Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-09-29


your favorite lemon-plant. Thinking
you had left it there, I have guarded
it as my greatest treasure ever since;
and now l send it to you. 1t kindly
! thoughts of me did rise in your heart
on that day it will recall them; if not
if indeed it was all dream, fancy
burn it. Never mind the kisses and
the tears that have covered it.
"Good-by, my sweet wife-my lost,
dear love! I have told them to write to
you when I am dead"
Here the letter ended abruptly, as
though the writer's strength had sud-
denly failed him. How he loved her.
She had wakened to a sense of it at
| last-a sense of his worth, Of his love,
of his loss. Her tears fell fast over
the letter, over the faded lemon-spray.
Oh, if it had but pleased Heaven to let
her see him once more-to let her lay
her head on his breast and say,
I love you, my husband love you
at last!"
That could never be now; and as she
sat there, with her husbands letter in
her hand, there came to Lady Ianthe
the knowledge that without him she
would never be happy.
But no letter came announcing his
death. They did not hear again They
did not know whether he was still i'll
or recovering. They knew nothing,
and suspense became intolerable. It
told upon Lady Ianthe She grew thin
and pale-she was always thinking of
him. The faded lemon-spray had been
placed in a gold 1ocket and lay on her
breast The time had come when
every thought was his-when every
wish, every desire was to see him
again.
Summer and autumn passed-no
news came from him. The birds took
fight to summer climes, the flowers
withered, the leaves fell from the
trees, the face of nature changed from
gay to grave-winter came, and still
nc letter from him.
Wyndham Carre was to return to
India in February.
"You are anxious, I know, for news
from America" he said to his rela-
tives, "but it is long since have seen
an English Christmas; let me have one
here at Croombe abbey before CO."
i And, though the earl was unhappy,
though his daughters heart was al
most breaking, they yielded to- his
wish.
=
The bells chimed merrily 1t was
Christmas eve. There had not been
such fall of snow for years. 1t lay
SO thick and so white that the world
seemed half buried in it.
Croombe abbey was more resplend-
ent than it had ever been before; the
interior showed naught but luxury
ard magnifcence. The house was full
Of happy faces. Lord Care had
spared nothing to crafty his kins-
mans wish for happy Christmas.
He had invited numerous guests, and
the old abbey walls resounded with
| merriment.
The only sad face there was that OF
his daughter, Lady Ianthe. The weeks
of cruel suspense had worn on, yet no
news had come from her husband. He
was not dead-of that every one
seemed sure; but why did he not
write? Once horrible idea came to
her. She found herself wondering
, whether he fancied that she would be
sorry to hear that he still lived.
On this snowy Christmas eve this
= idea haunted her; she was haunted,
1 too, by the memory of the Christmas
eve few short years ago, when she
was so happily unconscious of all
t care. The music distressed her, the
Christmas greeting irritated her, the
! happy smiling faces grieved her.
? Where was he who ought to have been
7 master there? She went out, away
5 from the laughter and the song, away
/ from the happy hearts that knew no
t care; they were not suitable COM
t paniOns for her-she who had sent a
} nobel soul into exile. She went away,
4 and throwing a thick shawl round her,
wandered to the conservatory near
: the mOrning-r place where
J her husband had kissed her hand, and
: had hidden her farewell.
She stood there, gazing at the snow,
, watching the stars in the sky, think
ing of him with unutterable longing
and unutterable love, when Lord Care
suddenly entered. His manner was
hurried and abrupt-he looked con-
fused and unlike himself
, ''Ianthe," he said-'here alone on
this beautiful Christmas eve!"
: Eyes, it wants Herman, papa, to
l enable me to enjoy it." she confessed.
| 'Ay, we want Herman" and then
; he laughed a perplexed little laugh.
''Ianthe," he added, suddenly, ct
, should like to know if you are strong
2 enough to bear a great surprise.
Someone is waiting to see you"
Herman had entered, and was there,
standing by her side, looking at her,
with a passion of love in his eyes,
with light in his worn face, holding
! out his hands to her.