The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-05-19
Lord Rensley's
Bride
By FREDERICK CLARKE


an absence Of a year. he had Snot
tigers in India, had speared salmon
In Alaska, and hunted grizzlies In the
wilds of western Canada. And all
the while Lady Rensley had kept open
house at the Abbey. Now he was ex
pected home; he would arrive in two
weeks. Actually he arrived a week
earlier and Unexpectedly.
They had been married nearly three
years before. Lady Rensley had been
Miss Edith Kane of Cleveland, and
her father was one Of the II rich
est men In America. The marriage
had been considered %singularly for
tunate, for the Rensley family
dated back 500 ye~ars-though not the
title, and his lands were extensive, al
though Improbable. Miss Kane's
dowry would restore the old abbey and
enable her husband and herself to as
sumo their rightful place in the social
hierarchy. And so Rensley had won
the beauty Of Cleveland.
He and his bride were face to face
in their apartments at the Eversley
hotel. The bride drew off her en-
gagement ring m~editatively and hand
ed it to him and said, without a
trace Of passion:
Il shall wear my marriage ring, but
not this. The bargain Is an equal one,
and l am satisfied. You will never
have cause to be ashamed of me In
the eyes of the world. Good night,
Lord Rensley."
you mean," he asked, 'that our
marriage is to be one in name only?"
why, what else did you expectT"
h answered mockingly, though her
lips were quivering. You never loved
me You sought me for my fortune,
as | you for your title" And so she
turned away and they said no more.
In due course they sailed for Eng
land. Rensley Abbey was redecorated
and thrown open. Gay parties assem-
bled there.
Then Rensley sailed for India to
shoot tigers, and the parties continued.
They were as gay as ever, but differ
ent people came. There was Rizzi, for
instance, that Italian nobleman who
had acquired a sinister reputation In
several capitals of Europe, and was
not diminishing in London. He brought
his attendant crowd: Flashy women
came and sporting men and tawdry
acter of these people Lady Rensley
knew nothing, for she never stopped
to gossip, and she only knew that she
liked Rizzi and that he alone of all
of them seemed to understand her
situation and to have sympathy for
her.
SO she moved among them, limo
Gently, the lonely mistress of the
Abbey, while people shrugged their
shoulders and smiled. And Their they
heard that Rensley was coming home.
Rizzi, too, heard 1t, and he put his
fate to h touch. In his way he
liked this un~approachable American
lady as much as he was capable of
liking, and as constantly. They were
alone for a few minutes In the con-
s~ervatory. From the ballroom came
the sound of music and the chatter Of
the guests.
He fell upon his knees and seized
her hand and pressed 1t to his lips. Il
have ever loved you, you beauty with
secret sorrow. Leave him and
with me to Italy. You shall
my love all your days, and my
shall be at your disposal. You
That was the moment when Rens-
ey returned a week earlier than had
been expected. He had sent word, but
he had arrived before his own letter.
So he had strolled quietly In.
He saw the rooms brilliantly light /
ii, but, when he entered the hall, none !
# the guests knew him. {
Then Rensley entered the conserva- (
DRY alone. And Lady Rensley, seeing {
i'm, drew back with a frightened Il
atch of the breath, and Rizzi, know {
ng him, IS also to his feet and stood E
at him defiantly, with folded (
Is
Pardon me for interrupting," said E
ord Rensley. Baron Rizzi? Yes? G
ray, what is it you so urgently de- s
ire of Lady Rensley that 0 go down s
pom your knees to her?"
Since he did not answer, Rensley Z
to his wife. 2
my dear, is it in our power, or Is s
your. desire to grant this gentleman &
hat he is asking?" he demanded. IL
mo" she flashed out in her bewil- 2
mol" lbs
Rensley took Rizzi by the arm. lE
MY dear fellow, you shall have IL
,ur five hundred pounds" he said In Z,
loud voice, which carried to those IL
aiting outside. But l wish you had E
ked me instead of my wife" He e
rned to the guests. Gentlemen, my E
are at your disposal" he said. E
Lady Rensley tapped her fingers IS
on the table. Ia
81 want to tell you one thing before III
!, part" she said. 81 have never Ia
zen you reason to be ashamed of 81
}. I have kept my vow" III
Lord Rensley took her hands In BY