Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-07-02


hing to have escaped being present
at this scene.
Z" 'Stop. cried Ruth, and with one
bound she was at my side. You are
not to run away, my love. 1t is you
whom be loves with all the ardor OF
a timid youth, Stay here! 1t is you
I have to thank for all have endured,
you alone have turned his heart from
it if you can, you naughty
''She dragged me into the middle OF
the room, and flung my hand from hel
as If there were poison on the fingers.
81 was so stunned that could not
answer; my eyes glanced appealingly
round and rested on Frau Won Ben
deleben's Mortified face.
g You can SANDER me, Ruth, as
much as you like said Eberhardt at
this moment, but do not drag limo
cent persons into this unhappy
affair
Innocent cried Ruth. 1t was in
dream, no doubt, that she wrote you
letters? It was in a dream that she
sent you her picture? There, mother,
you can see how innocent she isl she
cried, throwing down a package OF
letters On the table before the bar
oness. Look at that; 1 found it when
he forgot to take the key out of his
writing-desk yesterday. And here is
the picture that took out Of his note
book, and which gave me the first
proof of his infidelfty; and now you
can understand the unhapprness OF my
life with him
'Gretchen!' shrieked Frau Won
Bendeleben. in a tone that cut me to
the heart, so reproachful, so heart
broken it sounded. l was still staring
vacantly at the letters which Frau vo-
Bendeleben took up, one by one. Your
Margaret she read from the sigma
ture of one of them, and again she
said, in the same heart-broken tone:
Gretchen, have we deserved this of
you@
No mamma Eberhardt said, in
terrupting the dreadful pause which
ensued for moment, do not Judge
too quickly. First listen to me; and
you, too, papa; do not look SO angry
with Margaret-the affair is not what
you think. The letters and the picture
do not prove any broken faith, for
they were written before Ruth re-
turned to you as a widow and this
Ruth knows only too well. knew she
was quite capable Of trumping up
something to give all possible eclat
to a separation from me, and I, too, de-
sire to make an end of this wretched-
ness; but that she should bring for
ward such ground as this is an act
of treachery that I should not have
loked for in the mother of my child
MOI cried Ruth; don't believe it,
mamma; he has thought of her day
and night; he has always worn her
picture next to his heart, and he has
always been harsh and unkind to me.
Is not that infidelity?'
Ruth, cannot use all the weap-
ons at my disposition in my own de-
fence in the presence of this young
girl interrupted Eberhardt by God!
you had not better provoke me 100 far.
Remember how you have made my
life a hell upon earth in every res
pect! Remember what a careless mo-
Their you have been to your child! God
knows have done all in my power to
keep the peace, but often it was be-
yond my strength
" Margaret cried the baron, in a
hoarse ard unkind voice, Margaret,
did you really wife those letters?'
Yes, wrote them I said huskily
putting my hands before my eyes.
Tell me, child he cried, more Sc
verely, what you were thinking of
when you did it? How happens it that
you, whom I always thought a sensible
modest girl, could correspond with
Won Eberhardt?'
81 was silent. I could not speak the
truth, and prove him to have been
faithless to me. Frau Won Bendeleben
got up, and, casting cold. co1temp-
tuous glance at me, she left the room
I am very sorry, Gretchen re-
sumed the baron, TO hear such a re-
port of you. l can understand things
better now-your dislike to Pastor
Renner, your agitation when Ruth be-
came engaged. 1t was very wrong of
Eberhardt to forget the position you
occupied in this house, and to put such
ideas in your head, as if you were a
0ppTty- 1ody'S mold INC oF
daughters friend. 1t was not honor.
able in him. You see, now, what I'M
happy consequences it has had
Pardon me, papa said Ebeihardt,
you are judging too severely. l have
never for a moment thought of Frau
Elm Siegismund in the way you mean
Margaret was engaged to me, here
his voice trembled-'and would just
as surely have married her as I did
marry Ruth, had not certain things
been told to me which I was weak
enough to believe, and which caused
ne to break an engagement which no
longer seemed worthy Of me-
" Engaged to you?' cried the baron.
Is if he could not take in what was
said so calmly.
I said So he repeated again.
She is engaged to me, and there is
nothing at all wrong about the let
,ers.'
a." There, you see, papa, she was
to himn laughed Ruth, go
ing up to her astonished father, while
!. trembling in every limb, chung con-
vulsively to the arm of a chair. A
feeling as if the springtime were COM
ing again came over me, in spite of