Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-08-14

| kindred spirits, she talked II over little
more freely with her. She did not, in
deed, tell exactly what she had seen and
heard. Oh, no! That was too rich a
morsel to be parted with then. She must
for while enjoy the pleasure of knowing
what nobody else did; and besides, per
haps she was shrewd enough to see that
if she actually told what she knew, she
would reveal the fact that she did actu-
ally know nothing. So, of course, as she
| only surmised she must only insinuate
that had the advantage of making it APP
pear as if there was no end to her knowl
edge Then again-she was an old hand
at it, you see-she would affirm nothing
She knew people had been brought into
courts for affirmations; but who could
find fault with a woman for asking ques
| tons? Thus it had come to be a habit OF
years that what Miss Osmond had to say
she said in the form of question. So she
asked Miss Trip:
| Have you heard about Belle Stetson
and Lawyer Baker?"
No, indeed What is it?"
| Why, haven't you heard that he is
paying her very particular attentions, and
how much pleased the family are all
| about it 2"
Miss Trip was really mortified 10 think
that Miss Osmond had so much the start
of her in such rich bit of news, but she
put brave face upon it, and was as cheer
full and lively as possible.
| Miss Osmond's bright eyes saw the cha
| grin, however, and so she asked more
questions.
| "Why, yes; didn't you know how they
went walking around the town moonlight
nights, at snall's pace, as silly a pair of
| loves as ever was seens'
! Miss Trip was vanquiShed She had
to own that she had not heard it. She
made up for her momentary modification
round of calls, and triumphantly retailed
her version of the story. Miss Trip was
a" clipper" little body. She knew folks
| doated upon news, and she liked to make
them happy by telling it. She did "a
world of harm all the same but honestly,
she never meant it; and people forgave
her, though they couldn't undo the half of
| her little mischiefs.
So Miss Trip started out, and told
everywhere (she did not ask questions)
what they said"
They said" that Belle Stetson and
Lawyer Baker were engaged. "They
said that the family were delighted with
the match. "They said T." he had given
her a beautiful ring, ETC., ETC., ETC.
| And so the engagement was "announc-
| ed" to the town; but of course for a while
no one said anything about it to Belle or
Lawyer Baker Belle, for all she was
such dear little thing, was a bit shy;
and it is not always easy to say certain
things to shy people. AS for Lawyer
| Baker, he had that about him which
warned people to keep their distance, I'M
| less he babe them come nearer, which he
| seldom did.
| SO these two remained in ignorance of
what they said" and walked and talked
on as before. Lawyer Baker was in trou-
| BILE (as even lawyers are when they are
young about his heart affairs. He had
found IN Belle friend so sympathetic and
| so frank that he felt sure he could trust
her utterly; while, with all her quiet
ways, she was so wise that, involuntarily,
he sought her advice
| 1t is no part of our story to recount
| Lawyer Bakers troubles They are as
safe in our keeping as with the dead. 1t
is not for us to tell how it CHANGED that on
that fateful night, while so entirely separ-
ated from her he had loved, he had told
Belle the whole story of his griefs, and
and had even given her his betrothal ring
to bear back to one who had proved so
utterly faithless that he would never
| bring himself willingly into contact with
! her again.
What wonder, then, that in his loneli-
ness, when other nights came, he often
| sought Bellies company and sympathy
| What wonder that Belle, who never
| thought Of herself, and who was $50 sorry
| for him. gave him her society most will
| lingly What wonder that both, having
naught of the lover in their thoughts Of
each other, should have lacked caution"
and come and gone together just as friends
might do
Belle, too, had dear little secret, very
| sweet to her, that made her sadly blind.
| Charley Martyr, who had gone back to
college only a month ago, loved her, and
she knew it, and had given him back
love for love almost without asking; she
was such tender, loving little body. In
deed, lie had never asked her to be his
wife. He was not bound to her in any
way The only token that had ever pass
ed between them was a single four-leaved
clover. This lie had given her the very
last time that she saw him, and had said,
in the open doorway as they parted;
"A year hence, and my college life will
be over See if then you have this I'M
What would happen, he did not say,
but Belle knew, and was happy.
Alas, poor child, she did not know! She
| had made no account in her dreams
of Miss Osmond, and Miss Jones, and
Miss Trip, and all the rest of the misses,
who, leading wthered, idle lives them
selves, had naught to do but to peer into,
and speculate upon, the lives of other
people, and make them, if possible, as
miserable as their own.
have hardly the heart to tell the rest
of my story In certain poets corner
years ago, one told it in sweet and simple
rhyme; but in rhyme so much may be
left unsaid that must come out in prose.
That's why life's prose is so much harder
than its poetry.
When all the town knew what 'they
said," at last Belle and Lawyer Baker
| knew too.
Bp this time Miss Osmond had asked
Miss Trip eff she had heard that the
| wedding-day was fixed for the Goth of Oc-
tober." Miss Trip had told, in her round
OF calls, that they said" the wedding was
to be on the Goth Of October" That was
| the way every body knew all about it, long
before it reached the ears Of Lawyer Ba-
ker and poor little Belle
! Lawyer Baker was furious! 'The Goth
of October Curse the day" 1t should
have been his wedding-day had one he
| loved proved faithful. But mans fury
/ is idle breath before women's tongues :!
/ And then hp bo6 his b,1SipeSS which all