Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-08-13

/ ne ulu not seem In his usual spirits
he sighed frequently, answered a
random, and gave unmistakable sign
| OF absence of mind. At last, to Mrs
Harcourt's intense horror, he said:
You have but these two daughters
Mrs. Harcourt? | think I have neve
/ heard you mention a third"
Il have but the two" she replied
concisely
DO pardon my curiosity" he con
: tinued, but have you no young lady
relative or visitor staying with your
Nothing of the kind replied Mrs
Harcourt, promptly, and Sir Leonard
only looked half satisfied
why do you ask?" inquired Mabel
abruptly.
Il fancied / had seen young face
/ must have been mistaken" he said
But Sir Leonard did not recover
/ himself; he was restless. and they all
! noticed it. Mrs Harcourt invited him
to remain for lunch and, for the first
| time since they had known him. he
I declined; he took leave of them earlier
, than usual. James face grew white
with anger as he went.
Mammal" she cried-"you may say
what you like, but | am certain he has
! seen that odlous Florence You would
keep her here, and now we shall suf.
fer for it,"
He can not have seen her; she is
always at work in her room when he
calls"
She is deep enough, and cunning
enough to have contrived to. She has
Just the baby face that captivates
some men. | thought when he was
speaking of the face he had seen, that
he meant her, and | am right; he has
seen her in the house somewhere; she
is always about. Did you not hear
what he asked? Depend upon it, he
IS trying to make out who she is"
The result was such an increase of
severity that poor Florence was al
most desperate. Going out was pro
hlbited after nine in the morning.
What walking was nece sary for
her health" Mrs. Harcourt told her,
L
ladies' made great complaints of her
Incidence, her forwardness. and these
faults must be corrected. She must
work harder and not be so fond of
showing herself about the house ana
seeking admiration"
Heaven help the poor child! She
left the room after that long, severe.
and unmerited lecture, with a white.
wondering face. She was not in the
least degree conscious of having de-
served such a lecture.
How was she to work harder when
every moment of her time was so
fully occupied?- how was she to be
seen less when she hardly ever Quilted
the anteroom? She laid her head
upon the table-not weeping-but
with a quiet, resigned despair far more
touching than words.
Il do not want to be wicked" she
moaned; but would it not have been
far better for me had | never been
born?"
SO the housekeeper found her-sad
resigned. hopeless-and, when the girl
had moaned out her story, the kindly
woman kissed the white face.
Take heart, my dear" she said.
i had a dream about you last night.
and II that dream does not come true
Will never believe in anything again.
Take heart; however dark the night,
there is always bright morning
dawn"
But 1t seemed to Florence the last
CLEAN of sunshine had died away. 1t
had been some pleasure to go out. to
leave her troubles and enjoy the
beauties of earth and sky. Unknown
almost to herself, another element
mingled in that dull. joyless life: the
meeting with the handsome stranger
had been quite an event to her. She
had read admiration in his face; his
eyes had frightened as he looked a.
her; he had wished to see her again,
and it was the first time that such an
event had happened,
She could not forget the kindly.
handsome face that had smiled upon
her. She did not know why the bare
recollection of it made her heart beat
and her face flush: she did not know
Why she looked forward with such
longing to going out again; why she
was always wondering whether She
should see him, whether he really
cared for Jane or Mabel They, believ.
ing that he had seen her, talked of
him more than ever. They talked of
him as a lover, as of one soon to be,
long to the family; they repeated to
each other all the complimentary
speeches he made; and sweet. simple
Florence listened in wonder.
Gould it be possible that he loved
one of them? Did he know what the !,
really were. or was he deceived? She
could not think that any man. know
ing them, could love them.
Perhaps" she thought to herself
1T is only to me they are so unkind.
But then she remembered how all
the servants detested them; how the
old ones were all leaving in disgust.
and the new ones sneered at every