Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1905-06-16


All this time he held the portrait Of
his wife in his hand, never taking his
gaze from off 1t. And amidst all these
racking doubts and fears Of the present
there rose up images Of the past-brlght,
beautiful, gloomy, and sad. Let us pho
tograph some Of these pictures, connect
ing them by links that have dropped
out Of his memory, and adding many de-
tails Of which he is ignorant
He Is one-and-twenty, wild, and some
what dissipated, but not vicious, Just
returned from college to his stately
home. But great change has come over
that home since he saw it last. His
noble, loving mother is dead. His father
has returned to The Willows; but not
alone. Two strangers-ladies- ac-
companied him from Switzerland-Mad
anne Berne and her daughter. It was
at the house Of the former that his
mother resided during her last illness.
She is a rigid, austere fanatic, acting
up In all things to the letter Of her pro-
fessions, but denying the existence OF
any good beyond them; all virtue and
all holiness are confined within the limits
OF her creed-beyond 1t, all Is sin and
death. She has acquired a powerful
ascendancy over Mr. Morant's mind,
weakened as it is by the afliction OF his
beloved wife's death. He has brought
her home to fill the position Of house
keeper, and in short time she reigns
absolute and undisputed mistress oYer
him and the household
From the moment she Is FIRST introduc-
ed to Edward Morant, she conceives a
hatred for him. The gay, light, mischiev-
GUS bearing even subdued as 1t is now
by the sorrow of his mothers death, IL
repulsive to her gloomy soul. There is
soon open war between them. But Ed
ward is no match for his powerful adj
versary. His father, under the prose-
lytism Of Madame Berne has become
as gloomy a fanatic as herself; all gaiety
of heart, all amusements, are sins In his
belief. The Willows soon become an
uncomfortable home for the young man,
and were It not for one all-powerful at
traction, he would have quilted 1t long
ago.
That attraction is Frances, Madame
Berne'a daughter, a beautiful. melan-
choly girl Of sixteen. He loves her pas
sionately, possibly because she is so en-
tirely opposite to himself; and she loves
him, possibly for the same reason. In
the course Of time Edward prevails on
Frances to consent to clandestine mar
riage. They are quietly married at a
suburban church, and return to The Viii
lows the same night.
A fortnight afterwards. yielding to the
prayers Of his young wife, Edward de-
clares his marriage to his father. The
old man is willing to forgive the act, but
Madame Berne is furious. Her daugh-
ter shall not be delivered over to the
satanic influences Of this vicious man.
A terrible scene ensues. Edwards
fiery temper Is thoroughly aroused, and
all the bitterness and hatred that have
been seething in his heart burst forth.
There is not an insult, an epithet OF
loathing, that he spares his enemy. The
end Of all Is a fathers curse, and his
expulsion from the home, the doors Of
which he will never darken again. He
would claim his wife by force Of law, hut
he has no home to take her to-he is
penniless and an outcast. She is kept
a close prisoner-he will never SEQ Aer
face again.
Very soon he falls into vageHondage,
and, gnawed by the burning sense OF the
wrong that has been done him-savage-
" reckless, from vagabondage he sirks
into crime, becomes implicated, through
his associates, in robbery, and Is con-
1emned to three years penal servitude
In the meantime, a child has been
born to him, of whose existence, or prob
able existence, he is Ignorant. A sad
life is that Of the mother Mr. Morant
would have been kind and good to her,
but Madame Berne cannot pardon her.
La the eyes Of that fanatic, she is a
ost soul--she has strayed from the paths
# righteousness, and to show mercy to
ler would be to participate in her guilt.
In this daughter she had hoped to Gre
lte second self-a perpetuation of her
,wn austere bigotry-a mirror in whose
she could worship her own inn
lge.
Frances only consolation was her in |
amt son; Madame Berne would have de-
orived her even Of this had not Mr.. Mo- |
ant interfered, and for once carried his !
'oint. At the end Of three years the |
DOOR girl died Of lingering decline.
When, at the end of his term Of i'm |
the unfortunate husband. |
low thoroughly vicious and hardened, |
anne back to The Willows to claim his |
wife, funeral procession stopped the !
way. An awfui scene ensued; not even
he sacred presence OF the dead could /
heck the wild tempest Of passion that
'urst from the wretched mans lips. He
melt down and cursed the woman the
ause Of all his sufferings. From that
ime he was utterly lost-remorse, con-
cience, every better feeling, were crush-
d out OF his nature.
After the mothers death, the child
gainst whom Madame Berne felt vir-
lent hatred, only exceeded by that
Vhieh she felt for the father-spite OF a
weak opposition on the part Of Mr.. Mo-
ant was banished to the care OF a
iurse. Two years afterwards the poor
title unfortunate was consigned 10 the
Of the Rev. Mr.. Porter.
Madame Berne determined that I'd
yard Morant should never know OF ia