Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-03-07
tCTWPTER III.

{
element prevailed at Heathcote Farm.
! Lefty, the maid, who had been selected
! 10 help Minnie with her toilette on this
auspicaG0s occasion, had been up betimes,
! but, or knockingiat the door of her young
mistress chamber. had received no an
swel. Nfter tiie third application, with
She like result. She had tried the handle
and, 9lnding the door yielded, had entered
.he room, only 10 find it empty. and 1Le
bed showing ne signs of having been
slept IN.
Inc girl at ,once rushed TO her masters
nooln, and told him her startling news
,3ohn Merton was just commencing to
sErawe, hut, hastily wiping the lather oil
I his face, he FASTENED back with LEFTY
ONLY TO find her intelligence too truly
epnfirmed. Uhe room was in the same
6nfused -stute of disorder it had been
on THE previous day but the quick eve
OF the farmer discovered that which had
escaped the notice of the maid.
! On tile dressing table were an open
1 blotting pad, "a pen and ink, and two
] sealed letters. These he eagerly grasped
and found ,ane, the bulkier of the two.
addressed ITO lhimself, whilst the other
bore theh name of the Earl of Langdale
1 Fearing open the envelope of his own
3 iflISoiN6s Ht IOuDu IL COlltiIleu Ddnk- notes
/ TO the value eof f20, and the following
short mote:
] My Own Dear Father: Tomorrow
WAS no he my wedding-day and | had
/ hooked eagerly forward to it as about to
make me ,one cof the happiest women in
/ the wide world. But now all that is
| over and i am left broken hearted.
! have learnt something today which
makes my marriage with Walter an utter
| impossibiEity. What this is | cannot tell
either yOu are him. but it is something
! due TO my own thoughtess folly, and for
ever bars me from fulfilling my promise
! to the man i love better than life itself
| find j cannot face either YOU or him
with TINS weight of woe and shame bear
! ing NE down. and so | have decided to
leave Granleigh Tor ever Please. father.
do not attempt to follow me, for | am
! from this moment dead to my past life.
and try to forgive me the pain and sor-
row / am causing you. | have taken
! fl0 out of the hundred you so generous
| ly intended for n wedding present 1t
viii be sufficient for my present necessi-
ties, and by the time it is spent | trust
to be earning my own livelihood.
"Goodby- yon darling old dad. Heaven
bless and protect you, and do try to
! forget and forgive
Your wretched but ever loving daugh-
/ ter. MINNIE
! As John Merton read this missive. tie
! blood slowly forsooll his checks. great
| burrows made their appearance on his
/ broad brow, and he compressed his lips
until they became absolutely eolorless.
/ He scarcely knew what to think, but
/ terrible vague impression was stealing
upon his brain, and causing him a sick
enng pain at the heart.
/ In her haste and excitement Minnie had
not studied her phraseology or she would
never have written as she had done, for
/ there was no doubt her words were liable
! to be misconstrued by even one who
would have staked his life a thousand
/ times over upon her honor.
/ And so, little wonder was III II the
/ homely, honest farmer felt a conviction
slowly stealing over him that. after all
his only child, his Idol was but Of com
lon clay, and had grossly deceived him
and others.
But, above all this stalwart Births,
/ yeoman Was fair reminded and impartial
and the very last to willingly condemn
| anybody.
Il VIII take this other letter to Lang
dale. and see what she says to him." he
muttered Bet. my the heaven above
us. though she were twenty times nv
! daughter, if she has done anything un
worthy Of her womanhhood, / will tear
her and her memory from my heart, and
/ though she came crawling to me on her
hands and knees in the gutter, ] would
never look on her face again. My God
/ This is a terrible blow, But perhaps /
deserve it all, for / set her high up above
all Others of her sex. and half worshipped
her. do believe. Oh Minnie! Minnie!
my darling Heaven send that my sus-
PIGEONS may be ill-founded, but every
thing looks very black at present, and
l am a. one cropping in the darkness
He drew on his riding-boots as he
spoke, and then, DOMINIC his coat as he
went. descended the old oaken staircase
! into the hall, where he took his hat and
/ hunting crop zap from settee, and then
making HE way to the stables, saddled
| his favoTite old sorTel.
As he was doing so, he glanced acct
dentally into the next stall, where Min
MICS gray HHe was quietly cropping its