Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1907-10-10
CHAPTER discontinued.


ued Sir Mark, 'I received the letter
which was found upon her the night
she was carried into the workhouse
In which she died"
"She was your wife, Mark. She hao
your child with her, and yet she sank
to such depth of poverty as to die
in q workhouse. Oh, it is too terrible!
What could have been her motive in
enduring such misery, such privation,
as she must have known?"
"She was mad, Janet. The insanity
which made her hate me, which made
her leave me as she did, must have in
creased and made her the physical and
mental wreck she was when she died.
Only that can account for woman
who had every right to claim a sub
stantiaI allowance from me choosing
to lead the life of a homeless vaga-
bond, a common tramp"
Poor creature!" exclaimed Lady
Buckingham, with shudder Il ought
to hate her for the wrong she did you,
but 1 cannot. only pity her. But
how did you hear of her death? How
did you make sure of it?'
"The letter the workhOuse authOri-
ties found upon her was addressed to
me. Before she died she requested
that it should be forwarded. When |
came to England 1 went to the work
house with my solicitor and made ev-
cry inquiry. I found that the unhappy
woman had given her real name, and
in that name she had been buried"
"And the letter?'
Sir Mark went to his bureau, I'M
locked it, and from drawer took an
old letter.
''Read it, he said, handing it to his
wife. See what she says
Lady Brettingham endeavored to
read the faded letter that was the trag-
edy of her husbands life. But her
tears Overcame her.
'You read it to me-" she said, eff
If you think it right that l should
know"
Sir Mark took the letter from his
wife's trembling hand and read it
aloud to her. Now and again his
voice faltered, but he went on bravely
to the end:
81 left you because [ hated you. l
brought our child with me, and in time
got to hate the boy because he was
yours. When 1 had no money left of
my own I would not ask for yours. One
night I slept in a barn. In the morn
ing the farmers wife came and saw
how i'll and weak [ was. She gave me
food and milk and pitied the little one.
When she had gone | went away and
left the child. am now dying and you
will never see me again. That won't
trouble you. But you may trouble
about the boy. He is your son and you
are proud, and l have left him to die
or to be taken by the parish. That is
my revenge"
Lady Buckingham turned away
with a shudder. Don't read any
more" she said; 'she was cruel Wo-
mani"
Cruel and unjust" said the baronet,
with a sigh. my marriage with her
was a terrible mistake. She was mad
when she left me. Her conduct after
ward was that of a mad woman. Her
revenge as she calls it, was the re-
Venge of insanity"
"And the boy-you did not trace him
when you came to England?"
mo. It must have been some time
previous to her death that she aban-
doned him. She mad not told the
workhouse people anything of that
part of her story. She had been wan
dering over England like common
tramp for months. When my leave had
expired, and [ had to return to India
for time, left my solicitors to make
inquiries, but they found out nothing.
The boy was i'll and weak when he
was abandoned-he may have died
soon afterward. If he grew up he
may have inherited his mothers faint
he may now be in lunatic asylum"
"He is dead, or his solicitors would
have found some trace"
SCI believe he is dead. For Harold's
sake-for yours, JANET hope so.
When I married you and began a new
and happy life, [ put the memory of
the past from me. But nOw-now that
within few weeks, if my life is not
spared, Harold will take my title and
succeed me here, I feel bound to make
one more effort to ascertain the fate
of my elder son-the boy who, if he
has lived to manhood, is now my heir"
Lady rockingham sighed ooh,
Mark!" she said cit is bitter enough
to think of what you have to go
through, without having this terrible
uncertainty about Harold to bear I
shall never know moments peace
until the fate of Mark Buckingham is
proved beyond doubt"
"Janet. 1 would have spared you
this; l would have left the dead past
buried. But since | have been i'll
have been haunted by fear that after
my death some one might come for
ward-that the whole miserable story
might be told in a way to shame you
and Harold. I want him to be able
to say, whatever happens, that we
spared no effort to make sure that JUS
tice should be DONE"
A servant entered the room and
handed his master a card. Sir Mark
looked at it and his pale face flushed.
'I will see him here" he said
Then he turned to his wife, "This
is the agent who has had the matter
in hand lately. Perhaps we shall hear
something definite from him at last.
Whatever the news is, Janet, I will
bring it to you directly the man has
gone"
CHAPTER III.