Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-05-31

AS he ascends the stairs, slowly. and
with the tagging step of a man ex-
hausted by some unusual exrtion. his
valet meets him. and makes way for
him with a scared face. He is an old
servant ANA a privileged one. Long
years of service and almost COM
partnership have created an affection
ate devotion on the one part, and a
strong liking and esteem on the other
Seeing mis- master with his white
haggard face and weary gait, the
man stops and speaks:
Are you i'll. Sir Heron?"
No, Parks, am not i'll. is the re-
ply. AT least, think mott think
not 1 may have taken a chill"
Parks turns at once and offers his
arm.
"A warm bath, Sir Heron.?"
Heron smiles.
Il don't think that would do me any
good, Parks" he says Don't worry
Il am all right. I'll ring if l want
anything"
Parks goes down reluctantly, and
Heron goes on his way.
Indeed, it seems as if Sir Heron
had spoken the truth. He feels like
a man who has taken sudden chill
A fire burns in his dressing-room
and he draws ac hair up to it. and sit
ting down, leans forward, clasping his
hands and staring at the blaze.
And as he stares, the lowing logs
take the shape of the two faces-the
strange man's-the futigive sand
the face of the girl-so fair so false
who in few short weeks has crept
into his heart but to make it desolate,
and in the cracking of the wood he
hears their notes.-the soft, sweet,
clear voice revealing her own treach-
cry and proclaiming her own guilt.
Sir Heron had had several bad quar-
ters of an hour-one when he lost
three thousand pounds at ecarte to
Sir Jellaby Jinks Of the Blues, at the
night after the Leger when, having
/ backed his horse heavily, it came in a
/ lad third and still another. when he
/ learned from delicate little missive,
Gaintily scented. that Madamoiselle
/ i2lage-with whom he at that time
considered he had lost his heart-haI
gone off with old Lord Mountfarrel
3ut this--this is the worst quarter
| of al hour he ever spent One hopes
| to win, but is not much surprised at
losing at cards; horses, even favorites,
! sometimes miss the winning post and
ladies of the Madamoiselle Lalage
temperament are proverbia1ly tickle
j and uncertain.
/ But when man gives his heart to
young girl in the full confidence of
having won her pure. unstinted love
/ in return-when, in short, a man like
Sir Heron meets and loves a girl like
! May, he feels that he has secured for
/ himself a treasure about which there
| is neither uncertainty nor ficIleness. /
He had thrown his old life-a Wild
unsatisfactory life-behind him, cast
It away, and buried it utterly, ana had
given himself utterly and unrpserved-
~ to this first love he had ever felt.
Until this moment he had never
known how deeply and intensely he
had loved her. With the poet he
could declare:
Il never knew how dearly loved thee
Till lost thee"
She had become within those few
days the be-all and end-all of his life |
He would have maintained her abso-
lutte honesty and goodness against all
corners, and now.
Il was bad quarter of an hour!
The last Pickering embers fading
into the darkness of the room aroused
him.
With something that is half sigh,
half a bitter laugh. he arose and went
down the corridor to his mothers
room.
Something told him that she would
be awake
With sentler summons than usual
he knocked at the door. and entered.
His conjecture was right-Lady
LetchforG was sitting before the fire,
very much as he had been doing.
She was enwrapped in a three-fold
Gressing-gown. with a hood that drew
over her head.
Heron. is it you?" she said.
II was many years since he had
come to her thus. He used 10 come to
her in this way when he was a boy.
and in some boyish trouble, wanting
advice and money, frequently the
ter.
is it you, Heron?" she asked
1T is /, mother. he said
she locked up as he came to the
fire, and seeing his face in the light
Of the solitary candle. she started as
Rose Vavasour Rad started.
Are Won better, mother?" he said. /
leaning against the mantel-shelf, and
looking down Mt her
Yes: am better" she said. MY +
head still aches. Bu--but. why are
YOU 50 late?"
For though We nave spoken of a .
quarter Of an hour, Sir Heron had real /
" been sitting some hours over he
fire.
Il ain rather wakeful, mother. he /
answered.
Yes" she said. interrogatiyely. +
You have not come to quarrel with
ne, Heron?'
No"
No. do not c8nrot bear thai you
and ! should quarrel Anything rather
than that. / would give way, sacrifice
anything rather than that, and--and
I have, b,ae, +bipl-ipr Cvo- q oua