Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-04-11
When Wilderness Was King
Continued from page ~

tnOugnt L QlQ, Dul SHe mas CHdngtu 81
greatly in the last few days that l am
hardly sure Do you still greatly wish
to find this Elsa Matherson?"
"To find herr" and | gazed about me
incredulously into those fitting shadows
where the waves raced by. "Ay, for 1
have dreamed of her as of a lost sister,
and it will sadly grieve those at home to
have me return thus empty-handed. Yet
the thought is foolishness, Mademoiselle,
and understand not why you should mock
me So"
She drew closer, in the gentle caressing
way she had, and found my disengaged
hand, her sweet face held upward 50 that
| could mark every changing expression.
"Never in my useless life was [ farther
removed from any spirit of mockery,"
she insisted, soberly; "for never before
have | seen the presence of God SO clearly
manifest in His mysterious guidance of
men. You, who sought after poor Elsa
Matherson in this wilderness, looking
perchance for helpless orphan child,
have been led to pluck me in safety out
from savage hands, and yet never once
dreamed that in doing so you only full
filled your earlier mission"
l stared at her, grasping with difficulty
the full significance of her speech.
"Your words puzzle me-"
"Nay, they need not" and I caught the
sudden glitter of tears on her lashes;
''for l am Elsa Matherson."
"You? you?" and [ crushed her soft
hand within my fingers, as [ peered for
ward at the quickly lowered face. "Why,
you are French, Mademoiselle, and of a
different namew
She glanced up now into my puzzled
face, bit shyly, yet with some of the old
ROBUSTNESS visible in her eyes.
"ATy mother was indeed French, but
my father was an American soldier" she
said rapidly, as if eager to have the ex-
PLANTATION ended. E'You never asked my
name, save that one night when we first
met amid the sand, and then | gave you
only that by which [ have been most
widely known. None except my father
ever called me Elsa; to all others [ was
always Toinette. But [ am Roger
Mathersons only child"
1t was clear enough now, and the decep-
ton had been entirely my own, rendered
possible by strange chances of commission,
by rare negligence of speech = aided by
my earlier impression that she whom I
sought was a mere child.
"And twas Sister Celeste who told you
whom | sought ;" asked, for lack of Cour-
age to say more.
eyes, tonight, while we waited for you
beside the ruins of the old factory. Oh,
how far away it all seems now!" and she
pointed backward across the waters.
"Poor, poor girl! Poor Captain de Croix
Oh, it is all so sad, SO unutteraby sad to
me! | knew them both 50 we'll, Monsieur"
hand, staring out into the night, and
speaking almost as if to herself alone !;
t'yet | never dreamed that he was noble
man of France, or that he had married
Marie Faneuf. She was so sweet a girl
then - and now to be buried alive in that
wilderness! Think you that he truly
loved herr"
Il almost have faith that he did, Made
moiselle," l answered gravely. "He was
greatly changed from his first sight of her
face, though he was a difficult man to
gauge in such matters. There was a time
when l believed him in love with you"
She tossed her head.
"Nay," she answered, che merely
thought he was, because he found me hard
to understand and difficult of conquest
but twas little more than his own vanity
that drew him hither. l trust it may be
the deeper feeling that has taken him back
now in face of death to Marie"
"You have indeed proved hard to
understand by more than one" Iventured,