Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-09-25
Continued.

Il know that, Yorke. But you can
not, can you? dare say you think l
am a peevish, discontinued wretch,
and that l ought, as the poor Empress
of Germany said, to suffer without com,
planning"
mo, Dolph; think you complain
very little, and face the music first
rate
Thanks l try to most times, and
could succeed better than | do if l
were always alone; but sometimes"
He sighed bitterly. why is it that
the world is so false, Yorke? Are
there no honest men besides you and
Grey and half a dozen others / coulo
mention? And are there no honest
women at all?"
Yorke Auchester raised his brows
and laughed.
What's wrong with the women?"
he said.
Everything is wrong with them,
Yorke You know, or perhaps you do
not know, how esteem, reverence, re
spect a woman-p perhaps because
dare not love them"
IF all the men felt as you do
about women there would be no bad
ones in the world, Dolph."
''To me there is something sacred in
the very word. My heart expands,
grows warmer, in the presence of a
good woman. / cannot loo4A at a
beautiful girl without thinking
Don't misunderstood me, Yorke."
mo, old chap"
81 love-I reverence them. And yet
they have made me fly from London,
have caused me to vow almost that
will never go back-that l will hide
my weary days"
Why, Dolph-"
Listen. Look at me, Yorke Oh!
it is unnecessary. You know what
ana thing for women to pity, to
shudder at, not to love- And yeti
he hid his face-"some of them have
tried to persuade me that II could
inspire a young girl with love; that
lob, think of it, Yorke!-that /
had only to offer myself as husband
to the most beautiful, the fairest
straightest queenliest of them, to be
accepted"
Yorke Auchester leaned over him.
You take these things too seriously,
Dolph. It's the way of the world, and
you can't better it; you must take it
as it comes"
'The way of the world-that a girl
young, beautiful, graceful should be
sold by her mother and father-should
be willing to sell herself-ah, Yorke
to thing like me! Is that the way
of the world? What a wretched heart
less, vicious world, then, and what an
unhappy wretch am I! What fools
they are too, Yorke! They think it so
fine thing to wear a ducal coronet!
Ha! hal" he laughed with sad bitter
ness. $50 f1ue that they would barter
their souls to the evil one to feel the
pressure of that same corOnet on their
brows-to have other women call
them Your grace! Oh, Yorke what
fools! How 1 could open their eyes,
If they would let me! Look at me! I
am the Duke of Rothbury, Knight OF
the Garter-poor garter!"-and he
looked at his tim legs-"and what
else? I almost forget some of my
titles, and / would swap them all for
a straight back and stalwart limbs
like yours! But to share those titles
how many women would let me limp
to the altar on their arms!" He
laughed again still more bitterly.
Sometimes, when some sweet-faceo
girl with the look of an angel in her
eyes, with voice like a heavenly
harmony, is making what they call "a
dead set time have hard work to re-
strain myself from telling her what
think of her and those who set her at
me. Yorke, 1t is this part of the bust.
ness which makes my life almost un-
endurable and it is only by running
away from every one who knows or
who has heard of the poor Duke or
Rothbury that I can pUt up with ex-
istence."
poor old chap" murmureu LORI
Auchester.
Just now, as we drove up to the
door, l caught sight of a beautiful
girl at the window opposite. | saw
her face grow soft with pity, with the
angenc pity of woman, which,
though it stings and cuts into me like
stroke from whip try to be CRATE
full for. She pitied me, not knowing
who and what am. Tell her that I
am the Duke of Rothbury, and in five
minutes or less that angelic look OF
compassion will be exchanged for the
one which you see on the face of the
hunter as his prey comes within sight.
She will think: he is ugly, crooked,
manned for life, burt he is man and
I can therefore marry HIM; he is a
duke and should be duchess; and
so like a mortal poison like some
plague, / blight the soul of the best
and purest Listen to her now-that
ic tho GIRL cinoinp What is it? I can