Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-10-23
"Grace!" | said.

"GraCew l said.
"Miss Hunter, if you please, Mr..
Rutherford" said she. 1--WE have both
made little mistake, easily rectified !;
that is all"
felt, as | stood looking at her, that the
effect of the wine | had drank was stronger
upon me than mad thought, but l gave
no heed to the warning of my giddy head
and rapid pulse
"Jus as you please" said 81 should
think a jealous woman would curse any
mans life. I'll go now. won't trouble
1ou longer Good-by."
We were not at the door of her home
| we were about half block from it; but |
turned on my heel then and there, and
| left her I staggered little as walked,
| and | was hot and angry. made my
way home, and without undressing fell
upon my bed and dropped asleep.
| In two hours I awakened sober. sat up
and looked about me- The scenes of the
evening required to me wildly. l saw how
| blameworthy had been, and terrible grief
Oppressed me. put my head down upon
| my hands, and burst into bitter tears. l
had lost her, and with her all that made
| life precious Then hope dawned upon
| my soul would write to her; tell her
how, unused to liquor as | was, the wine
| had affected me.
| SpringIng to my feet I rushed to my
desk l drew from it pen and paper. l
| wrote letter overlooking with remorse
and tenderness | read it and re-read it.
| Then leaving it upon the spot where it
| was written, I stood at the window wait
| ing for the tardy dawn, jealous OF the
| slow hours that kept my misslve from my
| darling.
] had put out my candle when | left
my desk, and the room should have been
| dark; but as | turned my head after a
| long and anxious reverie, | saw it was
| full of pale radiance like that of a moon
light 1t startled me. Whence did the
light come? Had a miracle occurred
had the moon risen again?
Suddenly, amid the silvery light APP
peared a still whittier radiance. 1t slowly
took form. A female figure, in white
garments so bright that they dazzled the
eyes, stood bending over my letter.
| remained motiOnless-to speak or
stir was not in my power-and gazed on
the strange object with terrified intensity.
The figure seemed to turn the pages of my
letter with its transparent hand. | heard
gentle sigh; then the head turned to-
ward me, and | saw a face | knew-the
face that seemed the lovelist of ali on
earth to me, endowed with a mysterious
divine beauty, for which no man could
find words-the glorified face of sweet
Grace Hunter.
AT the sight I burst the bonds that held
me-bonds as tangible as though | could
have seen them-and rushed forward. |
stroye to clasp my love- or her shadow, in
my arms. 4 shock such as one might ex-
perience from an electrical machine flash
ed through me, and | fell powerless to the
floor
When | recovered, the day had dawned,
and under the blue morning sky the city
had awakened but my day never dawned
again My heart never awoke to lite's
SN eetness.
To end the story in few words, Grace
Hunter never reached her home that
night, and never was heard of again.
The family imagined that she had re-
manned with her friends, and were not
anxious about her. / had left her within
the sight of her own door, and why she
did not reach it | shall never know But
| did know that in some woful manner
she died that night, and that her parting
spirit paused in its flight to bid me long
farewell
| have outlived my youth, and the sus-
picion that fell upon me and emblttered
many years Of my existence; but | shall
never outlive my love for Grace Hunter,
or my remorse for that nights woful
work. ! shall never outlive the knOwl-
edge that in the madness caused by wine
and an evil woman's enChartment, | was
the cause of my darling's death.