her
nature. She was bewildered by the
pain of her love and the smart of her
jealousy The only idea quite clear in
her mind was that her husband and her
guest should not laugh at her.
When the idea of going out had first
been mentioned, she had sent for a
scarf, and it lay upon a couch now, a
glittering mass of silvery gauze.
Whose is this?" he asked; and no
one answered. 1T is very pretty" he
added. "and If it has no owner, you
shall have it, Lady Hamilton"
The young countess did not step for
ward to claim it; she saw her husband
throw 1t over the pearly shoulders and
the white neck, and Lady Hamilton
look up at him with a coquettish laugh.
Evidently" she said, you are quite
ignorant Of the fashion in which ladies
now wear scarfs. Our great-grand-
mothers drew them tightly stretched
across the shoulders-we like them in
this fashion"
Raising her arms, she wound the
silvery game around her head and neck
and arms. shading the bright face, and
making her look so piquantly beauti-
full that Lord Caraven cried out in ad-
miration:
THAT is capital" he said; ladies
always know what is picturesque"
The young countess saw them quit
the room together. She resolved upon
following them. She heard her hus-
band say laughingly to his companion:
I'VE will go straight to the Lake,
want you to watch the sunset there"
Lady Caraven delayed only few mo-
ments-it was to go to her room for
| a large dark shawl that should hide
her-hide the amber satin and rich
black laee-hide her face and head, so
that anyone meeting her should quite
fail to recognize her. Creeping along
in the dark, who will know me9 Or,
il they know me, who will care for
me?" she said to herself.
When she reached her room she
found a message there from Sir Raoul,
asking if she would go to his apart
ments for a short time. She said to
herself, Mo- with her heart and soul
in ferment she could not talk to Sir
Raoul. She had dim idea that what
She was about to do was wrong, un-