The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1905-05-12
\ Bound by a Spell /

from college to his stately
home. But great change has come over
that home since he saw 1t last. His
noble, loving mother is dead. His father
has returned to The Willows; but not
alone. Two strangers-ladies-hav ac-
him from Switzerland-Mad-
anne Berne and her daughter. 1t 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
over Mr.. Morant's mind,
weakened as 1t is by the affection 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 over
him and the household.
From the moment she is first introduce
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, Is
repulsive to her gloomy soul. There is
soon open war between them. But Ed
ward is no match for his powerful ad-
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 1t not for one all-powerful at
isaac he nvvitto1 II LONG
ago.
Berne's daughter, 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
rage. They are quietly married Mt
suburban church, and return to The Will
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. but
he has no home to take her to-he Is
penniless and an outcast. She is kent
close prisoner-he will never see her
face again.
Very soon he falls into vageLondage,
and, gnawed by the burning sense of the
wrong that has been done him-savage-
ly reckless, from vagabondage he sinks
into crime, becomes implicated, through
his associates. in a robbery, and is con-
demned 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.
, In the eyes of that fanatic, she is a
lost soul-she has strayed from the paths
of righteousness, and to show mercy to
her would be to participate in her guilt.
In this daughter she had hoped to Gre
ate a second self-a perpetuation of her
own austere bigotry-a mirror in whose
| reflection she could worship her own inn
age.
Frances only consolation was her in
FAINT son; Madame Berne would have de-
prived her even of this had not Mr.. Mo.
rant interfered, and for once carried his
point. At the end of three years the
poor girl died Of a lingering decline.
| When, at the end Of his term of i'm.
prisonment, the unfortunate husband
now thoroughly vicious and hardened
came back to The Willows to claim his
wife, a funeral procession stopped the
way. An awful scene ensued; not ever
the sacred presence of the dead could
check the wild tempest Of passion thai
burst from the wretched mans lips. H,
knelt down and cursed the woman tn,
cause of all his sufferings. From thai
time he was utterly lost-remorse, con
science, every better feeling, were crush
ed out of his nature.
After the mothers death, the child
against whom Madame Berne felt a vir
ulent hatred, only exceeded by tina
which she felt for the father-spite of I
weak opposition on the part of Mr.. Mo
rant, was banished to the care Of ,
nurse. Two years afterwards the poo
little unfortunate was consigned to tn,
guardianship Of the Rev. Mr.. Porter.
Madame Berne determined that Ed
ward Morant should never know OF it
existence, neither should the child b.
made acquainted with its parentage. Be
fore it left the care of the nurse a frient
of the lovers, and who frequently pait
a secret visit to the child. sewed up il
its frock locket containing its mother
portrait and a lock Of her hair, addinl
thereto the scrap of writing which Mont
gomery had now SO strangely discov
cred. The locket had been given her b,
poor Frances on her deathbed. 1t wa
all she could do-dared do. Slight a
was the link. 1t might one day prove use
full to the boy in establishing his iden
| tity.
When, after his death, Mr.. Morant'
will was opened, Madame Berne was dis
covered to have inherited his estate an
fortune; but attached was codicil of
: very recent date, making chargeable ur
on the same an annuity Of $500 a yea
r