Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-05-30

OF moment, even as he had been
spesking, the scene of GATHERINGS
death rose before her. She under
stood now what those words of ar
guished parting meant She realized
now the meaning of the dying
woman's oft-brekthed question: DO
you love me, Norah. Have been
really like mother to your"
Her head fell upon her hands, and
her bosom heaye-s3 with choking sobs
10 rot cry" sad Guilford Berton.
1T is all so long. ago. Shall go on
she raised ner head and set ner
teeth hard
Yes, go on she sid
Your mother had very little diff
Guilty n winning the countesss for
giyeDess for the concealment she had
been guilty Of, and very soon the
countess grew as fond of the little
CIR. as her own mother was Indeed,
the solitary lady chung to the child
with loving tenderness which seemed
to surpass that of the mother; and
imag ne how easy it was for the
countess to believe that if the child
had been her own and had been born
before the earl and she had separated,
no separation would have taken place.
1t must have occurred to her that If
the esr' could be made to believe that
the child was his own-you see? Yes,
SO these two women conspired in all
Affection the little girl was to be ic-
garded as the daughter of the Count
ess of Arrowdale, and when they left
London and took up their abode in the
country, it was as the young Lady
Norah that the child of Catherine
Woodfern was presented to the world
There was no Emit to GATHERINGS de-
votion; she even relinquished her
child! 1t was very feasible. No one
knew of the marriage excepting the
man Furlong, and he would not have
known of the birth of the child if he
had not CHANGED to meet Catherine in
London before the two women had de-
Ic.ded upon the exchange of mothers,
and heard from her that the lieuten-
ant had daughter.
Norah caught her breath
Her father! He knew--he must
have been written to. flashed through
her mind
Guilford Berton seemed to divine
Yes, the lieutenant would have
known, of course; but unfortunately,
he contracted yellow fever at St
Kits two months after his marriage,
and died there. The man Furlong
was with him when he died There is
the certificate" and he handed her
another paper
Il have nearly come to the end of
my story, Miss Norah' he said, wip-l
ing his bps and eyeing her white face
with a watchful keenness. The plot
was not i bad one. II the earl had
only possessed the smallest of hearts,
the announcements of his child's birth
WON d have touched him and brough.
about reconciliation; but the ear
you knew him ong and intimately
enough to render it unnecessary for
me to say anything further He de-
clined to hold any communication with
his wife; he declined to receive her
back or see the child This was
stirling disappointment, no doubt, and
ii 1t could have been effected, you
would have been restored by the
countess TO your mother and ac-
know;edged as the child of the Wild
ow of Lieutenant Woodfern; but, you
see. that could not be. What was
done could not be undone. The count.
ess had presented you 70 the word
IS the daughter of the Earl of Arrow /
dale, and the daughter of the Ear, of
Arrowdale you had to remain.
don't think 1t mattered very much to
Catherine. perhaps she consoled her.
self for playing the part Of nurse in /
stead of mother by rejecting that her
child would figure as the daughter of
a peer. That is very likely to have |
been her feeling. Anyway, she died /
keeping the secret, and it was buried |
with her. Only one nun could have
revealed the trlth--the sailor. Fur
ong; and he had disappeared, as sail |
ors do. Probably she thought he was
deid. But he is alive; it is from him
that have learned this interesting
story of your birth, and it is In my I
power to compel him to remain ST |
lent or tell the story in court of
law. That the proofs may be COM
plete. have got from him pain
statement of the case; here it is. You
will like to have 1t, have no doubt. /
He crossed over to her and placed
1t between her unresisting fingers.
Then he went back and leaned
against the mantelshelf again. ana /
looked flown at her
Nora4i. with the papers in her
hand, sat with her eyes fixed on the
ground. She was scarcely conscious
OF his presence She was simply
crushed and overwhelmed by the reve-
lation. OF its truth she did rot
doubt for a moment Even II he had
not produced the certificates and othe~
documents, she would have been con-
vinced OF the truth of his story. Cath.
erne's--her mother's--last words