Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-03-18
Continued.

proceeding to the vault. l started
from my kneeling posture, a shudder
shook my frame, strange, terrible
horror. gathered up my dress and
went, as quickly as I could, towards
the countess's garden-gate. There
stood aunt's old servant looking with
a pallid, curious face towards the
cemetery.
ooh Lord, MISS" she stammered,
chow frightened / am! You stand
there like ghost!"
What is that over there, Joseph
ine?'' I asked, and nodded my head in
the direction of the people.
"Ah, that is-that is something sad,
miss. Button Martha, has drowned her
self in the pond; they pulled her out
in the castle-garden just now"
passed, in my horror incapable of
utering a word. The heart to which
I could have flown in my fear Of these
dark secrets was now far away, it be-
4onged to him, to him who had driven
the young woman to her death, who
had made the child an orphan! How
wildly ran into the house, into my
room and buried my head in the pill
lows, as if [ could hide myself from
the incomprehensible happenings OF
life.
The Countess found me in state OF
silent despair; she scolded me for rum
ming away, and kissed me for having
looked SO pretty. Now she was my
mother, she had given her promise
and she would be very angry if were
not reasonable, did not disrobe like
other people with five sound senses
and go to sleep. Mamma sent her
love and
/ started from among the pillows
with clinched fists. mo, not he! Do
not mention him!" l raved.
For Gods sake, Anneliese!"
81 hate him, oh, | hate him"
''That is really very nice OF you,
said the Countess drily. ''To whom do
YOU owe it that you recovered from
your severe illness, you wildcat? To
him alone! Or do you, think that your
mamma alone would have been in
dredth part of that care?'
/ now stood before her, incapable
of controlling myself had suspected
that mamma had accepted his aid in
her embarrassment, in her anxiety
for me. I suspected that in return he
had demanded the highest price, her.
self, but it had not yet been told me.
The certainty ''for your sake!" had
never laid such hold upon me as at
these words of the Countess. There
are people who are maddened by the
discovery of terrible truth. No long
er mistress of myself. cried: why
should / be to blame for SO much mis-
fortune, for all my mothers misery?
He is a murderer, aunt, he is
rYou are mad, Anneliese!"
lie is a murderer, aunt" | cried
again, 'he has killed Button Martha! !"
Why child! Why, Apneliese!" But
she stammered and could not look at
me-
She drowned herself for his sake, :
I continued.
Drowned herself, did you say?"
"Yes-for his sake.
"Ah, nonsense! Button-Martha will
not drown herself"
81 am not lying! She has drowned
herself-she is dead"
what has your stepfather-
Aunt"
How can Herr Wollmeyer help
that? Do not be absurd. Button
Martha was always an eccentric per-
son; God knows why She"
81 know why, know!" said, ex-
hausted. "Ah, my mother!"
Now go to bed, silly little toad" re
piled the Countess, beginning to as
sist me in disrobing, while she chided
me, haIf-angrily, half-tenderly, in or
der to conceal her anxiety at my agi-
tation. ''You act like a child! You
pull faces at your mothers husband as
if you were five years old; it Only re-
mains now for you to stick your tongue
out at him! You did not answer the
best man, but sat there like deaf
mute, Then you did not even bid your
mother goodbye, ran away from the
dance, SO that Brankevitz wandered
about In search of you as if you were
pin, and asked every one if they
had seen you!"
shrugged my shoulders. How could
she speak of such unimportant things?
Did she not see that was trembling
with indignation. "That Brankevitz is
a horrible creature!" cried.
as that so?"
az cannot bear him."
you scarcely know him, Anneliese!
The few times"
HE is his nephew"
THAT is sufficient"
'"WeIl, later on you three will have
blissfuI life together! Your poor
mother"
Il shall always be kind to mamma"
II can see it coming. In the future
she will live between two fires"
II shall not remain with her;
ho1