Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-07-17


my self,respect, my self-esteem; fL
would give me courage to raise my
head once more amongst my fellow.
men; Il would take from me the brand
OF shame. Oh, Ianthe, If all the gifts
of this fair earth were laid before me
now, should choose-money!"
Poor papa" said the girl, quietly.
"You may make yourself easy on one
point will be civil to Mr.. Culrosq.
Heaven guide us safely through our
troubles" And SO saying, she left
him to prepare for the coming guest.
CHAPTER III.
TROUBLES never come alone" SAID
Lord Carrie See, Ianthe, here is a
letter from Wyndham; he will be
home in six months, and he asks me
TO have his money ready, as he know
of an excellent investment for it, My
dear child, can | write and tell him
that it is lost? ! am in despair"
He bowed his white head, and she
had no words with which to comfort
him; this brought their trouble nearer
to her, and made it more real than I
had even seemed before. He raised
his haggard face to hers.
1T will kill me, Ianthe," he said. Il
shall never live to meet him"
She could not comfort him. She
had love, devotion, the warmest, truest
affection to offer him, but no money,
and money was the only thing thaI
could help him then. She stood by
helpless, while the father she loved
SO dearly humbled himself before hcc
in his shame and disgrace.
Herman Culross was expected that
evening, and it had touched her
heart with keenest pain to see the old
earl with trembling hands gathering
UP his papers, and trying in vain TO
give matters a proper business aspect
"He may be a kind-hearted man
after all, lauthe," he observed, land
anxious to spare me-" And then he
broke into passion of child-like tears,
crying, II cannot leave Croombe. /
cannot see Croombe pass into his
hands. | would rather burn it down
and die in the ashes"
His daughter shared his passion OF
grief; rather than leave Croombe,
rather than see it pass into the hand
OF this parYenu, she would have set
fire to it. But she was young and
hopeful. She was only eighteen, and
she could not quite believe in this
crushing weight of sorrow. Some way
out of it would be found. Yet sh'
owned to herself that she did no.
know of one.
She dressed herself with exquisite
excite the admiration of Mr.. Culros3
she was incapable of such an Iuea--
but to please her father the earl;
and never had the proud Lady lanthe
looked more lovely. She wore
simple evening dress of white silk
trimmed with green leaves, and a
suite of opals, the changeful light of
which suited well her bright regal
beauty. The masses Of brown ripping
hair formed coronet to the beautiful
face She was imperially fair.
She smiled when she thought OF
presumptuous Herman Culross, the
plebeian, the Millionaire, for in the
days of his early youth he had dared
to raise his eyes to her-had dared to
worship her as some bright far-off
star--what was worse, had dared to
give that worship voice.
1t had happened in this way. AS Il
boy, while the terms Of the mortgage
were being negotiated, he had been
walking with her governess in the
park, he had seen Lady Ianthe-seen
what he thought was the farest
vision on earth. Boy as he was,
he had become almost insane
about her. She had glanced at him
only once; she had looked at him with
those calm, serene eyes that took so
little interest in anything-loOlled at
him, wondering who he was, and why
he was there,
He s a plebeian," she had said to
herself, and had passed on sconfuly.
He was only a boy. but that one
glance had set his heart on fire. He
asked her name, and had fingered IN
the park, hoping to see her again, AMI
had failed He had gone home haunteo
by her. dreaming of her. mad about
her; and, when he could bear his
dreams no longer, he had poured out
his boyish. passionate love in verse
verse that would have brought tears
to kindly eyes, it was so full of love
and longing.
After many days he sent it adj.
dressed to the Lady lanthe Care, AMI
signed with his name She was quite
child at the time, even as he was II
| fairiaccd boy but her anger was
! terrible. A manufacturers son, a boy
/ lCwly born, a plebeian, to dare to send
! lOve-yCrscs to her. Lady lautne
simply tore the closoly-written pages
! in two and returned them.
That was years berore-but Lazy
! Ianthc had never forgiven the insult
| and Herman Culross had never for.
/ gotten his love. Through the years Ct
I bic blyb,nl o-n bic ND1th no hgI 30