Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-04-14
Continued.

tell me-"
angela has gone!" she moaned.
angela has what?" cried the cap
tain.
"She has gone! know not why
| know not where. l only know that
she has gone"
"Gone!" repeated the captain. 1T
is impossible!"
Had a thunderbolt fallen at his feet,
Captain Wynyard could not have
been more astonished; and, had his
wife been more shrewd and keen, she
must have discovered guilt in mis-
face and manner. His face grew liyid,
and the lines deepened on it.
Gomez" he questioned, in low,
hoarse voice. This must be some
stupid jest, Laura What does it
mean?"
"Read that" said her ladyship, plac-
ing an open letter in his hands.
The contents ran:
"My Darling Mamma,-Only Heaven
knows how full my heart is of despair,
bitter pain, as write this to you.
am going away from home for time;
| cannot tell you why or whittier. |
have very strong and urgent reason
for the step am taking, but 1T is one
cannot explain to you. Do not
grieve for me; shall be safe and well.
shall be happy in every respect, ex-
cept in leaving you. 1t will seem TO
YOU that [ am acting strangely, but
have no other resource.
Beloved mamma, believe me.
shall be we'll taken care of shall
be under shelter; but all the time |
am absent my thoughts, my heart.
and my love will be with you.
Mamma, when you know why left
home, you will understand, and say
that | acted wisely. You must for
give me, darling, because do not
say more at present. You will trust
me because 1 have never until now
kept or thought from you, and
grieve with my whole heart that
cannot tell you the whole truth now.
Goodbye, mamma, my darling! My
heart will be with you until l see
your dear face again. | said good
bye to you in my heart last night
when l kissed you. | say it again,
praying Heaven it may not be long
before return to YOU
The captains face grew even more
CHASTITY as he read the letter. He
laid it down on the table, and, looking
at his wife, asked:
What does it mean?"
Il do not know" she answered.
THAT is what I have come to ask
you. What does it mean? Where is
my daughter gone? Have you
quarreled with her? Have you
grieYed or struck her? l hope
Heaven will pardon me if l misjudge
you, Vance; but | feel sure that you
have something to do with her going
away"
You were never more mistaken in
your life he cried angrily. 81 know
no more about the cause of her de
parture than you do. | have heard
nothing to lead me to suspect that
she contemplated such thing; and
You cannot be more surprised than
am, or more astonished What in
C1IC "Ol III 11cS OuC uOIC IL lOI. w nat
does it mean? Laura he concluded,
you must know something about it,
i do not indeed" she declared
emphatically; that is the reason
sought you. | thought you must
know I feared that there had been
some words, some misunderstanding
between yOu.'
And
yourself! 1t is incredible to me
that a girl of her age, who has been
all her life under guardianship.
should dare to leave home alone,
Whittier can she have gone? She
knows no one. I am completely
Tuzzled''
The one great mystery to me is
why she went, what drove her away
from home
She looked at the captain as She
uttered the words, what drove her
away from home" She noted his
HY1d face, the great fear in his ewes.
the trembling of his hands
Vance" she cried, suddenly, eyou
are in state of fear!"
How ridiculous Laura!" he return
ed, quickly. But I confess [ am
startled. l never dreamed of such
thing happening. she has surely not
gone alone?''
She has indeed" said her lady
ship, the conviction growing upon her
that her husband was in some way to
blame for the occurrence.
After a brief pause the captain
began to rally. A faint show of color
crept into his lips and cheeks; the
deadly terror had passed. He had
had time to ask himself whether
Angela had gone in consequence of
something she had discovered con-
corning him. He decided that it
could not be so, for in that case she
would have left some written record
against him
There is one thing quite certain