Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-10-15
bould be BY subduiug and detsriorating thos.

should be by subduing and detsriorating those
notorious geese natural geniuses. There are
men of wit who reckon spoons for game in
society, however the spoons" may be bat
tered in the process In this case there were
no friends to interfere, to render the conquest
less complete Lefty heard of George Ashe'
wild purchases and injurious excuses, and
wrung her hands and reproached herself that
! she had not gone with him or followed him to
that London, which she said to herself, in an
agony of defense of the culprit, was drunk
! with his own snares and sins. Why had she
I been so selfish, SO mad in her pride: and
now it was too late, when he only regarded
! her entreaties to laugh at them and despise
| them, and to forbid her joining him. Poor
| great hearted devoted Lefty, as if a woman's
husband could ever, except in an extraordi-
nary case, be treated with profit as her baby.
| Months, had passed, and Lefty sat alone
one night, comfortless, in her little sitting
| room, which looked mean even in her OWL
! eyes nowadays, bordering on her own cares.
A ring came to the bell-and surely Lefty
should know that ring-but alas ! she had IN
dergone so many false starts that she dare
not trust her heart She went to the door,
| and fell upon his breast She had him again,
| and she chung to him, without another
| thought. She brought him into the parlor,
still clasping his arm, though he returned her
| caress mechanically, and only spoke to her
by muttered greeting. 1t was autumn and
stormy weather, and he looked miserablv cold
| and knocked up. She lit fire for him,
kneeing down and putting at the match in
the laid wood with all her might, drew his
chair before it and brought him her own
tea and toast, till something better could be
prepared for him. She did not ask him why
! he had come without announcing his arrival ;
| why he had travelled IN a summer coat, and
without rap or luggage, like an adventurer,
or man flying from his enemies. She put
away every thought but that of his presence,
and built herself up in it till her eyes shone
like stars, and her cheeks bloomed like blush
| roses. He saw it, and rose up with a bitter
cry: LEFTY, | have brought you back moth
| ing. l have wasted it all l have ONLY
brought back my miserable self"
"lou have brought back yourself, George,
repeated Lefty, in her quiet accents of deep,
strong fidelity in which there was full for
| giVeness, and under which thrilled and throb-
| bed such hidden pulses Of fondness as only
| beat in such strong and faithful beings
| ''You have brought back yourself, and what
could you bring to me like yourself? We
will be as we were before, George. How
gladly we will forget what has come between,
except as warning Of evils to be avoided
forever"
am glad that Lefty was not repaid by SIG
| nal lngratitude and a recurrence of the of.
fence. George Ashe was not such an migrate
He was filled with the forbidden fruit of his
folly and found his teeth too much set on
! edge for him to crave to bite the apple OF
| knowledge again. He had no relapse though
| he could not escape a rebound The sweet
natured, enthusiastic man had taken leaveI
| into his composition which leavened the
| whole lump. He had been to school where
he was not only instructed but inoculated il
GOODNESS, skepticism. and sarcasm.
George Ashe had spent an incredible amount
| OF worldly substance, but he was not so pen
niless as, in his dispair, he had represented
himself From the fragments of Letty's lega
cy, enough was saved to buy small farm t.
maintain the couple. Lefty and George wen
to that little farm with its pretty northern
name Of the Holens, and there practiced
| with economy, being yeomen, pastoral poets
and patriarchs. Well, what would you have
| 1t would have been a great independence tt
! them once on a day, and at least one of then
knew both how to abound, and the hardes
feat Of all, how to curb high-vaulting imasin
dpiOlIS hlIlill IIlClI own harrow bounds
| There the ashes were cordially visited by the
Bridgewaters and other friends, and there
they lived to secure the regard of the
world, though not in the same degree. H.
was wonderful fellow no doubt, we'll educat
ed at last, even accomplished, liberal, friend
y; but he was uncertain, little morbid
selfconscious crotchety. And Lefty wa
such a noble-hearted woman, he was so wei
off with her, as he was thoroughly aware il
in every respect; she was so tranquil in hel
comparative exaltation, so serene under he
losses, so unpretendingly exact and honorable
in all her duties, so genial in her quiet way
with such loyable inclination to plants anc
animals and other peoples children besides
her own. People said she was q born lady
that mistress of the Hollens. That was small
praise-say rather, hers was a strong pure
heart, only anchored in STILL profound faitl
| in goodness and God.