Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-10-16

go about signing and making a long
face like heroine of opera. Look
here; promise me you will stay here
quietly until-until the winters over,
and then if we don't get on any
better, and if you still think change
would do you good, you shall go away
somewhere for a little while. There
now, you've behaved beautifully all
this time for the sake of DR.. Peele,
that he might be satisfied you were
happily married. Bear up to the emu
for his sake, if you won't for mine. L
tell you you are quite wrong; it is not
! as you think; it is not to keep people
from talking l want you to stay here;
! it is because l am harassed and over
worked and driven, ant if l a left to
myself here, the Lord knows what will
! become of me. For mercy's sake,
Alma, stay till the spring, and l will
be better husband to you, I swear
| it. Promise, Ana, promise
There was long pause, and an
| other OF those quivering signs which
had first reused Armatnwaite from his
sleep. Then a sound like a faint,
heart-broken laugh came to the young
doctors ears
"If I stay till the spring shall get
my change for nothing, Ned. +
PROMISE
There's a good girl. Now 1 know
you must be dying to get to bed
You look awtully tired. Good night"
| Good night
There was the sound of a brief, per-
functory kiss, and in few minutes a
! mans steps came stealthily along the
corridor past Armathwaites room.
Again the young doctor heard the
| lOng-draWn signs of the lonely woman.
But he could bear it no longer. I'm
derstanding by this time that a COM
munication had been established be-
tween the two rooms to enable the
late proprietor of the house to keep
constant unseen watch over any one
OF his patients whose case rendered
such precaution desirable, he cut
the communication off by transferring
the pillows to the foot Of the bad
where he passed the remainder of the
night without further disturbance
But he had little more rest. The
astonishing nature of the revelations
he had just heard, as we'll as of the
accident by which they had reached
him; the emotions reused in him by
the pitful story, and the startling
problems to which it gave rise, kept
him wakeful until long alLer the late
rising sun Of winter morning had
filled his room with a dim and murIv
light.
For to Armathwaite, who could not
yet shake off the effect of the IN
accustomed sensations and startling
incidents of the previous day, this
browning experience of the night had
a deeper significance than the actual
words revealed to him. He believed,
to begin with, with perfect sincerity
that he had been drawn to this place
by something more than a series OF
cOlncldences, to render service to a
woman who was being unfairly used.
In what ILLS service was to consist.
how it was to be performed he did not
know; but the belief made him look
for mountains where, if his judgment
had been less blassed, he would have
seen nothing but mole-hills. There
fore, instead of seeing in Lady Kill
domains determined and successful en-
deavour to keep husband and wife
apart either mad and Jealous pas
sion or cruel and hearless caprice,
he set about imaginingtwhat other
motive she could have for what
seemed to him to be on the face of it
barbarity too innuman or folly too
outrageous to be conceived. If LADY
Klldonan had been so frantically in
love with Ned Crosmont that the idea
of his marrying another woman was
1nsupportable to her she would GER
tainly, being clearly a lady of most
determined will, have kicked over the
traces of castle-prejudice and de-
finantly married him herself: there
fore, since she had not done so. there
must be some motive other than
jealousy prompting her to this wicked
; and dangerous severance of husband
and wife.
To be continued