Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-08-08
CHAPTER K.

CHAPTER K.
Let us hasten from the gloomy at
mosphere of Hurst Leigh, and, leaving
the presence of the thwarted old man
lying upstairs, and the no less thwarted
young man writhing in torturing dread
in the darkened library, return to
Warden Forest.
With fleet feet Una fed from the
lake, the voices of the woodman and
Jack Newcombe ringing in her ears, a
thousand tumultuous emotions surging
wildly in her heart.
Until the preceding night Gideon
Rolfe had seemed the calmest and most
placable of fathers; nothing had oc-
Cured to ruffie his almost studied i'm
FEASIBILITY. New and strange ex-
periences seemed to crowd upon her so
suddenly that she scarcely accepted
them as real Had she been dream
ing. and would she wake presently to
find the handsome young stranger, with
his deep musical voice, and his dark,
eloquent eyes, the phantom of vi
sion?
As she came in sight of the cottage
she turned aside and plunging into the
depths of the wood, sank down upon a
bank of moss and strove to recall every
word. every look, every slight incident,
which had passed since the arrival OF
the stranger; and, as she did so, she
seemed vaguely conscious that a
change, indefinite yet undeniable, had
fallen upon her life. The very trees,
the atmosphere itself, seemed changed,
and in place of that perfect, unbroken
calm which had hitherto enwrapped her
h life. a spirit of unrest. of vague long
ing, took possession of her.
/ A meteor had crossed the calm,
serene sky of her existence. vanishing
as quickly as it had come, and Great
ing a strange, aching void.
! Still II was not at all painful, this
novel feeling of wistfulness and Ut
rest; a faint echo of some mysterious
delight rang in the inner chambers OF
her young soul. the newly awakened
heart stirred within her like an inn
prisoned bird. and turned tc the lew
light which had dawned upon her. That
it was the celestial light of love she
was completely ignorant. She only
knew and felt, with all the power OF
mind and soul. that a spirit had fallen
upon her life, that she had half-blind-
I ed. left the road of gray unbroken
calm never To return-neyer % return.
/ Step by step she recalled nj hat had
I = 4 - cyn
scene with ever-increasing wonder
What did it mean? Why should her
father be angry with the youth? Why
should he accuse and insult him, and
drive her away as if from the presence
of some wild animal who was seeking
to devour her?
Wild animall A smile, sad ard
Nlstful, fitted over her beautiful face
as she called up the handsome face and
graceful form of the youth Was 1t
POSSIBLE that one so base as her father
declared him TO De could look as this
youth had looked, speak as he had
/ spoken? With a faint. tremulous, yet
Unconscious blush. she remembered
how graceful he looked lying at her
/ feet his lips half parted ia smile, his
brow frank and open as ci.ild's.
And yet he himself had said, half
sadly. that ne was wild and wicked.
What could it mean?
Innocent as a nun, ignorant OF all
| that belonged to the real living world,
she sat vainly striving to solve this, the
| first enigma of her inner life.
Once. as she sat thinking and pom
dering, her eyes cast down, her brows
knit, her fingers strayed to her right
arm with a gentle almost caressing
touch. 1t was the arm upon which
Jacks hand had rested; even now
she seemed TO feel the pressure Of the
strong fingers just as she heard the
ring of his deep, musical voice, and
could feel the gaze of his dark, flash
ing eyes; they had locked fierce and
savage when she had first seen them
at the open door of the cottage last
night. but this morning they had worn
different expression, which soften
ed them. II was thus she liked to