Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-05-22
Continued.

Rudolph" she said, will you see
to this bracelet for me?" And she
looked at him with eyes so full of love
that my wonder was that he did not
embrace her on the spot and kiss the
lovely pleading face.
She held out her beautiful rounded
white arm to him, and showed him the
little red mark caused by the broken
gold. In doing so her hand touched
him. 1t was accidental, 1 believe; but
shall never forget. the incident It
was all over in a moment, but, while
that moment lasted, the scene was
terrible. His bace changed, free
anger famed from his eyes. He shook
the white hand from him as though it
had been viper.
"You forget" he cried, in a voice so
| cold and hard that recognized it with
difficulty; and, shuddering, white,
trembling, she shrunk away from him.
Good night, Miss Forster, said Sir
Rudolph, abruptly. 81 hope you will
make yourself as happy as you can. -
He was gone before l had time to
reply.
Lady Culmore stood quite still for
few moments; then she tore the
jewels from her hair, from her neck
! from her arms, and dashed them upon
the ground.
cam 1 SO hateful, so horrible" she
cried, that he will not look at ne, that
may not touch him? Oh, heaven, am
so hateful, so loathsome as thatT'
Suddenly she remembered my pres
ence, and looked at me with a wild,
| passionate despair that touched my
very heart. I went to pick up the
| beautiful gems strewn upon the
ground. 1 laid them, glittering, mag
! nificent mass, on the table. She came
up to them with a half-shamed face.
"How passionate, am, Miss Fors-
teri" she said. What can you think
of me?"
81 have had no time to think at all
yet" I replied.
Then she walked to one of the large
mirrors, and stood before it for some
| minutes in silence.
Miss Forster, come here" she said
after she had looked long and earnest
| ly at herself.
| went to her, and we stood side by
side. She regarded me critically.
"You are beautiful" she said, slowly.
"You are dark as the daughters of
i sunny Spain, and your eyes are like
| dusky velvet-no, they are like purple
heart's-ease; but you are not so beau
tifW as l am" She turned to me
fiercely and clutched my hands. "Tell
me-" she cried-"you have had time
to judge-tell mean I not a woman
any man could love?"
YES" 1 replied, quickly, half
frightened by her strange manner.
Look at my ARM" she continued.
IF any other man had been in his
place, he would have kissed It; and he
flung it from. him!"
| had no time to answer The foot
man came in to clear the table, and T
went back to my room.
CHAPTER II.
What manner of house, what manner
of people were these? What was
the 5hadow where all should have been
bright? l had been tired before. but
the mystery and novelty had so excited
and bewildered me that | could not
rest, | could not sleep. Surely no one
had ever spent stranger Christmas
Eve than this.
L drew aside the hangings. All me,
the sweet, white world that lay outside,
the beauty Of the Christmas night-sky
and golden stars! I could not hear
the bells, although 1 knew they would
chime until past midnight; and knew
now the music of them would rise and
tall over the trees, would die away
across the snow. I should have wept
IN sheer desperate pity for my own
loneliness had it not been that nv
thoughts were so deeply engrossed
with the mystery of Ullamere.
l went to sleep at last, thinking of
tne beautiful face of the wife, of the
noble face of her husband, wondering
what shadow, what sorrow Law between
them.
Christmas morning dawned bright
and beautiful. drew near the window
and looked out in wonder and delight.
There lay the mere, known as Ulla
Water, and the grounds Of the estate
sloped down to the very edge. It was
a beautiful lake, on which in summer
the water-lilies slept; green reeds and
sedges grew on the banks, and in many
places the boughs Of the trees dipped
into the water There was a1poocf
every variety of tree in the grounds
copper-beech, stately oak and graceful
lime, trembling aspen and spreading
walnut, the pride of the place being a
grand old cedar. In it's mantle of white
snow, with the sun shining full upon
it, the scene was most striking. The
robins were flying about in search of
food, and the laurustinus was in full
flower. My heart and spirits rose. 1t
could not be all misery in such a world !
as this, such beautiful world, dis !
figured only by man and SIM"
l went downstairs. thinking that. if |
Christmas Eve wSe forgotten, surely, !
being Christmas, they would remem-
Der Christmas Day! But again there !
was no recognition of it-no holly, no
no CHEEKY voices, no laugh
Ter, no Christmas greeting. The house
was as silent in the morning sunshine
as it had been on the previous night. !
Breakfast was served in the dining
'oom; but neither Sir Rudolph nor his
wife came down to it. The old butler
old ne that Sir Rudolph's breakfast