Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1903-01-15
A Broken Wedding Ring

By Bertha N. Clay.


/ The duchess summed up the whole
, situation briefly. Leah had loved him
, at first sight; but If ever he learned
| to love her it would be after months
of friendship.
That day spent at Glen was one of
, the happiest in Leah's life. and the
memory of If it was to her like a
| strain of sweet music in which there
was no discord.
CHAPTER Xxx.
As the days passed on, the in
timacy between Leah and the baronct
increased, The general grew warmly
attached to Sir Basil. He sad-Whau
was a great thing for him to say
that, If Heaven had blessed him with
son, he should have liked him to
resemble Sir Basil. All the visitors
and they were many-admircd and
liked him, he was a general favorite,
and he spent far more of his time at
Brentwood than at Glen.
with every day that dawncd, with
every sun that rose and set, with
every bright moon that waXed and
waned, LEANS love deopcnGd. The
world was as nothing to her; she
became absorbed in this one passion
it was her life, her all. There are
some to- whom this fatal gift Of
great love is given. They are the
happIcst even as they are the most
miserable; they reach the highest
b1iuu thot Iffa nffnrg an1 tbnv Iyu,u
the most bitter Of It's pains. No one
warned Leah. The duchess looked on
| interested, as she would have been IN
any trial Of skin or any struggle for
mastership. She did not interfere
Gather by word or look. She knew it
was useless. She never ceased won
dering how it was that Leah, who
had refused some of the best offers
in England, had given her heart and
soul at first sight to this man.
Leah was hardly the same girl in
Sir Baslls presence; her face, her
voice, her manner changed com
| pIetcly; her love TRANSPORTED her.
If he touched her dress in passing,
she trombled; If he touched her hand
! In greeting, she grew pale as the
petal Of q white lily; when she sung
| to him, all the pent-up passion of her
soul seemed to go out to him. Such
n world Of love lay in the dark eyes!
| II would have been n thousand times
better for Leah had she never had
! such pretty theory as that of souls
meeting, or filed her mind with ideal
notions, No misgiVing came TO her,
no doubt or fear She never asked
herself whether her great love would
be returned, she never asked herself
how IT would end; she lived entirely
In the present, each day full of hap.
piness, Of interest, of the beauty and
glory of the passion that possessed
her. She had forgotten that they
would soon leave Brentwood, she had
forgotten that they were going to
Dene Abbey; she had forgotten every
thing, except that Sir Basil was near
her and that she loved him. Every
dream, every wish Of her life was
realized; there was no more to de-
sire. She would have boon quite con,
tent to lie down in the light of her
great love and die 1t seemed to her
that all her life had been ordered for
this, Now she had reached the haven
|of rest, never thinking that the
storms In the haven might be greater
than those on, the open sea,
1t happens So often that,a great
love Is laNished in vain. q Sir Basil
saw nothing of Lcah's, iIe admirct
her eXcee"ngly, but he never dream,
cd of loving her He would have
done anything for her; he had the
kindly affection Of q brother for hera
ever since she had stood, by the white
lilies in the hall, In the spot whoralI
his fatr young sister had diod. she3
had to him in some measure atakcn9
that dead sisters place He,ucon4i
lided, everything to her, told her Of
all his affairs, sought her advice, vas
happy in her society. never rested
| long away from her, thought of her
with continual kindly affection; bu&
of love he never dreamed wu|
The duchess, WHO had said to her.
self that she would not Interfere. did
Just this ops thlpgrshe. told,, Sir
/ Basil Of the splendid tprWmpRs that
/ Leah had aGnlered, and how she had
/ passdd through three such seasons as
few even Of tho most brilliant
beauties had hver experienced. 90 She
told of the offers of marriage made
to her ana how she ihhd reraseR them
F. all. .."'0.| '.. '' '.a"'.g
why aid she refuse Them" he
Iasked,.... -.t.,....., ..,l,.........
= The DUCHESS meant to do a kindly
action when she answered: ts..u. a..
She has ideas tth9t ara peculiar
4 for the nineteenth century; they are,
may say obsolete h.1 '"Ha II
y, he looked anxtousiy al her sh6
thought,
Isl What ideas, ." he asked II my
question may be answered ?"us.t'
:. Il am sure }, may qpSwere, il" said
the n dNchoss.,8 Miss Hatton d, has
romantic ideas that Ure quito out of
date, Marriage, in these days, is an