Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-01-25


girl had before long made the affair
seem heartless tragedy. and for two
miserable years George Hayden had
been haunted by it,
There was 40 doubt that he had
made love, generally with gay noncha,
lance, occasionally with fervor. to Kate
Moon of Mossdyke farm. 1t was dur
ing that summer when he was off fish
Ing in Devon, and the weather was be
yond eproach-except for fishing.
The trout would not bite, and Kate
Moon was beautiful, tall and black,
haired. with complexion of the pro-
verbal Devon milk and roses; a mag
nifieent passionate, impulsive girl.
Hayden dallied beside her day after
day; he liked watching the proud droop
of her lashes, and the deeper color
creep into and fade out of her healthy
cheeks. 1t was an artistic pleasure to
him to see her coming toward him in
her lilac cotton gown-she always
wore lilac cotton gowns unlike any one
else's, full gathered and dainty, with a
bordering of palest pink round hem
and waist; the effect was one of laven.
der and roses.
To Kate it was more than an artistic
pleasure to see Hayden coming toward
her; it was a tumult of fierce delight.
She loved this man, who looked at her
with gay admiration; his very noncha.
lance fascinated her, his compliments
were as VOWS of love, his moments OF
fervor were ecstacy.
1t was when the rector come back
after his holiday, bringing with him his
sister, his niece, and-quite by coinci-
jence-a college friend of Hayden,
that mischief began; and it began with,
out delay, for the college friend, recog.
nizins Hayden in the village, intro
duced him to the rectory party, and
Hayden promptly fell in love, genuine.
ly and passionately this time, with
Sybil Dove, the rector's niece.
1t did not take Kate Moon long,
either, to see her doom. Hayden, it is
true was little troubled at first, but
that was merely annoyance with him.
self for the careless way in which he
had talked love-''desecrated" he
called it-with village girl: but he
did not dream of the manner in which
Kate would take it.
Kate took it badly.
No one but Hayden and Kate herself
knew of that terrible night of recrim-
ination when the moon shone down on
the final meeting in Dalling wood
By the next night Hayden had left
the village; by the next Sunday Kate
Moon had left the world; she had
drowned herself in the river-the pref
ty river where the trout hau fought shy
of Hayden's rod and line. And Hay
den began that terrible two years with
the sight of the girl constantly before
his eyes, in her lilac gown, with the
rose-pink bands about her waist anu
hem, and with her last words in his
ears: "Tell her about me, and see
what she'll say to your love! Tell her,
| say, or I'll curse you to your very
marriage day!-aye, to our very death
bed I'll walk, and sit, and stand be.
tween you, and you shall never bide In
peace!"
Then what had seemed but a sum-
mer's filtration shocked Hayden, as a
heartless tragedy, and grew and grew
into his life till he became to himself
sort of banned wanderer.
And about two years later Hayden
met Sybil Dove in Rome, and for the
first time the wretchej tragedy became
less important, and his heart leaped.
He could see, too, that Sybil was happy
to meet him.
For weeks he summed himself In joy.
and tried to Danish Kate. Then one
day he faced the ghost and reasoned
with himself in logical, sensible man,
ner, and his state of mind became
more normal, and he asked himself
why he should not be happy.
Next morning, on the hill, he broke
into the first love words he had uttered
since he dawdled with Kate by the
Devonshire river.
Il love you!" he cried out, as he and
Sybil sat resting in the MONDAY. "Sy-
bill can't live without you, | have
hungered for you since first met you
two years ago!"
oyDI. did not retort. Then why
didn't you say so?" She limited moth
ing of her own pain at that time. Her
eyes were blind with tears, which Hay
den saw.
Neither asked the other why this
love should be eclared and received
in this passionately sorrowful fashion
81 love you, tool" she said, simply,
when she could find voice. And Hay
den held her in his arms for a raptur
GUS moment.
When ne glanced up, his arms Sail
about ler, girl was passing along the
hill below-a dark-haired girl in lilac
gown. 1t was, of course, merely Co
incidence.
Hayden shivered and loosed his
clasp. The old haunted feeling had
returned. He had an impulse to tell
Sybil the whole wretched story, but IL
would be 8 gloomy beginning to the
first hour OF his new happiness. Be.
sides which Mrs. Dove came into sight
at the moment.