Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-04-17

Miss Rooden had gone on a visit, |
and would join the captain and Lady |
Laura Wynyard in town. But. if the |
secret lay lightly on the household, !
il was a weighty burden on the
minds of Lady Laura and her hus- |
band. The captain could not under |
stand the occurrence; Angela had |
been SO reticent with him.
It's no love-affair,' he said to him
self should not care so much if it
were; she is not like other girls-she
has never cared about lovers. For
what can she have gone away? The
matter has nothing to do with her
mother; yet how the girl could have
a secret from her | cannot imagine
they were so devoted to each other"
1t was curious to see how this
strong, usually careless man was az
fected by his step-daughter's dis
appearance. He did not sleep well;
he did not eat well His usual high
spirits deserted him. and he became
moody and silent. He was always
asking himself how much did she
know, had she any suspicious con-
corning him, had she found him out.
To him it seemed impossible that
| she could have discovered anything.
He had surrounded himself with pre-
cautions, he had made himself secure
behind a whole rampant of explana-
| items. He had made it impossible
| that he should be taken by surprise
She could never have the faintest
suspicion of him, though he was
| bound to confess to himself that he
: had not liked the look of her face
on that morning when she declined
to r4ue or to drive. Had she known
the secret Of the will, he could have
understood her conduct; but she did
not know il.
Il am weak and foolish to trouble
myself about the fancies of a girl
she has a thousand unknown to me-"
But, when he was alone with his
thoughts, the same agitation, the
same uneasy apprehension tortured
him. Had she found him out, and
had she gone away to seek advice
and strengthen her case? The fear
haunted him
!
that he had no inclination to go I'D
TO town. It was of little use. he told
himself, now that all his schemes
| were upset. In the depths of his
dark and desperate heart he had
made his villainous plans. The first
and foremost was the comprising or
the death of Angela She was the
one great barrier to his path. Lady
Laura was fragile, delicate woman.
whose long martyrdom, he saw, must
soon end; Aer health and strength
were falling daily Now with Angela.
escaped from his power, he realized
that he was in an awkward position
Ii anything happened to this delicate
wife OF his, the property would go to
Angela; and the almost certain prob
ability was that she would never
see him or share it with him in any
way. Then he would be a Door man.
The will about which he had taken so
much trouble would be absolutely
valueless
Il have mismanaged the whole
matter most fearfully," he said to
himself, with darkening brows; Il
should have been more prompt in
action. There is no one to blame
but myself"
II Angela did not return. ii she
never fell into his power again. even
the loss Of his wife would not bring
him one step nearer to Gladys Rane;
1.-THE insurmOuntable barrier OF poverty
would still be between them 1t was
lsuch a complete downfall, such a
complete crushing of all his plans,
that he could not recover himself.
Notwithstanding all that had hap
Ipened, he would have gone up to
town but that Lady Laura fell i'll of
a low fever, one of those subtle
fevers that seem 10 wear the very
life away, but yet cause very little
outward show OF illness. He was
careless enough of the opinion of the
world in general, still even he did
not like to leave his wife i'll at Rood
while he went up 10 town for a round
Of gayety.
He was not the most pleasant of
companions during those days, and
the few ignorant people who talked
about the captains devotion to his
Wife little dreamed how she trembled
at the very sound Of his footsteps,
how she shuddered at the sound or
his voice. Outwardly his manner
was negligently kind. but he knew
how to make her heart ache with a
yelled sarcasm, how, with a few care
less words. to give her unutterabIe
pain.
| To he Continued