Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-08-07

beautiful girl, and / really Ike her
better than any one else in the world
Let me toss rp for it; heads, I marry
her; the reverse, / run away" Then
he carelessly threw up a few small
silver coins. Heads win" said he
with a smile 81 will wait upon the
keeper tomorrow"
And that was the man Magdalen
Hurst idealized and loved.
What passed when Stephen Hurst
called at the cottage. no one ever
knew. When Lord Hutton heard that
his random friend was to marry the
loveliest girl in Scotland, he advised
Miss Erskine to use her influence to
prevent the sacrifice.
Let the girl marry some steady
honest young man in her own station,
he said; "she will have chance OF
happiness then. If she marries
stephen Hurst, she will be wrecked
for life."
Miss Erskine tried her influence
and Sir Ralph and Lady Erskine tried
theirs, but all in vain; when did love
ever listen to reason? Before the
summer ended, beautiful, simple Mag.
dalen Burns became Stephen Hursts
wife.
CHAPTER III.
The hasty, unequal marriage made
no sensation. Few knew anything OF
Mr.. Hurst, except that he was one
of the gentlemen who visited the Hall
The beautiful girl who lived in the
quiet seclusion of 8rypmar woods
was known and admired. No one ex.
pressed any surprise at hearing that
she had married gentleman from
London" One or two simple, honest
young keepers sighed, and wished
they had been more favored by For.
tune. Donald Burns and his wife were
divided between sorrow and joy; -sor.
row at losing the light of their home;
joy that their beautiful daughter had
married a real gentleman, friend OF
Lord Hutton's.
Miss Erskine was the only one who
felt keen, unqualified regret. She had
done her utmost to prevent the mar.
riage. Lord Hutton spoke in such
strong terms of Mr.. Hurst that she
knew it would be better for her fos.
ter-sister to die than to become the
wife of a man utterly reckless and
without principle Even high words
passed between the two, who had
hitherto felt nothing but kindness for
each other Miss Erskine was hurt
and offended that Magdalen should
marry against her will. Magdalen re-
torted that the man she was going
to marry had long been one of Lord
Huttons chosen friends, for which re-
tort the heiress never pardoned her.
Stephen Hurst married the beauti,
full, simple country girl, and took her
to London. He established her in q
third-rate lodging in Pimlico. When
fortune favored him, he supplied her
literally with money; when it frowned
he contented himself by abusing her.
He was not naturally cruel man; he
would never rejoice in torture for
torture's sake, 80 he was selfish and
egotistical, mean and false. AS much
as he could love anything, he loved
the fair, sweet young wife, whose low
ing worship never abated, even when
poverty and want pressed sorely upon
them; and though he cursed her in a
passionate moment for being a tie
upon him, yet he was always to her a
king amongst men. But her dream of
happiness was soon ended. She never
saw Stephen Hurst as he really was,
but she had seen enough to perceive
there was no hope of peaceful or
happy lie with him. In her sweet,
womanly, gent way she tried to re-
monstrate with him, to persuade him
to think of better and higher things,
to teach him some of the sweet and
holy lessons she had learnt in the lit
tie church by Brynmar woods. But
he laughed her to scorn. When in
god humor, he contented himself with
ridiculing everything good and pure;
when angry, he would pour out food
of blasphemous ideas and words that
frightened the gentle girl, who had
been taught to reverence all that he
scoffed and sneered at.
1t was some time before she dis
covered that he had no source of in
come, save what he derived from
gambling and betting. 1t was a bit
ter sorrow to her She implored him
to try some honest method of living;
she offered to work for him; but he
only laughed at ner ideas, and told
her. when he could afford it, he should
open a gambling saloon at home.
Before long he did So and then the
real torture of her life began for Mag
dalen Hurst. The change was cruel,
from the bonnie woods of Brynmar,
from flowers and trees. from the
happy. peaceful cottage life, to the
narrow street, and the close, sitting
rooms of the little house. When the
hot gas was all lighted and no sound