Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-09-01

into the position of her confdant and
friend. From friendship to love was an
easy transition; and few words, spoken
at random during a ramble on an olive
clad hill, bound him to her forever. Those
unprecedented words loosed the fountain
of tears, and he saw the most scornful of
women. the woman who affected an abso-
lutte aversion for his sex, and a contempt
for those weaker sisters who waste their
love upon such vile clay-he saw her
abandon herself to passion of tear at the
first word of affection which he had ever
addressed to her. He had spoken as a
friend rather than as a lover; but those
tears bound him to her for life. He put
his arm around her, and pillowed the
small pale face upon his breast, the dark
imprisoned eyes looking up at him
drowned in tears.
''You should not have said those
words" she sobbed ''You cannot under
stand what it is to have lived as 1 have
lived-a creature apart-unloyed-u
ued. o, is it true?-do you really care
for me?"
with all my heart" he answered, and
in good faith.
His profound compassion took the place
of love; and in that moment he believed
that he loved her as a man should love
the woman whom he chooses for his wife"
They were married within a month
from that March afternoon; and for some
time their married life was happy. He
wished to take her to England, but she
implored him to abandon that idea.
I'm England everybody would want to
know who l am" she said. 81 should
be tortured by questions about my peo-
pie Abroad, society is less exacting"
He deferred to her in this, as he would
have done in any other matter which in
volved her happiness. They spent the
first half year of their married life in de-
sultory wanderings in the Oberland and
the Egadine, and then settled at Nice for
the winter.
Here Mrs. Ransome met Lady Lochin-
var, whom she had known at Florence,
and was at once invited to the Palais
Montana; and here for the first time APP
peared those clouds which were too soon
to darken George Ransome's domestic
horizon.
There were many beautiful women at
~
vivacious Americans, Frenchwomen and
Englishwomen and among so many who
were charming there were some whom
George Ransome did not scruple to adj
mire, with as much frankness as he would
have admired a face by Guido or Raffa-
ellie. He was slow to perceive his wife's
distrust, could hardly bring himself to
believe that she could be jealous of him;
but he was not suffered to remain long
in this happy ignorance. A hysterical
outburst one night after their return from
a ball at the clubhouse opened the hus-
bands eyes. Jealousy stood revealed; and
from that hour the angel of domestic
peace was banished from George Ran
somes hearth.
He struggled against that evil influence.
He exercised patience, common sense, for
bearance but in vain. There were lulls
in the storm sometimes, delusiye Gains.
And then came a worse outbreak more
Mysteries despairing self-abandonment;
threats of suicide. He bore it as long as
he could, and ultimately, his wifes health
offering an excuse for such a step, he
proposed that they should leave Nice and
take a villa in the environs, in some quiet
spot where they might live apart from all
society.
Vivien accepted the proposition with
rapture; she flung herself at her hus-
bands feet and covered his hands with
fearful kisses.
"Oh, if | could but believe that you
still love me, that you are not weary of
ne ~ she exclaimed, II should be the hap
uyOooaD ir,
They spent week of halcyon peace,
driving about in quest Of their new home.
They explored the villages within ten
miles of Nice, they breakfasted at vii
lage restaurants, in the sunny March
noontide. and finally they settled upon a
villa at ST. Jean, within an hours drive
of the great white city, and to this new
home they went at the end of the month
after bidding adieu to their friends in
Nice.