Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-12-24
q Uoman' S F ace
FLORENCE WARDEN
Continued.

be listened to all day on tnlS SUBJECT,
which was the one nearest his heart
He accompanied the young doctor to
the front door, and let him go with
great reluctance after another five
minutes monoIogue on the doorstep.
1t was a long but a pleasant walk
back to Branksome. Armathwaite
went by the longest way, round the
head Of the lake and through Mere
side, with the distinct wish in his
heart that he might catch glimpse Of
Mrs. Crosmont, or at least that he
might pass near the house where she
lived For this beautiful lady with her
mournful eyes and unhappy history,
he had conceived a devotion as strong
as it was chiValrous; and regarding
himself as her fate-appOinted cham
pion, he held a fixed and superstitious
conviction that the service Of which
DR.. Peele had spoken was to be
rendered her by himself. In the mean
time the feeling she inspired in him
was so reverentiaI that he refrained
fro mtalling the higher road by which
he would have passed close to her
house, and scarcely dared to glance
that way when he reached lhe point
where the higher and the lower roads
met. When he reached BranksOme,
he had passed the station on his way
to DR.. Peele's; but no sooner had he
done SO than he retraced his steps,
and going straight through to the plat
form, found himself face to face with
Alma Crosmont. He raised his hat,
but showed no surprise, and neither
did she.
'Are you going away?" he asked, in
low voice, all thought Of addressing
her with commonpIaces disappearing
as he noted the utter sadness of her
expression.
NO" she answered. ct is Uncle
Hugh who is going. My husband has
sent him away"
She could only just breathe out the
last words, her voice failing her en-
tirely, and her underlip pittfully quiz
ering. ArmathWaite famed into wrath,
and spluttered out indignant intertec-
tons half aloud. She looked up at
him and laughed little.
We knew you would be sorry too, .
she said, holding out her hand to him.
Uncle Hugh pretends he doesn't care.
and it's all right, and Ned and I shall
get on better when he's away. But we
sha'n't. He's just gone up to say good
bye to Mile. I'm rather jealous of
Mile with him, you know"
And she looked mournfulIy away
again At that moment the elder Mr..
CrosmOnt came out from the ticket
office; he was OstentatiousIy cheerful.
and resOlutely bent on making the
best of this new turn of affairs. He
made Alma sit down to rest, while he
carried off the young doctor for a
drink and more particularly for a talk.
Uncle Hugh was oVerjOyed to learn
that ArmathWaite thought of remain
ing in the neighbOrhOod, and began
eagerly to explain to him the position
of affairs.
The act is, Ned made up his mind
to give me notice to quit a long time
back" he said. But I saw his little
game, and was so Iamb-like, for the
little ones sake, that he didn't know
where to have me till last night, when
he came home in a villainOus temper.
and pitched into the poor child for
being extravaganza Now you've seen
good way into the ms and outs of
things at Ned's, and | want you to be
friend, as far as you can, to the little
one while I'm away, so it doesn't mat
ter if | tell you little more. don't
want to say a word against my
nephew; he's as good a lad at heart as
ever lived, but he hasn't been quite at
his best of late, and he's taken to being
SO very close-fsted that it's all the
little one can Go to manage with what
he gives her. She's never had a new
dress since she was married; though.
luckily, DR.. PeeIe gave her such a
handsome trOusseau that it doesn't
matter But though you can manage
like that to dress on nothing, you can't
keep household going on nothing.
and that is what Ned seems to be trv-
ln% to train her to do I've done
what little | could, | needn't tell YOU:
but I'm not rich man, and the trifing
dfIbIets I've been able to pay have not
been much good. And now it will be
aWfully hard for the child to fight the
debts and the duns alone"
AND what does he do with his
money? Surely he must get a decent
salary from Lord KiIdonan? He seems
to have lot more confidential work
to do than a man in his position usual
ly has"
Well he says his lordship has the
defect of his nation, and expects him
to make d great show on very little"
But it's enough to live upon. sure
ly,"
1T ought to be. Look here. there's
no denying the money goes somewhere
where it oughtn't to go. And the
question is-vhere? Is it betting. or
speculation. or a woman?"
which do you Think"
Well, from something I heard the
other day in the town here. I think
the last
Armathwaite was deeply interested,
but he said nothing.
There's a woman, we'll enough
known in the place. who lives close
by the station here. She has been
noticed to go away by train on the last
three occasions that Ned has gone TO
Liverpool
Are you sure of this?"
We'll, in point of fact it is myself
who have noticed it. 1t struck me as
rafhor