Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-04-09
q Woman' S FaGe
FLORENCE WARDEN
CHAPTER XXI.


Armathwaite himself, Ned Crosmont
kept his word to the latter most faith
fully. Day after day the young
doctor called on Alma without
hindrance, and under his care her
mind began rapidly and surely to re-
cover it's tone. She scarcely saw her
husband now, she said. Instead of
coming to her room at night to reau
her to sleep, as he had done some
times before Uncle Hugh's departure,
and frequently since, he now never
even wished her good night, bur
marched off to his study as soon as
he had finished dinner, slammed the
door, and was seen no more by her
until the following evening, as, no
matter how early she might get up,
he was always out before she came
downstairs. Armathwaite who felt
a good deal of sympathy for the
agent, whom he looked upon more as
a victim than as an evilly- disposed
tyrant, was trying gradually to turn
Alma's fear of her husband into pure
pity, though, naturally enough, he met
at first with little success. At the
same time, he was beginning to feel
as much loathing for Lady Kildonan,
the heartless cause of all this
mischief, as If she had been a
vampire or a loup-garou; and on his
frequent visits to her husband who,
If the truth must be told, was creating
in him a morbid distaste for
philology, he found an eyer-increasing
difficulty in concealing his aversion
from her.
Her conduct at the reading of DR..
Peele's will strengthened this feeling.
The death of this old friend had been
great shock to Alma, but it had had
a good effect in diverting her atten-
ton from her own trouble to that of
the widow and her daughter. When
she came humbly and shyly to see
them, however, and to take a last
look at the dead face of her old
guardian, she found that there was
but one lady to comfort. for Mrs
: ele was only sentimental in short,
sharp gusts, and, moreover, the cause
or her most pressing grievance was
the would-be comforter herself. For
not only had the Disguised lady found
that her hope of marrying Arma-
thwaite to Mile had proved fruitless,
but she had learned from her late
husbands solicitor that by codicil
executed few days before his death
DIR. Peele had left a handsome legacy
10 Alma Crosmont, and appointed
Armathwaite her trustee. The
agents unfortunate wife being quite
ignorant of this provision for her.
was bewildered by the violence of
Mrs. Peele's attacks on the new race
of married women. who set them
selves up in rivalry with the single
ones, and prevent men from propos-
ing She beat a retreat as soon as
she could, and it was not until after
the funeral that she, together with
Lady Kildonan, who was present by
her own desire, and in a state of
strong suppressed excitement, Mile,
Ned Crosmont, and Armathwaite him.
self. learned that the old doctor. who
was known to have been much better
on than his humble manner of living
betrayed. had left to Alma Crosmont
sum of about two thousand pounds,
and had appointed Armathwaite, with
expressions of great confidence. her
trustee. His wife and daughter he left
well provided for To Armathwaite
he bequeathed a legacy of five hun
dred pounds, and his writing-table,
with all the papers IL contained To
Lady Kildonan he left letter which
was delivered to her by the solicitor.
and opened by her Immediately with
quivering fingers. A look of the
deepest and most angry dsappoint-
ment convulsed her features when
she found that it contained no en-
closure of any kind. and after glanc-
ing at the closely-written pages she
crushed them up in her nun
Interested in the fate of that
letter. which he guessed to be last
effort of advice and warning from the
dead friend. Armathwaite kept Lady
Kildonan in sight as long as she re
manned in the house. and not much TO
his surprise he saw her. when she
was standing near the dining room
fire, with no one very near her but
the agent. who looked more i'll, more
haraSsed than ever, withdraw the
sheets of crumpled paper from her
mum. and. without another glance al
them. without even pausing in her
talk. throw them viciously into the
fire. She seldom took any pains tC
hide whatever thought might be pass
ing through her mind. and she did no
think il worth while to lower he
voice which she expressed botl
establishment and irritation at tn,
provisions of the will.
THAT young Yorkshireman mus
have worked pretty hard. Ned, L
worm himself like that into the
doctors confidence in such shor
time" she said. with her head helC
back IN an offended way which wa
exceedingly piquant and becoming
1T seems you can't be trusted L
look after your own wife so well a:
this stranger"