Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-04-21
CHAP TIE v.
"If there Is aught
Surprising human deed, or word, or
thought

Lady Beatrice Selwyn will visit the
school on Thursday" Those words
rang in the ears of the sad, gentle
lady, the mistress of the little girls
who regarded Lady Beatrice with such
awe. How was she to meet herr
what was she to say?-was her dis
guise complete?
She rose early that Thursday morn.
ing, seeking solace where she had ever
found it., in the fair fresh face of ma
ture No matter what her trouble, the
bloom of flowers, the hushed sweet ST.
lence of green leaves in the summer
wind, the song of birds, had always
power to alleviate It,
They did so now. 1t was but six
O'Clock when she went down into the
garden that lay before the cottage.
Just six, and the hour doomed from
the church clock of Thornleigh. She
could see the gray towers rising from
amidst the green trees. The world
seemed just waking. Great masses
of golden clouds were piled together
in the sky, rosy CLEANS of light shot
athwart them. The western wind was
fresh and cool The birds were sing
ing their mathis, and 1t seemed to be
one long song Of happiness, one thrill
of delight in the beauty of the day; the
dew lay like huge pearls on leaf and
flower; over the hawthorn hedge,
which was all in bloom. came the rich
-, To ,In I,I
roses and lilies looked fresh and fair
after their mOonlit bath of dew.
The same western wind brought
faint tinge of color to the pale face
1T brought light and brightness to
the violet eyes; and then the years
seemed to fall from It, and a strange
spiritual beauty more of heaven than
earth, came to her.
She sat down among the lilies to
think; their sweet white leaves shone
with dew, their golden hearts were
opening to the sun. Who does not re-
member such morning, and the thou
sand feelings, too vague, too solemn
too beautiful for words which it
Thought forth?
Lady Beatrice Selwyn will visit
the schools on Thursday! The words
that had sounded over her pillow all
night, came to her again in each
whisper of the wind, in the song Of
each little bright-eyed bird, in each
rustic of the leafy branches. What
was she to do? What was she to
say?
She had not forseen this. In the
mad herosm of her great sacrifice
she had completely overlooked the
fact that her hr land might marry
her. She had only thought of leaving
him free-of taking from him a pres
ence that she believed to be distasteful
to him-of relieving him from a bur
| den she thought him tired of carrying,
She had only dreamed of the time
/ when without shy, timid, frightened
wife as a drawback and a lightweight
/ he should take the place in society that
belonged to him of right. She had
4 thought solely and entirely of sacrific-
/ ing herself that he might be happier
/ OF the right and wrong she had never
fdreamed-of the moral aspect Of the
matter she never thought. She believed
/ that by her assumed death she freed
her husband from all obligations. She
had meant this, her own deed for a
sacrifice of self, She had laid down
her own life completely as though she
were in her grave. True, she ate and
drank, she slept and woke; bat the
! higher, the better, the nohler part OF
her was dead-dead under the trailing
vine-branches on the banks of the
/ Amo. She had deliberately cut her
self off from the world of the living
1 her name. her identity, her home hus-
band, child, father and friends-all
1 lost to her forever and eVermore. She
/ had honestly believed her husband
would be n thousand times better and
/ happier for II. She had honestly be-
4 lieved the same thing of her own child
\ mother Ct whom the world spoke as
II spoke OF her--aS obscure, "0ut OF
her place, "A mere nobody could
never be Of any use To him. She would
net be allowed the charge OF him
while he was young; whea he grew
older he would be taught to dcspise
her. as those great ladies diE he
would be taught to look down upon her
as unequal 20 his father in birth rank,
and worldly estate, she could do
nothing for him; She would he rather
y drawback and hindrance Dead,
he would love her memory An even
those who loved her least would sneak
we'll Of her surely, before hcr ewn
child when she was dead
Here. as With hor husband. shr had
overlooked all other considerations in
the magnitude az her sacrifice
To he continued