Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-12-05

why do you not tell him so?" said
Una, with smile.
Mrs. Davenant shook her head nerv-
ously.
"That would do no good my DEAR
she said. 81 sometimes think he will
never marry" A s
And she glanced at Una with some
embarrassment. A dim suspicion had
of late crossed her mind that if Una
had been free, stephen might have
stood in Jacks place. She could not
help noticing Stephens close attend
ance on Una-a mothers eyes are
sharp to note such things.
If the old squire could have seen the
dining-room and the elaborate menu
that evening, he would have stared
and sworn. Stephen had engaged a
French cook; the appointments were
as perfect as they could be; the SER
wants admirably trained, and as to the
wines the Hurst cellar stood second to
none in the country.
1t almost seemed as if he were spar
ing no pains to impress on Una all
that the wife of Stephen Davenant
would possess. And Una, more than
half the dinner-time, was thinking of
Jack, and fondly picturing the little
house they had so often talked Of set
ting up when the commissionership
came home. Just at the same time,
Jack was leaning over Lady Bells
chair in the theater.
Stephen was in his best mood, and
exerted himself to the uttermost. He
described the neighborhood, planned
excursions and expeditions; told in
Vulnerable anecdotes of the village
folk, and played the host to perfec-
ton.
In a thousand ways he showed his
anxiety for Una's comfort; and after
dinner he had the place lit up, and
went over it, asking her opinion on this
point and the other, and humbly beg
ging her to suggest alterations. So
much so that Una began to grow shy
and reserved and shrank closer to
Mrs. Davenant; and Stephen, quick to
/ see when he was going too fast, left
them and went to the library to write
letters.
Now, strange to say, Of all the rooms
in the house, this one room remained
unaltered He had not allowed it to
be touched indeed it was kept closely
locked, and the key never left him
night and day. Just as it had been on
the night of the squire's death, when
Stephen stood with the stolen will in
his hand SO it was now.
He never entered it without a shud-
der, and all the time he was in it his
eyes unconsciously wandered over the
floor and furniture as if mechanically
searching for something.
It exerted a strange, weird influence
over him, and seemed to draw him into
+ it. Tonight he paced up and down,
looking at the familiar objects, and
making no attempt to write letters.
His brain was busy, not with
schemes of ambition and avarice, but
of love. The blood ran riot in his
veins as he thought That Una was I'M
der the same roof as himself, and one
mighty resolve look pOSS0SSlOH OIL ulAI'
"She shall never leave it but to come
back as my wife, was his resolve.
Even the lost will did not trouble
him tonight He had Una in his grasp,
Una upon whom everything turned.
1t was far into the morning before he
went to bed, and at the head of the
stairs he turned and looked round with
proud smile.
"All-all mine!" he muttered, "and
will have her, too,' and he went to
sleep and dreamed, not of Una but of
Laura Treherne.
All through the watches of the night
the pale, dark face haunted him. At
times he saw it peering at him through
the library window, at others it was
pursuing him along an endless road;
but always it wore a threatening as
pect and filled him with a vague ter
ror
Some mems conscience only awake
at night.