Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-08-18
Continued.

Good morning, Mr.. Culross," she
said. 81 wish to see you, if you
have a little time to spare"
ST have always time to spare for
you, Lady Ianthe I ask for nothing
better than to give my whole life
to you"
She held up her hand, drawing
back from him with such a gesture
of scorn that he could not mistake
it. Then, for half a minute, she was
silent-nOt from want of words, but
because she had so much to say that
she hardly knew where to begin.
He took advantage of her silence.
Lady Ianthe,' he began, ''yOu
have seen Lord Care; may hope
and pray that you have a favorable
answer for me?"
She So v the passionate love and
usefulness in his face. In any
others it would have touched her
deeply; in him it simply hardened
her heart. Her proud bright eyes
glanced serenely at him.
cit is of that I wished to speak to
you, Mr.. Culross, let me ask you
first, is there no mistake? Have
you really laid such a proposition
before the earl, my father?"
"There is no mistake, LADY
Ianthe," he replied; 81 love you, and
the one passionate, longing desire
of my heart is to make you my
wife"
1--WE will place the matter in "a
truer light, Mr.. Culross," she OBJ
served, her lip curling. "My father
is in urgent need of some money,
and this money you have offered him
as the price of his daughters hand"
'That is an ungenerous and
pardon me-untruthful way of stat
ing the fact. Lady Ianthe, I ask you
to be my wife because I love you as
| believe man has rarely loveu
woman before; love you so that
would freely give my life for you
She drew her graceful figure to it's
full height, and looked at him.
do you know, Mr.. Culross," she
said, that for you to talk to me
about what you please to- call love
is great presumption"
"Why, Lady Ianthe?" he asked,
calmly.
"The question hardly requires an
answer she replied. 1--WE are Of a.
different race, of different order.
I have no wish to be rude or To
speak unpleasant truths, but are
you aware that, but for the fact Oh
my fathers being Indebted to you.
you would never have been a visitor
at Croombe?"
Il bless the happy fact of the
debt" he remarked.
''You ask me- Ianthe Care. to
marry you," she said Listen. The
women of my race have never yet
contracted low marriage"
Pardon me- he interrupted. with
hot flush, 81 should not call a mar
riage with myself low marriage"
should she declared, with cold
hauteur; "the women of my race
have married always in their own
rank. You cannot ask me to forget
the traditions of my order so far as
to marry the son of a man who owes
his position to trade"
Il do not ask it, Lady Ianthe,'' he
said
Il should expect my dead ances-
tresses to rise from their graves and
cry out against such a desecration,
as may call it, Mr.. Culross," she
rejOined, quickly.
There are dissertations that seem
to me even greater, Lady Iapthe. -
he said, quietly "You do well to
speak of such things as the tradi-
lions of your race; your ideas are
indeed Evolutionary. The naughty
eXclusiveness of high birth is fast
dying out; man meets his fellow
man now on more equal terms .
there are more aristocracies recog-
nized now than of birth, which is
after all a mere accident, as you
know"
She drew back as though the
words had stung her.
Il know nothing of the kind, She
returned, haughtily. Wealth I con.
slider a mere accident, because for.
tune is blind and never follows mer-
it; but with nobility it is quite an.
other thing"
'There are other aristocracies, .
he said, chat will in time do away
with this; the nobility of genius, of
talent, of industry, of virtue is, to
my mind, superior to mere nobility
Of BIRTH
eve will argue no more" she de.
c1ded, 'for we shall never agree. /
value noble birth above everything
else; and believe me, Mr.. CuIross
I could not overlook the want of it,
She turned haughtily away, but he
drew nearer to her
Lady Aanthe, stay and listen to
me. It was not to argue on this
world-worn topic that we have met
Your opinions are part of yourself:
l respect them-I will never seek to
cOntrOvert them-I will refrain from