Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-01-27

does let me meet it like man and
overcome it."
Then, with fervent good night,
which Stella alas, could not hear, he
went away moodily, scaled the park
ratings and returned to the Hut.
1t was fearfully cold, the lights
save those in his own room-were ex-
tinguished, the whole place was in
tenseIy silent.
He wentto bed. but not to sleep,
the presentiment took larger form In
the darkness and haunted him like a
ghost, and whenever he woke, with a
start, some voice from within him
which seemed rather to come out of
the darkness around him-wailed in
harmony with the wind:
Loves pride must surely have its
fall,
And futile hoping be forgot"
The first love letter generally
brings sweet delight. Stella's first
love letter, joyfully as she had well
coined it, brought her an indescrib-
able pain. There was a void in her
heart before. She had received it, and
it made the void seem greater, instead
of filling it as it should have done.
There was something almost unsatis-
flying; although its professions of de-
votion were passionate and frequent
enough, they seemed hollow and arti-
fetal. Louis did not talk so, it was Ut
terly unlike him, and it fretted her
| to find his first letter so unlike what
she expected it would be. Then again
| it spoke of danger, of a palpable dread
of some scheme of Sir Richards and
contained that request which would
entail danger to her fair fame and
name if she granted it. Meet him at
night in the dark!
Her cheek paled and her heart
sank at the idea.
In the first place how could she
leave. the house undetected? In the
next place, some of the servants or
villagers might see her and recognize
her well-known figure, disguise and
| muffie as she might, while she was
on her way; and, lastly how could she
hope to re-enter the house unnOticed?
But love laughs at Iocksmiths, anO
Stella, once more kissing the letter.
hid it in her bosom and determined to
obey her lovers wish, cost her what
it might. And from the moment she
had so determined a presentiment
near akin to that which had fallen up
on Louis, settled upon her, and sleep
ing or waking she dreamed of nothing
| but ILL
Until the influence of that threaten
ing mood she had sung the song Louis
| had heard and sighed at; under the
same heaviness She waited feverishIy
for the hour which the letter had ap
pointed
It came, and chance, which brings
about SO much good and evil, upon
whose touch weak MINDS trembIe
stood her friend-or enemy.
Mrs. Newton, complaining of a bad
| headache, which she had brought on
by worrying herself over the stew
ards books in fit OF parsimony, re
tired to her room, thinking Stella was
safe for the night, and determined
that she would take her to town on
the morrow.
| Stella stole up to her room anO
slipped into furs. Very beautiful was
the picture which the mirror present
ed to her gaze when she stood before
| it, till with infleXibIe prudence she
/ threw a large waterproof over the
whole, drew the hood over her head
and-still pretty. despite the inart1s
tic wrap-quietIy stole downstairs
again, taking the key in her pocket
She was compelled to wait behind d
statue of sleeping satyr upon the
stairs until a footman, who was re
moving the last service Of the din
ner from the hall, had finished his
task, and even then narrowly escap
ing detection, for the man came back
for d forgotten epergue just as the
door closed behind her
To be continued.