Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-11-10

Martin Ray.
"You are not a fit person to have
| charge Of girls like these. You would
sell them heart and soul to further
your cause and Leah shrunk at the
words, a sudden pain piercing her
heart. you value their youth, their
fresh, sweet grace and beauty, only
so far as they will help you and lure
men to your belief whom you cannot
teach yourself. j declare to Heaven"
ne continued, passionately, that I am
relieved and grateful to find them as
they are! l should not have been
surprised had I discovered that you
had, even young as they are, tried to
make platform orators Of them"
The random shot went home to the
very heart of Martin Ray and blanched
LEANS face with great fear. This
was indeed the furnace of fire from
which she had longed to be free.
"My children are my own" said
Matrin-"to do as l will with
'"They are not all your own,' re-
! Joined General Hatton. "a dead hand
| is stretched out from their mothers
grave to have them. They belong to
her, dead though she may be, as
much as they belong OF you. They
have no business with you; you are
no fitting guardian for them. Those
two girls have good blood in their
veins. Their ancestors were loyal;
they gave their lives for the safety
and well-being of the throne that you
are trying to overthrow they lived
and died in the service of the royal
race that you would Destroy" His
anger seemed to increase as he went
on 81" he continued, make no
boast. | have served my country and
my queen as an honest soldier and
| loyal man. What could ] have but
| loathing and contempt for one who is
the greatest traitor and the worst
foe to the royol house that I serve?
Light and darkness, day and night
should meet and embrace, rather than
that l should tolerate you"
''I do not want your toleration,"
said Martin Ray; indeed, l have not
desired the honor of this visit at ALL"
II should not have paid it, but that
my sister asked me to save her chill
dren. She was dying when she wrote
the words, and she knew best from
what I had to save them"
There is one thing you must allow
me to say; you have not been in any
great hurry to fulfil your sisters
wishes. She has been dead some
years; it must therefore be rather
late to save my children, as you
chose to express it,
A deep flush covered the soldiers
face.
"It is true" he said, that l have
been neglectful in this matter; I re-
proach myself bitterly for it, When
that letter came, ought to have
started for England at once; but did
not, and other interests drove the
subject from my mind. l will make
all the amends I can. Armed with
my sisters authority, l am here by
| her wish to save her children from
the fate that living with you, an
agitator and impostor, must of neces-
sity bring upon them
my children are my own" repeat
ed Martin Ray, with difficulty re-
pressing his passion, "and I shall
keep them"
you are untitled for the charge.
Heavens knows how they have Jared
hitherto; but you could never teach
them to he honorable, Industrious or
honest. You are disloyal subject
you have spent some of the best
years of your life in prison; what can
you have to do with the training of
innocent goung girls?"
A cry from Leah interrupted him.
rs it true, father?" she said.
"Have you been in prison?"- while
Hettie went up to him silently, and
placed her hand in his.
In the midst of his shame and ex-
posture one at least of Martins daun-
tiers was faithful to him.
''Is it true?" repeated Leah, in a
voice of anguish that smote both men
with regret.
Il was a political prisoner, Leah,
he REPLIED land that is a very diff
ferent matter from being com1%on
felon. Kings have been political
"a A0OAACA0 OO1OAO hOWs GILL IOL
ashamed of it"-yet his eyes dropped
before the wistful imploring gaze of
his bestowed child. II am not
ashamed of it, Leah,'' he repeated.
'How is it that we did not know"
she asked. ''Why did you never tell
us?"
'There was no need to throw the
shadow of a prison across the bright
ness of your lives,'' he replied; and he
noticed-he could not help it-that,
while one daughter drew closer to
him and kissed his hand, the other
seemed to shrink further from him.
The fatal word prison" had shocked
and terrified him.
Il am sorry I said that" interposed
the genral, hastily. 81 did not know
that your imprisonment had been kept
secret from your children, or I would
not have mentioned it, Your conduct