Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1903-04-06
Continued

uue4 Win tears her lovely lace 50
Iau ol so.EUw and compassion. he
watched Eer preparing with dert
myers all that Martin needed. he
thought OI the heavy burden laid upon
hose youus shoulders, and ne won
Lered agaln At the heartlessness OF the
sister VINO could nave lett il ali Tor
her TO Uea-. His heart went out to
her. as he believed IN simple pity. AZ
was such q hard life.
"A wish. ne SAID. approaching her,
that I could 10 something Tor YOU
You have done a great al Tor
me-" she replied, with a quick, bright
smile.
Have I. What is it, Miss Hettie?"
You have given me comfort by
speaking 50 kindly
IF I knew how 20 give you com
fort. said ST Basil quickly, Il would
ask for nothing better. / cannot tell
how sorry / am to see you SO sOrely
tried. Let me lit that heavy tray Tor
you. Those little white hands OF
yours were never made TO- hard work
like this
Il think she said. smiling through
her tears. that you would be amused
To see how much what you call my
little white hands can do between
sewing and writing. It seems TO me
they travel many miles each day"
Sir Basil stood by quite helpless.
He saw how anxious and distressed
hsttie was, and he thought with bit
teness of the sister who had LETT her.
Something Of what filed his heart
was shown in his manner, and in some
vague way they understood each
other Without words, something was
acknowledged by bOth-his sympathy,
her gratitude for it, his kindly affec-
ton, and her pleasure in 1t.
ST. Basil did not stay long; but
when he bade Hettie farewell some
thing was in each face which had
never been there before, some new
feeling stirred each heart. They said
goodnight hurriedly, with averted
faces, but i'm Hettie's heart there was
a thrill OF something like new life,
and i'm Sir Basirs a strange, tumultu-
Gus happiness that he hardly under
stood
Leah wondered more than ever at
the pre0ccUpied manner of her lover.
Was he thinking of her? Was it the
future that troubled him? Was he
dreaming of politics? The last thing
i'm this world that she would have sus-
pected was that ne was thinking of
her I0ng-l0st sister Hettie.
CHAPTER xx<II.
The time came when Sir Basil Cal
ton stood face 20 face with the knOwl-
edge o- his own secret, when he said
to himself that, if marriages were
made in heaven, Hettie was the one
woman intended for him, that she was
the only woman in this world he could
ever love. She stood out quite distinct
and clear 20 him. he knew that at
last he had NE the love that was his
doom. that he-Sir Basil Carlton, en-
gagged TO mar-y the great heiress, Leah
Hatt0u-loved with his whole neart
Hettie Ray. the daughter Of a man
whose name seemed TO be hated and
Gesuised among the class of which he
himself was a prominent member.
That Hettie was poor and unknown
that she was the daughter OF such a
.athcr. he cared not Ii he had been
tree. he would have pleaded his suit,
Ee would have taken her in his arms
and neve- let her go until she had
promised % DE his wife. As il was.
knowing that he loved her. he must
look up0n her face only once again,
and then 10 must be 10 say farewell.
He mavvelled within himself Ct the
strange fate that had befallen him.
The woman who loved him better than
her own life was a goddess, and she
would bring TO her husband. both
money end lands: yet his heart did
not incline To her. He was z ateful 10
her. fond OF her. but he did not love
her with the love that comes but once
iu life
She had loved him; and, because Eer
happiness was dear to him, because
her uncle had told him that her life
was wrapped up in his. because he
was heart-whole and fancy-free, he had
asked her 20 mary him. And, now
that he was bound in faith and honor
to- her. he had met the one woman
who seemed to have been made for
him. He was perpIexed, agitated. He
loved one woman with his whole heart,
and had promised TO marry another.
Which way did honor lie? Was il
best 20 keep his promise, 10 go away
and never look on Hettie's fair face
again. to give up the one love that
might have blessed his life. and marry
the woman he did not love, but to
whom he was i'm honor bound? Which
was best? Was Il honorable to marry
without love. or was ii most honorable
to break all other ties and marry the
one truly beloved?
He had not sought his fate; he had
been almost asked to marry Leah: so
much had been said TO him that, with
out being absolutely cruel, he could
not have done otherwise; and now he
ale