Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-10-16

who had always felt that her father
belonged to her alone. Mr. Warren
and his wife went abroad shortly after
their marriage, and have not yet re-
turned. Helen is living with her aunt,
Mrs. Gordon, and l believe has been
with her ali the summer She is
sweet girl-but do not let us talk any
more tonight, or rather this morning.
Good-by, Jack, and thanks for your
valuable assistance"
I said "good-by," and went home to
my bachelor quarters to dream of
Hartville and a slender figure dressed
in pink cotton.
called at Mrs Gordon's in few
days, when had the pleasure of see
ing both the lady and her niece, and
week later l was asked to dine with
them. | accepted the invitation and
called afterward not once, but many
time, and so the months went by, and
one bright spring day 1 found myself
wondering whether it were possible
for man to be in love with two wo-
men at once. l began to appreciate
that | was possessed by a feel1rS Of
restlessness when away from HeieS
Warren, and yet found il impOssiiSS;s
to Danish from my heart the tender
ness which I felt for Miss Lee.
One evening, early in June, called
at Mrs. Gordon's and found Helen sit
ting alone in the twilight
Uncle and aunt are dining out"
she explained when we had exchanged
the usual greetings
did not say that I was sorry;
was particularly glad, and before half
an hour had gone by I had mustered,
up courage and asked the woman 4
loved to marry me.
She gave me a hesitating little
''yes," and then kissed her to pre-
vent her taking it back again.
Jack, said Helen, suddenly, when
we had talked over the future that
we were to spend together, were you
ever in love with anyone else?"
I had made up my mind that there
should be no secrets between us, so
holding her hand in mine and looking
into her laughing eyes l confessed
the little episode of the previous sum.
mer.
care you quite sure that there was
never anybody else?" she asked, when
my story had come to an end.
Quite" I answered honestly.
Il think we might have lights now =
she said, rising and going toward the
door, through which she disappeared.
A servant came in presently and
lighted the gas, and then I fell to
dreaming and wondering why Helen
did not come back.
The sound of step on the carpet
caused me to look up, and there adj
vancing toward me 1 saw-not Helen
but Miss Lee in her sailor hat, her
gray veil and pink cotton gown.
] felt for moment that | must be
dreaming, but a merry laugh which
sounded very real fell upon my ear,
and the next moment the veil was
lifted and Helens blue eyes were look
ing into mine and she was saying:
Il am SO glad that there is no one
Tut Miss Lee for me to be jealous Of
"You see | have horribly jealous
disposition" she began in answer to
my request for an explanation, "and
after papa married again l was
wretchedly unhappy, and hated my
stepmother with a hatred that was
only equaled by her detestation of
me. When she and my father returned
home after their marriage 1 tried
very hard to be agreeable to her, but
she asserted her authority over me in
such disagreeable way that one day
| lost control of my temper md we
had dreadful scene. Papa Lcard all
about it when he came home that
evening, and the end of it was that l
was told the following day to have
my things packed, as / was going
away for the summer. | had expected
to go abroad with my father, as we
had done SO many summers before,
and was therefore a little surprised
when he told me that I was going to
pass the summer at a farmhouse in
Vermont.
My stepmother's maid travelled
with me to Hartville, and saw me set
tied with the Bennets, a miserly old
farmer and his wife The latter, |
soon discovered, was sort of connec-
ton Of my stepmother's.
''The day upon which | first saw
you | had put on this thick veil as a
protection against the mosquitoes,
which always swarmed about a GER
tain marshy place where I sometimes
went for wild flowers. Almost as soon
as you got up and came toward me |
recognized your face. Although we
had never met I had often seen you in
town during the previous winter, and
thinking it quite probable that we
might meet some day, and not caring
to appear to you in the light Of
naughty child who was being pun
ished for its misdeeds, I kept my face
concealed at our subsequent inter
views.
When I told YOU thai my name was
Lee | did not tell an untruth, for it
is my middle name. 7 suppose it was
very wrong of mo Ia have made n