Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-09-04
Continued.

her marvellous beauty, the diamonds
flashing on her white bosom, the violet
eyes cleaning with the light of long
ing love, and his eyes fall.
sit down." he says, end he moved
chair toward her. 81 have only
just returned. You were going out
tonight?"
eyes; but not now. Oh, Heron, il
you only knew how we have 1onged
for your return!"
And she puts her hand on his arm.
With a gentle but firm gesture he
puts the white hand from him and as
it falls to her side she knows that all
is lost.
Il have only just returned he says.
y have been down to Wiltshire
Marley. You do not know it? l had
a companion; his name is Sydney Dali
ton-he is May Dalton's brother. 1t
was he who was in the woods with her.
You remember"
White and motionless she confronts
him.
"YoU have been to herr" she says,
almost beneath her breath.
Eyes; to whom else should go?"
he answers. Then. as she stands ST.
lent and motionless, he says:
Rose, have one desire-one wish
and that is that you should never,
from this hour, tell the story of that
nights work. If you will grant me
that one favor shall be your debtor?"
- o,1f
then, with avTted head. says almost
inaudibly:
When does the marriage take
placer"
Immediately. he answers.
There is a moments silence; then,
as if with an effort. she raises her
eyes and regards him with proud
calmness.
Heron" she says, and her voice
has just the same constrained calm in
it, you are generous, OF you think
you are" and a cold smile curls her
lip. You would have us part without
humiliating NE as you think; but
will not have it so. There can be no
humiliation for me. What I have
done I would do over again"
He looks up, and his eyes are rigid
with mingled anger and pain.
Spare me-" he says haughtily.
She smiles and waves her fan to
and fro; the self-possession she has
fought so hard for has come back. and
she will fight to the last-will at least
stab him with the dagger of womanly
malice, though she cannot Stay him as
she would like to do. She waves her
fan and leans back.
''Do not begrudge me the few mo-
mcnts-the last few minutes we shall
have-for if l know you and myself,
Heron we part for good tonight. Well,
you wish to spare me- You forget that
it is I who consider myself ignored.
Oh, STOP" she says with scornful
smile II know what you would say.
l will save you the trouble of putting
the question. l was in the wood before
| fetched you. and I knew from the
ilst that it was her brother"
Heron rises and looks down on her,
cal meiough but for the angry light in
his eyes.
"Oh, yes, 1 knew it," she goes on,
with faint. almost amused smile
lowering about her beautiful eyes and
lips as if the memory of that even
ing's work rather amused her than
otherwise, "and I die not think but
that you would know it. When you
heard them talking I thought that
though you were prepared to swallow
the girls vulgar antecedents and her
inexpressibIy horrible father, you
would shrink from a vagabond brother,
a common soldier, deserter flying
from the lash. | thought that the
pride with which the world has gen
orally but, it appears, wrongly credited
the LetchfCrds, would step in and
break off this mesalliance. But chance
did more for me- AS it happened,
they said On word denoting their rela-
tionship, and you left them with the
impression that you had been wit
ness to a clandestine meeting OF
lovers, that you had found her to be
treacherous and faithless."
SHG pduSSS1 lie uCSO SpOdNS OUt
stands looking down at her with a
strange expression on his haggard
face; her voice, soft and low and SUBJ
thy melodious, scarcely reaches him.
He is looking back to that awful even
ing and wondering why the chance
she speaks of should have played into
her hands. Sure are we. the sons OF
men, the sport of the malicious gods!
She pauses and touches her lips with
the edge of her handkerchief.
"You wonder why did this. No.
You think that was anxious to be-
come Lady Letchford, mistress of the
Void; that was scheming for wealth
and position. You are wrong, partly
wrong, at least. | was scneming for
the title and the wealth; how else
could it be? What is the aim of a wo-
y &rYs