Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-04-25
Continued.


by vision of Violet as he had first
seen her on the morning when "June's
palace was paved with gold;" they py
one of Violet as she had stood with
the lOve-light on her face and the
scarlet flowers on her breast. The
terrible present died for time; ii
seemed to elude him; he could neither
grasp nor realize it. He was IN ST
Byno's woods, with the girl he
worshiped by his side, and they were
talking Of love that would never die;
he was in the old church at st. Byno's,
and Violet, with q small, soft hand N
his, was saying, Till death us 10
part" he was with her on the 1.nine,
where she was giving him pretty wise
lectures, about not spending so much
money; he was with her again when
she upbraided and denounced him,
then kissed him with tears, and
promised to try to live the life that
pleased him. AAd now it was al
ended. She we gone, and according
to her own words, she had hidden him
an eternal farewell. Her beautiful
face was before him-the violet eyes,
the golden hair, the delicate brows, 80
clearly marked, the lovely lines and
gracious curves of the sweetest mouth
that woman ever had. Every charm
that she possessed rose before him
the graceful carriage Of the prouI
head, the graceful gestures and move
ments the gentle touch of the white
hand.
Gone! What nonsense! It was IN
evil dream that he must shake off
Here was the waning yellow light of
November evening-just the time fer
a terrible dream, for horrible fancies;
he must shake them off Surely in
the distance he could hear his dar-
ling's voice?
can eternal FAREWELL" Go0l
Heaven, what horrible words They
seemed to come to him from the
depths of some dark abyss. She was
his on earth, and she should be his N
heaven. LoVe-abOVe all, love sancti-
fed by marriage-could never die.
She annulled the marriage herself,
poor child" he murmured. Yet had
he not heard her repeatedly denounce
the present law of divorce? And
she thinks that by this one act of hers
she can free herself from me. She
is mine through all time and eternity,
in virtue of the VOWS that made her
so. She is mine in this world and in
the next"
But where was she? No beautiful
face shone in the empty rooms; 70
sweet and gracious presence brought
happiness to him. Where was she:
And, when he asked himself the ques-
ton, a terrible sense Of desolation
came over him.
These dreadful words could not be
true. If they were, he must have been
mistaken; she could not have loved
him as he loved her. He remembered
that he had q foreboding of this many
times. Love bears with anything
love never complains. If she had
loved him with all her heart, she
would have borne with his mothers
pride and temper; but she did not,
she could not, and the November
shadows fell around him, leaving him
despairing and heartbroken.
At first it seemed to him that he
should never move from the chair on
which he was seated, that he should
never quit his room, that life was all
ended, that the darkness and GOODNESS
of death were gathering round him.
Strong men do not often weep. A
sweet singer says:
Talk not of tears till thou hast seen
The tears of warlike men,"
Any one seeing the young lords head
bent low and the tears that rained
down his handsome face would have
had some idea of what he suffered,
would have had some idea of how he
loved his wife.
CHAPTER XII.
He must face it-this horrible
trouble of his, AS for going in
search of her, of course he should do
it; but it would be quite useless.
Even if he found her. she had told him
that death was preferable to return
ing home. 1t was useless to stay
there in his room; he must go out and
face his trouble; but for the dreaming
poetical, artistic soul the brightness OF
life was ended
He read the letter again, and this
time he saw in its true light the con.
duct of his mother. She had no right
to have written such letters at all;
she had no right to have written with
out specially mentioning the fact to
him. Having written. she had been
criminally careless in allowing the an
sWer to her letters to fall into Violet's
hands. She had also evidently mis-
represented to Violet what he had
said on the subject
How cruel his mother had been tc
his beautiful young wife! Instead OF
making her welcome, adopting her as
her daughter, cherishing and caring
for her, she had insulted her so great
ly that the girl preferred death to re
naming with her.
Hot anger and Indignation filed his
heart. He went at once in search O.
his mother; he must learn what she
had done. how she had driven hi:
young wife away and destroyed hi
happiness.
He found the dowager alone in tn
draWing-room. The proud and stated
lady looked up at her sons entrance
and her high courage, her proud world
~ spirit save way a little when sh
saw the expression of his face. Har
she gone too far?
Lord RIVERS walked I'm IN her an