Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-04-25

E u.
thought,
It is a mothers love-"
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 it 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
fragrance of the clover meadows; the
roses and lilies looked fresh and fair
after their moonlit bath of dew.
The same western wind brought a
faint tinge of color to the pale face
it 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 a morning, and the thou
sand feelings. too vague. too solemn,
too beautiful for words, which 1t
brought forth?
Lady Beatrice Seiwyn 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 heroism of her great sacrifice
she had completely overlooked the
fact that her husband might marry
again; it had never once occurred to
her. She had Only thought of leaving
him free-of taking from him a pres
ence that she believed to be iistasteful
TO him--of relieving him from a bur
den she thought him tired of carrying.
She had only dreamed of the time
when, without a 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
thought solely and entirely of sacrific-
ing herself that he might be happier.
OF the right and wrong she had never.
dreamed-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
magnificent act of heroism-a grand
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; but the
higher the better, the nobler part OF
her was dead-dead under the trailing
vine-branches on the banks of the
Arno She had deliberately cut her.
self off from the world of the living
her name, her identity, her home, hus-
band. child, father, and friends-all
lost to her forever and evermore. She
had honestly believed her husband
would be thousand times better and
happier for it. She had honestly be-
lieved the same thing of her own child.
A mother Of whom the world spoke as
It spoke of her-as Obscure" "out 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; when he grew
older he would be taught to despise
her, as those great ladies did; he
would be taught to look down upon her
as unequal to his father in birth, rank,
and worldly estate. She could do
nothing for him; she would be rather
a drawback and a hindrance. Dead,
he would love her memory. All, even.
those who loved her least would speak
well of her surely, before her own
child-when she was dead.
Here. as with her husband, she had
overlooked all other considerations in
the magnitude of her sacrifice.
To be continued.
Mason Celebrates Anniversary.