Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-03-03
Continued.

WAS a new expression OH LIS law
He was wondering if it were probable
that any of these accidents might
happen to her; and his look was SO
fixed. so strange, that Angela grew
nervous under it.
.eYou make me feel quite uncom-
Portable by looking at me in that hXed
fashion. Captain Wynyard," she SAID
at last.
"Do I. Angela? Still, you should not
deny me the pleasure.
"But what are you thinking OF when
Won look at me in that way? she
asked. g -,
MANY pleasant things" he replied,
turning away.
With fiendish cruelty the captain
wondered what would be the effect on
her mother if Angela met with Vlo-
lent death.
In all human probability, he tolo
himself she would die too. Inc
only CLEAN of comfort and hope she
had came from her daughter; deprived
Of that. it was not likely that she
would live long.
With such thoughts gradually
STRENGTHENING their hold upon the cap
tain, the autumn passed, ana tneh
winter followed with is snow and Ice
Meanwhile visitors came and Went
and the tide of gayety ebbed ana
flowed through he old halls OF ROOD.
Still that one hope dominated the cap
tain's Ife-the hope that Angela
might be removed from his path. Inc
smiling. debonair grace disappeared
from his face, the lines OF 1t gre"
deeper and longer, and at last us eA-
preston became cruel. HIS trlenus
noticed how changed the captain
looked. and wondered what had nap
pened to him. All that had happened
was that he had brooded in silence
over q cruel thought until it seemed TO
have become part of his nature, Till
!, so far influenced his whole nature
that it had changed the very express
sion of his face.
AS the days passed, as they grew
darker and colder, so his demeanor
seemed to change with them. he
grew crave, stern, and cold, the BAN
tering words, the light jests, the Dill
liant smiles, the cheerful, genial man
ner all vanished. The master Oh
Rood Abbey went about with gloomy
face. absorbed in thought, for the
shadow of a great crime was over
him.
The winter was a severe one; the
cold was intense, and all the lakes ana
pools round Rood Abbey were frozen,
the river that ran on to Hetheld Delng
in some parts covered with ice. me
prevailing pastime, therefore, was
skating. The captain never tired OF
forming skating parties, and every
day brought a goodly number OF
friends to enjoy the sport offered by
the smooth ice of the Abbey orna-
mental lakes.
One morning, when Captain Wyn-
ward came down to breakfast, ne
found his newspaper lying untouched
on the table. He unfolded it, and al
most the first thing he saw was par
agraph headed. Fatal Accident at
Newton Mere" 1t related how a
Young lady, out skating with some
friends at Newton Mere, had met wltfi
a sad end She had been told which
part of the mere was safe, and where
il would be dangerous for her to go.
She had evidently mistaken the d1rec,
tions. for she went to that part or the
mere where the alder trees bent over
The ice, against which she had been
especially warned. Either she had
mistaken the locality of the directions,
or she tried to cross the mere, and
so to get to the alder trees. The thin
ice at once gave way, and, before the
young lady could be rescued, she Was
dead. Some impulse made the cap
tain fold up the paper and take 1t TO
his study, lest any one else should
read the account, and it should be-
come subject of comment. He read
it over and over again with ever-lh
thought you told me it was quite safe,
and that / could CO.
creasing interest. This was an accl-
dent, a pure accident, which no one
could help or avoid; and the sufferer
was a young girl. If an accident ike
that could happen to one girl, why
not to another? Who could say any
thing if it did? With skating there
was always a certain amount of risk
and danger; even the cleverest and
most skillful skaters came to grief at
times. Then, when he had read and
re-read until he knew the whole para
graph by heart, he destroyed the news
paper, lest any part of the story
should be seen.
The visitors at the Abbey wondered
on that day what had become OF the
captain. Instead of going out in the
morning, as usual, to skate, he re-
manned in his study. When he ap-
peared at luncheon, his face was dark
and grave; and in the afternoon, in
stead of joining the company, he dis
appeared again.