Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1913-10-29
cHSPTER III.
Love.

married Lionel Trevor in the days
when he looked like god as ParsifaI,
sang like On angel, had Europe at his
feet. Something wrong with Eu-
rope" is Jesse's comment West of
the Rockies we don't use such, except
to sell their skins"
When Lionel lost his voice-more
to him than are horse and gun to
Jesse-he would not ask me to follow
him into the wilderness but tried TO
persuade me to stay on in London.
was singing "Eurydice" In "Orfeo.
my feet, thanks to Lionel, were at last
on the great ladder. and if was am
bilious. who shall blame me? Yet
for better, for worse. we were mar
ried, and here among the pines, in
this celestial air. year or two at
the most would give him back his
voice. Ny place was at his side, for
better or worse, and when he drank,
when day by day | watched the light
OF reason give place in his eyes to
bestial vice. until at last / found my
self chained to a maniac-till death do
US part--it was then l first saw Jesse,
the one man whose eyes showed I'M
derstanding.
can't write about that day when
Lionel thing possessed of devils,
hunted me through the woods like a
bear. ! doubt If / remember all that
happened l must have been crazed
with pain and fear until suddenly
woke up on a boulder by that awful
river, and saw him drift past me,
caught in the rapids, drowning. /
would have shouted l was SO glad,
until he saw me, and dying as he was,
looked at me with LioneIs clear sarc
eyes
/ tainted, and when l awoke again
in the dusk, Jesse bent over me.
That night and for three weeks aft
erward, / lay delirious. At the ferry
mans cabin he made me a bed of
pine boughs, until my household stun
and the Chinese servant could be
brought down from the ranch He
sent Surly Brown to bring Doctor Nc
Gee. and the Widow O'F1ynn as my
nurse. while her son Billy was hired
to do his pack-train work. From that
time onward the pack outfit carried
cargoes Of ore from the mine, and
loads from Hundred Mile House of
every comfort and luxury which
money could buy for me- When / got
well, found that Jesse had spent the
savings of years, and had not a dol
lar left.
When at last crept out of doors
to bask in the autumn sunlight, the
cottonwoods and aspens were changed
to lemon, the sumac to crimson, the
fallen needles of the pines clothed
the slopes with orange, and mist of
milky blue lay in the canon.
Jesse had arranged with lawyers for
the probate of Lionel's will. and set
Element of his debts, which would
leave me nothing. As far as Jesse
knew, | was penniless and to this
day | have never dared acknowledge.
that, secured from the extravaganza
of my late husband have capital
bringing in some seven thousand five
hundred dollars a year Jesse sup
posed me TO be destitute and when
spoke of returning to my work =
Europe, offered to raise tho money for
my passage. Knowing his ranch to
be mortgaged already to its full value.
| wondered what limit there was to
this poor mans valor Yes. | would
accept, assuring him of swift repay
.aent, yet dared lot tell him the
wages offered me at Covent Garden.
1t seemed indecent that a woman's
voice should be valued at more per
week than his heroic earnings for
year
sic: Orfeo's lament. the finale of III
Trovatore," the angel song from Cho-
pins "Marche Funebre."
wonder why women make It so
important that a man should propose?
1t needed no telling that Jesse and |
were In love. 1t seemed only natural
that We should marry, and any pre-
tense of mourning for the late Mr.,
| Trevor would have been distasteful.
Although born in the Labrador.
Jesse had been a cowboy in Texas
for half his working life As a stock
man. he was to wed a rancher's
widow Was he ashamed of his bust
ness? No. proud as Lucifer! Was
he ashamed Of the dress of his trade?
Not by a damned sight Soldiers and
sailors are proud to wear the dress
[ of their trade when they marry. so
are cow punchers," said he, with his
head in the air "S'pose we ride 10
Cariboo City. and get married in that
little old log church"
He managed to persuade me; and
consented also to hunting trip. in
stead of the usual honeymoon.
When l was well enough for the
journey. / rode my colt. and Jesse
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C0NOlIcTPESSFS ON RIIS I INE