Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-06-26

AIu lHeu, although we were so near
the house that any one could see MS
from the windows, he actually kissed
me again.
CHAPTER Y.
Kate cried my lover impatientIy.
there are limits of human endur-
ANGEL"
Very small limits they are!' I re-
torted. you, Uric, are the most i'm
patient of men,
The dark handsome face smiled.
you do not mean it, Kate. If !
thought you did"
you shall not kiss me again, Uric;
l have made up my mind Yesterday
I am sure, the gardener saw you
He may see me again to-day, if he
likes!" laughed Uric "If a man may
not kiss the girl whom he is gong to
marry, pray tell me- whom is he to
kiss"
That was problem was unable at
the moment to solve.
Strange that we should be thinking
of the same thing! l was just about
to tell you that human endurance has
its limits, and that | shall not bear
this kind of thing much longer"
l knew very well that this Kind of
thing" meant silence as to our en-
gagement, but I was so unwilling to
speak of it.
1t was a glorious morning at the
end of June. My 1over-heaven bic IS
his handsome head and dark beauti-
1ul 1ace!--had come out to smoke a
cigar under the chestnut-trees. AS
a matter CT course, l must go with
him. Sir Rudolph had ridden over to
Ulladale; Uric had devlined to ac-
company him.
Eve will have little picnic or our
own, Kate" he said; 81 will have a
cigar Or two, you shall have some
fruit, and we will improve the shin
ing hours"
1t was absurd to resist, to make ex-
cuses-Whlch I did hypocriticallv
enough-for nothing on earth was so
delightful to me as to be with him.
You forget l said, that I am Lady
Culmore's Companion"
L know that you are my compan-
ion, he said; land I shall not give YOU
up, either to Lady GILMORE or to any
one else"
He arranged most comfortable
! seat for me, and placed some fruit
where | could easily reach it-rich
ripe strawberries and purple grapes.
Now you have nothing to 40 but
to sit still, Kate, look charming. and
let me admire you. Do you know that
you look like the morning itself?
Your eyes are SO bright, and you have
the dalntiest of co1ors. Your hair
what dark hair it is, Kate.-an lies
IN rings and waves. Altogether, am
more in love than ever with nv future
wife,"
He knelt by my side, kissed my
, hands, kissed my lips, called me by
every charming name. | wondered for
a moment whether he would always
love me in this fashion, or whether
coldness or estrangSment would come
to us as had come to Sir Rudolph and
Lady GILMORE
You are thinking of something dis
agreeable, Kate; I know it by the ex.
preston of your face"
! l sighed.
Il will not have you sigh, dearest u
said my lover. "Sighs must not pass
such lips as yours-lips made for
smiles and kisses"
| All, sweet sunny hours, Sweeter than
words can tell, how quickly they
passed, and how blissful they were!
Il was saying, Kate" continued VI
ric, chat 1 have come to the end of
my endurance. To love you as I do,
yet not be at liberty to give full ex-
preston to that love, is torture Last
night, when you were singing, you
looked so captivating that l could
hardly refrain from taking you in my
arms and kissing you
ut was well you did not" I said,
wondering what Lady Culmore would
have thought.
"You said, dearest, you wished me
! to keep silence about our engagement
for short time, because you wanted
1.
accustomed to it YETI"
1 haised my happy eyes to his face,
and told him that the wonder is so
great that, if | lived for a century, it
would still be a source of supreme
establishment to me-
Evidently, then, it is quite useless
waiting any longer Let me tell my
brother this evening. My darling,
want to marry you in, the autumn.
Are those tears in your eyes, Kate?'
Eyes, tears of JOY" replied. II am
so happy, Ulric-no girl in the wide
world was ever happier; but I cannot
forget the misery that surrounds us.
II [ could see Lady CuImore less
miserable, Sir Rudolph more like you,
should not care. know how it will
be when We tell her; she will cry, or
say some of those terrible things that
dolph will be colder than ever. Out
here in the sunlight, where the waters
shine, the roses bloom, and the whole
world is lovely, it is easy to be happy
and to talk of love; but in that shad-
owed house, by that Swallowed hearth,
where husband and wife speak never
kindly word, how can 1? feel that,
if we speak of our love there, a shad-
ow will fall over it."
His face grew grave, the laughter
died from his eyes.
Il understand" he said, in low
voice, "and I sympathize sincerely.
Kate" he continued after a time 81