Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-03-24
BERTHA M. CLAY

| him, and a sweet, low voice saying,
Il can never be fine lady, Vivian /;
you will repent having married me,
then ! shall die"
The grave voice of DR.. Sheene
aroused him.
There should be some arrange
ments made, Lord Vivian" he said,
"for removing all that is mortal of
/ lady Selwyn from here.
His lordship looked at him with
clouded eyes.
"Are you sure?" he asked, that she
! Is dead? Is there no mistake? Could
nothing more be done? must see
her! You shall not say me nay!"
They went with him to the long,
narrow waitingroom, where. side by
side, the dead awaited removal. She
/ lay apart from the rest. A resting
piacehad been made for her. and there
in thu quiet sleep OF death, lay the
womsA Lord Vivian believed to be his
wife He passed in silence the long
children, and men lay so motionless
and still--passed them in grave,
solemn silence When he came to
the place where she lay low moan
broke from his lips.
The golden hair hung In rich pro.
fusion, stained here and there with
blood. The costly fur cloak was
wrapped round the quiet figure.
Lord Vivian took a tress of the
golden hair in his hands.
1T Is my wife," he cried. Il bought
that cloak for her three years ago
Let me SEQ her facet"
But her the doctors grave voice in.
torposcd, the doctors strong firm hand
drew him gently back
Heaven fobid!" he said You loved
your wife; | would not have you look
upon what Hes there for all the world
the horror of 1t would kill you!
There is no single feature left; the
weight of half a carriage fell upon
your wife's face and crushed It,.
He knelt down In silence by her side,
and buried his face in his hands.
What passed between his soul and It's
Maker in that hour none will ever
know II ever he had been impatient
with her youth and her simplicity, her
ignorance Of the world her unstudied
frankness II was all avenged now
Then to make her identity doubly
sure, though no doubt came to them.
they gave him the traveling.bag she
carried, Yes, there was Violante's
purse, he even recognized In 1t some
Of the bank notes he had given her;
there was the lockot with the young
here's hair inside; there was faded
flower bearing his name. and the date
on which he had given II to her: there
was Rupert's hair.
When he held that little locket in
his hand his strength failed him. He
forgot the presence of the two gentle.
mon, he forgot everything. save that
Violante lay dead.
He buried his face in the fur cloth.
and wept aloud They drew back from
the walinp, pitiful cry. unwilling to
intrndo upon him In his sorrow. Then
when the passion Of his grief had
abated, he rose and stood before
them He laid one hand upon the fur
cloak, as though caressing what lay
underneath.
II need make no apology, gentle.
men" he said she who lies here
was my dearly loved wife, whom
have never ceased, and never shall
cease, To love!'
And then the heavy task came of
taking hCme what everybody believed
to be the Lcdy of Niolante Lady Sci.
wyn. Lord Vivian regained his out.
ward calm; IN heart and soul there
ragged torrent Of grief. of remorSe, Of
hewlldcrcd sorrow and hopeless de,
spair that knew nc words--but he
came of race strong to bear When
the first sharp pang was over he be.
gan to arrange SO that all honor should
he paid 60 the body OF his wife. He
would not leave her. Hastily writing
n note tn Mrs, Sclwyn, he sent Nicol
back to Florence with every detail of
the accident, while he remained at
SCdi
Mrs, SolwNn was drcadtully shocked
For many days atterward she was ex.
ccedmgly IN, both in body and mind.
She would have given all she had in
the world To- have had the unhappy girl
lack again,
No one ever knew how Beatrice
Leigh felt that Intelligence, She II
was who received Nicoli. aud who, al
Mrs. Selwyn's request, read her sons
note, She said the usual civil things;
lamcntcd with all due nropriety the
sad accident; cnndoled with Mrs,
Sclwyn; hoped Lord Vivian would not
be unconSolahe--hu no one ever
knew what she really thought aud
felt
AS she went upstairs after reading
the letter. there was n smile on her
face, aud fire in her eyes. that did
not speak of SORROW And in the
meantime the stateroems we're hung
with black, the servants all put into