Washington State journal and Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-30
The Minister'S Wife
BY MRS. HENRY WOOD

seem to fear, l think 1t hardly likely. If
she does, he must put her down. Ever
your loving son,
HENRY"
Yes, did write to Henry, mamma !;
did ask him not to give the living to
Mr.. Baumgarten," avowed Grace, with
passionate emphasis, when questioned, her
cheeks afame, for the subject excited and
tried her. my reason was that con-
slider him an unft" man to hold It."
why, 1t was at your request that
asked Henry to give 1t to Mr.. Baumgar-
ten; you let me have no peace until
consented" retorted Lady Avon.
But, after reflection, came to the
conclusion that ought not to have press
ed IT.; that he ought net to have it, and
would not do it; and the shortest way to
mend the matter was by writing to Harry.
That's ALL"
Lady Avon glanced keenly at her daugh-
ter. She was mentally asking herself
what 1t all meant--the burning face, the
tone sharp as a knife and telling Of
pain, the capricious conduct in regard to
the preferment. But she could not tell !;
she might have her suspicious, and very
ridiculous suspicious, too, not at all to be
entertained; but she could not tell.
Il am sorry that daughter of mine
should have condescended to behave 50 !;
you best know what motive prompted 1t,
Grace. To bestow a living and then
snatch 1t away again in caprice Is sheer
child's play. 1t will be a cruel blow to
Ryle Baumgarten."
A cruel blow it was. Lady Avon turn
ed 10 her desk after speaking these words
to her daughter, and began a note to the
young clergyman, feeling very much hum
bled in mind as she wrote it. In the most
plausible way she could, lame way at
best, she apologized for the mistake which
had been made, adding she hardly knew
whether it might be attributed to her son,
to herself, or to both, and pleaded for Mr..
Baumgarten's forgiveness. This note she
dispatched by her footman to Wilton
cottage.
MI. Baumgarten CHANGED to be stand
ing in the houses little hall as the man
approached. He received the note from
him.
us there any answer to take back,
sir? My lady did not say"
"Sit down, Robert"
Shutting himself into his study, he
opened the note. For few happy mo-
ments--if moments Of suspense ever can
be happy-he INDUCED in a vision that
all might still be right; that the note was
to tell him SO. 1t was short, filling only
one side Of the paper, and he stood while
he read it.
Before he had quite come to the end,
before he had we'll gathered in its pur-
port, a shock, singular In Its effects,
struck Mr.. Baumgarten. Whether his
breath stopped, or the circulation of his
heart stopped, or the coursing of his
pulses stopped, he could not have told, but
he sank down in chair powerless, the
letter falling on the table from his nerve
less hand. A strange, beating movement
stirred him inwardly, his throat was gasp
ing, his eyelids were futtering, a sick
falntness had seized upon him.
But that he struggled against 1t with
desperate resolution, he believed he should
have tainted. Once before he had felt
something like this, when he was an I'M
dergraduate at Oxford, and he had been
rowing against time to win match. They
said then, those around him, that he had
over-exercised his strength. But he had
not been exercising his strength now, and
he was far worse this time than he had
been then.
He sat perfectly still, his arms support
ed BY the elbows Of the chair, and recov-
cred by degrees. After a bit, he took up
Lady Avon's note to read 1t more fully,
and then he knew and realized that all,
to which he had been 50 ardently looking
forward, was at an end.
"Her ladyship's notice does not require
an answer, Robert" he said with appar-
ent GOODNESS. "How is she to-day"
"Middling, sir. She seemed much up
set this morning, Charity told US, By
letter she got from his lordship in Lon
don," added Robert. Good day, SIR"
Mr.. Baumgarten nodded in answer. He
stood at ths door looking out, apparently
watching the man away. The sun was
shining in Ryle Baumgarten's face. but
the sun which had been latterly shining
on his heart, Illuminating it with colors
Of the brightest and sweetest fancy--that
sun seemed to have set forever.