Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-11-12
THE VICTORIOUS vELDT.

THE VICTORIOUS VELDT.
When Gwendoline Raymond-as she
was then-went out to South Africa it
was not with the intention of making a
permanent stay there. She had left sew
eraI broken hearts behind her in Eng
land, one of which, that belonging to
Bob Lacy, she was rather anxious to
come back and mend But unforeseen
circumstances changed her plans In
stead of being allowed to remain with
her married sister and to have a good
! time in Pretoria the doctor immediate
| ly ordered her farther up country to a
| sanatorium, which she found exceed
! ingly dull. She had been there for three
months and had almost bored herself
| to extinction, when a welcome diversion
arrived in the shape of George +yssen-
dale. He had clattered up one morning
| on one of his rare visits to his old
| friend, DR.. Royston, who happened to be
out at the time, and Gwendoline had en-
| tertained him on the veranda till the
doctors return. After that Tyssendale's
visits to the sanatorium became more
frequent, and then more frequent still.
| When Tyssendale asked her to marry
him she made a bonfire of Bob Lacy's
love letters and said yes.
| That was now seven years ago. Tvs
sendaie, as time went on, grew more
fond and more proud of his handsome
wife, Gwendoline. When George No. 2
appeared on the scene, nothing seemed
likely to jeopardize the complete har-
/ mony and mutual understanding be-
| tween husband and wife.
Gwen saw, rightly or wrongly, that
at the bottom of her husbands love
there was great selfishness. She
brooded ON it as great and growing
I grievance. More and more often as
distraction from the gray future, she
allowed her thoughts to stray back to
the rapidly receding splendors of the
past. What centuries it seemed since
| the days of her girlhood! Was there
still-had there ever been-a place called
| London? Were there still theaters. such
as those to which Bobby Lacy had been
in the habit of taking her? Did people
still have, suppeTs at The Carlton, and
was there still punting on Saturday
afternoon at Molesey Lock, with Slim,
white -flanneled young fellows, like Bob
by Lacy, showing their prowess with the
pole? Here she felt an old woman. The
yeldt, with its relentless loneliness, aged
one so quickly And there seemed no
escape from it. When George was old
enough to go to Cambridge 1t began
to dawn upon her that she had made a
bad exchange Had she not paid just a
little too dearly for them with her
youth her liberty?
The question was answered for her
with startling appositeness.
"A gentleman to see you, ma am" the
servant told her as she entered home one
afternoon from a furious cross country
ride.
Bobby" exclaimed Gwen, on seeing
her visitor.
He stood before her, the same slender,
debonair young fellow she remembered.
Only just now he looked rather pale and
his hand trembled perceptibly as it
gripped hers.
a surprise, eh?'' he said with a
touch of his old buoyancy. "You see,
my brother, Sir William is head of a
syndicate to build a now line or rail
fifty miles from here. and he wanted
someone to come here to look after
things. So / volunteered"
Is that really the reason why you
came?" she did not know what prompt
tu utI 70 DISK the question:.
Bob Lacy grew still trihe paler and
hesitated. Then the words broke from
him with rush. oh. hang it all,
cause | wanted to see you. And now
that I've made an mmitigated ass of
myself. I'd better go, eh?'
No; stay" she said quickly. mfr.
TyssendaIe viii be nome presently"
About an hour later Tyssendale came
in. He gave Lacy cordial welcome.
and was delighted to hear that the lat
ter was staying in the neighborhood.
lie would be able to run over now and
then and keep Gwen company, especial
ly as the day after tomorrow he him
self had to leave for the opening of the
Assembly.
Lacy did not fail to take full advan-
tage OF the standing invitation extend
ed TO him. Things were turning ont
rather differently from what he had ex-
peeted. He had in truth intended moth
ing more than to exercise the nagging
memory that had obsessed him all these
years But it was not long before an
astonishing, an intoxicating conviction
came home to him. He was wanted
here.
Yes, she had need of him. In fact. it
was not many days after his arrival
that she told him so in as many words.
Il have nothing to hope for in my
lite, Bob" she said with tense lips.
Look where l will my horizon is
bounded by the veldt. l am doomed in
lifelong exile. Bobby, if you want to do
me favor, get back to England as soon
as you can. The sooner You 90 the
sooner l can begin to fit myself for my
only vocation in life-that if feeling
dead"
Instead of seeing that he was merely
humoring an hysterieal woman he felt
honestly called upon to assert his chiv.
airy. But even now, he hesitated long
before speaking the decisive word. Gwen
looked at him, shocked beyond speech
| d. lao, -, -f,4