Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-07-02
GWoman' S Faee
FLORENCE WARDEN

crets than she had been given credit
for. She made no comments, no Ill
quiries, listened TRANQUILITY to Aphra's
rawlings, and tended her on her re
covery with the unselfsh devotion
which the monumental feminine
members of family so often lavish
upon their more brilliant relations.
Frank Armathwaite never saw again
the papers which DR.. Peele had left to
him, neither did he ever learn their
contents, though he could make a pref
ty shrewd guess what they were. They
consisted for the most part OF sort of
intermittent diary Kept by the late
doctor for the sake of recording the
facts of Lady Kildonan's case as they
became known to him, his own efforts
to warn her OF the consequence of her
conduct, and his suspicious concerning
Crosmont's application to his wife of
the secrets of mesmerism. and hypno-
tism which he had learnt in Paris
years before. This was supplemented
by letters from Aphra's father to the
doctor, which revealed not only Mr..
Dighton's devoted love for his daugh-
ter, but also his knowledge that she
had inherited the curse Of the family,
and his passionate wish that, at all
costs, 1t might be checked and con-
cealed. Every line of the diary proved
how deeply the doctor, a man OF kind
ly but vacillating nature, had suffered
between his affection for Alma, IT,
daughter OF his old friend, and his do
votion to Aphra, the child Of the MAJ
to whom he owed oil his prosperity.
To his warning and entreaties, Aphra
had replied by the threat that If she
we're interfered with, she should leave
her home and husband altogether. So
the doctor, bound Dy his promise of
secresy to her father, and fearing the
consequences of opposition on her
reckless nature, had never dared to
take active steps to check her. and had
found relief in passing on the burden
OF his life and OF his secret to another
and less irresolute man.
The person on whom the shock of
Ned Crosmont's death fell the heaviest
was Uncle Hugh. When the tidings
reached him. together with an account
of Lady Kildonan's rather mysterious
illness, he came back to Branksome in
the greatest anxiety and remorse. be-
ieving that his own letter to Lord
tildonan had been the cause of both
nisfortunes. The old Scotchman
who received him very kindly, assured
him that his suspicious had been
reused long before the letter reached
him. and advised him to turn his atten-
ton to comforting the young widow.
But there were difficulties in the way
OF this. He would have taken her
back with him to her friends in Lon.
don, away from the scenes of her
short, but unhappy married life: but
Alma. once so anxious to go away, now
raised unexpected obstacles to this
course. II would make public the
fact that her marriage had been a
failure, she said. Besides, she must
wait until his affairs were settled. and
she preferred seclusion for a little
while before facing the curious in
quiries OF her old friends. So Uncle
Hugh, disappointed in his wish to
carry of his little one" and resolved
not to have his journey for nothing,
obtained a promise from Mile that
she would marry him within two
months, on condition that the wedding
should be very quiet one.
'" Is promise. at the end OF the ap-
pointed time, she faithfully carried
out: and Mrs. Peele, who had never
held up her head with her old majesty
since Lord Kildonan put her to the
, humiliation of having to give UP the
tolen papers. soon after made up her
mind to leave Branksome for London,
IN order to be near her daughter.
Armathwaite was thus left alone in
the little house: but though he missed
Millie. of whose sisterly companion
ship he had grown very fond. he was
not dull, for he had taken II into his
head to refurnish and decorate the
place according to certain ideas OF mis-
own, and this occupation, to a man OF
Afforded amusement and interest for
some time. The purchase of horse.
too, besides the late doctors cob. was
an extravaganza which required DELHI
Grafton; but there was an animal in
the neighborhood which Frank was
bent on possessing. and after a few
weeks the coveted bpas held a place
In his stable.
These little acquisitions, quietly and
cautiously as he made them. attracted
the suspicious attention Of the old Wis
count, who occasionally visited him
now that he lived alone. and who was
struck one day towards the end OF
May. when he was calling at the doc.
tors house, by certain changes which
had recently been wrought in the
drawing-rcom.
"A conservatory now! And so you're
making yourself little conservatory
here?" he exclaimed. with some sur.
prise.
yes" Frank mumbled something