Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-06-06

He kept both secrets from her. Lady
| RIVERS at first suspected that she
knew it, and had er .apped her son;
now it seems quite certain she was
ignorant of every fact connected with
him, except that he was on artist
He managed to keep his secret for
some time. In the end she found it
out. Lady RIVERS says that she
never liked him afterward."
ct was a gross deception!" cried
Violet, suddenly.
1T was nothing of the kind" said
the heiress, with flashing eyes
Look at his face there; it is open
as the day. No man with face like
that could be deceitful. 1t shows-it
shows" she continued, wringing her
jewelled hands, that no one under
stands him as I do, no one in all the
wide world. Deceit never entered
his soul: it could not, even as dark
spirit cannot enter heaven. 1t was
no; deceit. I will tell you what it was
the graceful poetical fancy of an
artist, the whim of a man who wanted
to be loved for himself and married
fer himself; and say, let who will de-
clare to the contrary, that there was
no harm in it, no shadow of guilt or
deceit. What do you candidly think
yourself?"
And Miss Mari fixed her eyes on
the pale, agitated face, and waited
for an answer.
What do you candidly think your
self" she repeated.
1t was a crucial question, a trying
moment. For the first time since she
had found out her husbands secret,
she felt she had judged him too hard
ly, and had not given sufficient con-
sideratiOn to the motives which actu-
ated him.
1T matters little what I think"
said Violet. "The girl looked at it
from her point of view, the man from
his"
THE girl wanted shaking!" de-
clared Miss Mari.
For a few minutes Violet was
quelled by the heiress' sudden out
wrong and injury were all on her side.
She had taken no tolerant view of her
husbands conduct. But to be told
that she wanted shaking" was a
shock to her which brought a flush of
color to her fair face and light to
her eyes.
why do you say that" she asked,
coldly.
"Why, any one could answer that
question:" declared Miss Mari.
Here is a girl living in the country,
without expectations of any kind, and
q gentleman falls in love with her.
He does not love and ride away, as
many men would have done: he does
not play fast and loose with her. He
marries her, he gives her the richest
dover that king could give to a
queen, the first, best and truest love
Of his heart. What mare royal dover
can man give to woman than that?
He gives her one of the Oldest names
in the land and one of the most stain.
less. He gives her wealth, luxury
every comfort and delight that any
woman could desire. I maintain thai
she ought to be grateful to him.
should have been. I only wish tt
Heaven he had given me one 1.-THE OF
the love he has given to her!"
A world of wistful longing shone il
the dark, beautiful face, world o.
passionate love and pain.
, why do you think she is not crate
: full" asked Violet, gently.
Il know she is not; the dowage
told me about it. She, this youn.
, wife, really Lady RIVERS, although
1 she seems never to have used tn
r name, was brought up in some ez
t traordinary fashion to hate, withou
S rhyme and reason, all aristocrats
! and, when she found that she ha
e married one of the class she hates, a
f her love seemed to die. Lady RIVER
# assured me that she believed honestl
t that all the love was on his sid,
e Was that being grateful? l thin
II when she found what his marriag
/. had cost him she ought to have bee
e doubly grateful to him, she ought t
S have loved him more than ever.
n should in her place. Lady Ryve1
4, said he never looked quite happ
If Then, after all. she left him.
II Left him?" repeated Wolfe
e mechanically.
isl She wondered if this other woma
II could hear the quick beating of b.
" heart; to her it seemed to drown 6
ID other sounds.