Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-08-18


! The dinner glided on it's noiseless
way. Kate ate very little, and Lord
iCarr-Lyon paid more attention to his
glass than his plate: the butler seemed
always serving him with champagne.
| Burt all things come to an end if one
can but wait long enough, and pres
! entity the desert made its appearance,
and the footmen left the room.
The two-bride and bridegroom
| sat in silence for minute or so; then
Kate, forcing herself to speak, said:
Are you very tired?"
He looked up sharply.
mo, Why should be?"
I'll did not know" said Kate; II
thought you looked tired or i'll, or as
/ If you had heard bad news"
! He looked up again, more sharply
than before, and eyed her suspicious
| ly.
What do you mean by bad news?"
he said sullenly, with a kind of smoth-
cred ferocity, and the face that had
grown flushed with the wine turned
palo for a moment.
Il do not know meant nothing, "
said Kate, coldly; nothing but what
| said. You seemed thoughtful"
81 am thoughtful. I've got some
thing to be thoughtful about he
broke in, slowly, and Us if he were
keeping a guard upon his words Il
suppose man oTght to be gay and
jolly upon his wedding day, oughtn't
he?"
Kate remained silent. Her heart
seemed freezing. and she had to re.
peat to herself. He Is my husband
my husband-my husband" to pre-
vent herself from rising and leaving
the room.
"A mans wedding day is supposed
to be the happiest in a mans life, isn't
it?' he said, with a half-concealed
sheer. "At least that's the popular
/ idea"
Kate remained silent
Il suppose you are happy enough 2"
he said after pause you've got all
you wanted. You're the wife of an
earl-you're a contestant one of
the richest women in England
Kate looked up, white and startled.
! What had come to him? Had he gone
mad? Could thus be the man who had
always shrunk nervously in her pres
encC, and almost crawlcd at her feet =?
She glanced unconsciously at his
wine-glass with a sudden half-vague
| horror.
He noticed her pallor and the appre-
hensive glance. and he filled his glass
again.
Il say suppose you are happy and
contented aren't you?"
Kate forced herself to answer him;
II would be better, perhaps.
Il don't know why you should speak
to me in this way" she said, quietly.
What have | done to offend your
What have you done?" he retorted
What should YOU have done? | sim
ply asked you a question. Most girls
in your position would be contented, |
should think To step from nothing
into a countess with horses and carri-
ages. and more money than you can
spend"
You cannot know what you are say
Ing" she said, in a low voice: she
| tried hard TO keep calm and firm.
You cannot wish to insult me"
He remained silent for minute or
two then he got up
II don't want to insult youy he
said. Look here, I'm going down to
the club for half an hour Wait up till
! | come back. | want to speak to you. %
The fact was that he had not suffi.
ciently screwed his courage up to the
starting-point for the scene he had
been gloating over all the day long;
he must have yet more drink, and he
was ashamed to get it In her presence.
The beautiful face. the queenly
form opposite. cowed and uuelled him.
After another bottle of champagne he
should be fit to talk to her
Kate made no attempt to stop him.
and he left the room; she heard him
go over the hall and the street door
close after him.
She sat motionless as a statue for
half an hour. her brain whirling. her
senses confusedly striving to- realize
the situation.
1t was her wedding night. and hei
husband had behaved like a mailman
and left her without rhyme or reason
And yet, he had no reasone Had he
learnt when too late that she had beer
simply bought and sold; that she dis
liked and distrusted him all throush
and that her father had forced her
into this marriage?
She leaned her head upon her hand
and sat bowed over the table with s
heavy, aching heart.
An hour passed, and she rose at las
and Went into the drawing-room. How
long she sat there, looking into tbs
slowly dying embers of the fire she
never knew; but the house had Ions
been quiet when she heard his step il
the hall.
He came in, his hat in his hand. his
light oyercoat stin on. and stood in
the centre of the room looking at her
He had had the other bottle OF