Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-12-03

earl lying back in his chair before the
fire, with his thin, pale face and sor-
row-laden eyes, and Lord Villiars gave
him his final instructions. They were
short and simple. Craddock was 70
shut up the Void and the other houses
in town and country, and was to man-
age the vast estate during Lord
Villiars' absence.
Hall an hour afterward. while Lord
Villiars' valet was packing the port
manteaus, a footman announced Col
onel Oliver.
At sight of the thin, wasted figure,
and the white. wan face, with the dark
eyes which met him with stern stead
and his eyeglass fell out; but he pluck
ed up his courage and confronted the
| invalid.
I'm sorry to have to force myself
upon you, Villiars," he said, wagging
his head; "but of course you expected
me, eh?"
Yes; l expected you, was the cold.
sad reply, the dark eyes seeming to
pierce to the colonel's very soul.
"Of course, could do no less than
than request an interview
"And | have granted it," said Lord
Villiars. What is your business with
me?"
| What else should l have come
about, but that poor girl?" exclaimed
/ the colonel. Stuart Villiars did not
vince but an ominous light flashed
! for moment, in his sunken eyes. i
must do my duty, you know, Villiars
nd-and-er-I have come to tell you
that you treated her"
/ Stop! If that is the object of your
visit, say not one word more. Think
! that treated" he tried to speak the
name, but his lips could not utter it
think that l treated her badly, IL you
will. 1t matters nothing to me. 1t s
! enough for me to know the treatment
she bore at your hands. l took mel
from you to make her my wife.
would have come to you and asked
you, as man asks father for his
daughter, but that / knew you had
planned to take her beyond my reacn
II was that knowledge which led HE
to take her from you as | did. 1t was
through YOU" and he leaned forward
j, Through your cocnduct, and that oil
your daughters, that she was lost to
me! Heaven, and Heaven only, knows
/ the key to the mystery of her flight
and death. Let 1t rest with Heaven!
But as for you, IL you need reparation
at my hands, it shall be rendered 10
you. | leave England tomorrow. In q
/ few weeks | trust that may be able Il
meet you. anywhere and at any time
you may appoint. We are both soldiers
Colonel Oliver, and need say no more
Mr.. Craddock shall have my address
and it shall be forwarded to you. Ale
you satisfied?"
j "You-you take the affair pretty
coolly, Villiars. If you say it's moi
your fault, and that you didn't NEAR
the poor girl any harm
} Stuart Villiars laughed, a harsh
grim laugh, as he stretched out hi,
and and rang the bell
SHOW this gentleman out" he said
coldly and sternly, and the colonel
fumbling at his eyeglass, angrily with
; drew.
The following morning Lord villiaii
started for the continent. AS tn,
packet steamed heavily away from thu
white cliffs, he stood on deck, his eye
fixed on the fast vanishing land, anC
stretched out his hands.
: Good by, darling" he murmured
! "Goodby, Joan! have lost you now
, shall we ever meet again? Joan, Joan
my Joan!"
If he had but known, IL he could bu
have guessed. that the Joan he callet
upon was eating her heart out in 81
lent, accomplishing grief, in the Lon
don he had left behind, deeming h,
was all that was base and cruel, takin,
his silence even as proof of his guilt
what would he have felt, what mIser,
would have been spared him: How
quickly he would have been at ne
side!
But Fate likes to play at cross pur
poses with her puppets, which sh'
calls men and women and Will,
Stuart Villiars was flying from the sor
row of his supposed loss Joan was hid
den in the great city, patiently tryini
to forget the past, and painting panto
mime masks for her daily bread.
Surely Fate must have a keen sens,
of humor, and her puppets must cause
her much laughter. So runs the worlt
away.
CHAPTER XXI.
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