Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-03-27

about make up her mind that she couldn't
endure such silence much longer, she
heard. apparently by chance, that Mat
thew Royston had been to see Patty
Pratt, and had invited her to q merry
making.
s'That's shabby enough, if Patty is my
niece" said Aunt Briefly. 81 wouldn't
blame you 7soso if you should give him as
hard nut to crack. There's nothing like
obliging a young fellow to come the
whole way in making up, without hold
ing out little finger to him, specially
when he's in the wrong. suppose he
expects you'll get frightened at this and
speak first, and I've noticed that those
who speak first in a quarrel always have
to take the blame" Aunt Briefly was
getting ready the brick oven while she
spoke for the weeks baking. She had a
flushed face and a nervous manner, not
usual with her, as she threw into the oven
a handful of paper which she had caught
up Just as Peggy entered, and she was
about to lay on the kindlings and apply
the match, when she stumbled and fell
against pine knot that Uncle John had
brought in to heat the oven, and there
was no more baking nor any thing else
done that day but running for doctors,
while soul lowered between life and
death. Well, Aunt Briefly was sick five
months, if she was day; and when she
had recovered from her shock as much as
she ever would, though she could not
move hand nor frame an ineligible
sentence, she signifed her desire to be
dressed and allowed to sit, propped up,
in the big armchair, to look out at the
window and see what the world was
about, to see the naples, that had just
hung out their green banners when she
took to her bed, reddening in the October
sun, and the Rev. Moses precept and his
wife in light kids leaving brother Pratt's
door in a coach. How the earth had
turned round while she had been lying
idly on her back, and the baking not
done! The grass that had only begun to
look green and feathery when she was
stricken down had been mown and har-
vested, leaving brown, barren fields; and
the grape-vines that had only put out a
few tender feelers were now purple and
dusty with fruit; and the trees that had
dropped their blossoms in pink and fra
grant showers were now dropping great
golden pippins and rosy gilly flowers No,
the earth never stood still, whatever other
folks might do. But what under the sun
were Mr.. Precept and his wife doing at
brother Pratt's with coach all to them
selves? She tried to put the question to
Uncle John, but the words got all shaken
up together upon her tongue, SO that it
was more Of conundrum than ever. 1t
was like one of those games where you
are given the letters Of word, and left to
spell it out for yourself. But as Uncle
John could not guess, she did her best to
intimate by rude but energetic signs that
Mr.. Precept was the object of her curl
osity.
"Oh," said Uncle John, reluctantly,
"It's-a-a wedding! It's Patty and Matt
Royston; they couldn't wait for you to
get out, because Mats going into bust
ness out West"
Peggy was beating pillow as he
spoke, and instinctively Aunt Briefly s
eyes were turned upon her; and such wild,
astonished, frightened eyes that Peggy
will never forget them to her dying day;
eyes, too, with something like tear in
them, in their startled depth. Then she
was on her feet in an instant,
reaching out vainly toward the door,
and uttering flood of incoherent words,
as if she would assure them she had i'm
portant business On hand that must not
be neglected.; then she sank back ex-
hausted among her pillows, and the yell
low sunlight fell across her face, and a
dead leaf foated past the window, and
Aunt Brierly's soul fioated out into the un-
known.
Peggy was thinking of some of these
things as she went about her humble task
of making the pandowdy-of such a part
of these things as had fallen within the
scope of her experience. There was good
reason why a gold ring had no longer any
meaning to her, or any charm to hold her.
Why should she care to ornament herself,
when nobody needed whether she looked
well or i'll No; she was making the
pandowdy to please Uncle John, who had
always stood her friend, hoping its flavor
might bring back his youth for a little.
Let other women who had husbands or
lovers to please deck themselves in finery,
but it was too late for her. Once she
was by-gone. Nothing could restore to
her the supreme confidence of youth;
nothing could bring back those warm
June nights when she and Royston had
watched the stars slide across the heavens,
had noted the heavy fragrance of dew
drenched flowers as they walked the fields,
or had sat on some rocky ledge by the
river, and had seen the belated fishermen
come in with masses of quivering sill
yer tangled in their nets, and had listened
to the echo of voices on the other side,
or, taking boat, had moved, silently as
the stars themselves, across the -lum-
nous expanse Of water, where the planets
seemed broken into star dust, and now
and then fish had leaped to the surface,
q cook had crouo1 from Como 6ictopt
farm house, an oar had played in its row.
lock and made the chord complete. Peggy
never stepped out now on sultry summer
nights to carry comfort to some ailing
neighbor but the inspiration of that sacred
time came upon her like strain offender
melody waking one at dead of night
like an old hymn that her mother sang
when she was child in the cradle, hymn
laid up in the heart in lavender and
scented with sweet-brier, and speaking of
infinite love and happiness.
Ten years had passed since Aunt Brier-
ly had been stricken down in the act of
lighting the fire in the brick oven, and
they had not been years calculated to
touch Peggy lightly. She was no longer
the rosy, lifting lass that Royston had left
behind: she had lost something of her
rounded contours, much of her bloom;
her mouth had settled into sad serious
ness; her eyes had the appearance of
looking on other scenes than those about
her-for all they were bright eyes, as if
their light was reflected from tears rather
than from joys. Yet in the meantime
men had not been lacking who found
her comely enough to share their
hearts. And yet her disappointment had