Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-10-16

| family legend, better founded than some
received traditions, that, debarred from
school books and story-books at one time,
for some good reason, which, however,
did not prevent her from wearing gen.
| orally disconsolate and woe begone aspect,
Ellie had been discovered one day after IA
| prolonged search, flat on the floor in the
attic, porting over a musty ships calendar,
| her face radiant with delight
For a whole week she had not opened a
book! Think of having Thaddeus Of Var
| sac, in four pudgy brown volumes much
| the worse for wear, placed in her hands,
| without any sting Of conscience, either,
about the reading, because when Grandma
| Peyton went to Woodstock she had told
| Ellie to mind Mehitabe.
No more weary inconsistencies; no more
| moping; no more vain asking, What
shall | do?n no more scrapes. Mehitable
blessed her lucky thought that had SO
| easily rid her Of trouble and care. And
! Ellie. VIII there ever come any more
hours like those to the little girl, seated
on the broad, low step before the porch of
the great old fashioned house?
| The summer air, fragrant with roses
and honeysuckle, that with the ivy and
| woodbine contested the glory of covering
the gray stone wall, and musical with the
whir of the grasshoppers and the hum OF
bees; the sweet, warm stiffness of a cay
in June; ten years old, and the first ro-
nance, Well for the little girl it was
| good, pure Jane Porter's book, and not
some that came before and after.
| Reluctantly she left her treasure for din
ner and supper, more reluctantly still for
bedtime, only consoled by taking the
precious volume to bed, to wake at day
| light and weep over the sorrows and mis-
! fortunes of Thaddeus, the Noble, the Clio
rious, the Injured,
| How she adored Miss Beaufort and
| Lady TincmouthI how she hated Diana and
| Miss Euphemia. how her heart throbbcd
at the thought of the COCA King Stanis-
| laus' with what vengeance she recalled
| the Prussians and the cruel Cossacks.
The Battle Of Pgugue' A new glory at
tached itself to the very name She would
ask mamma TO let her learn it when she
went home. She wouldn't grumbe once
about the tedious practice hour.
| TWAS the second morning that Ellie had
| passed in this unreal world She was in a
state when nothing would have surprised
her-a message from the king, or sum
mons from Thaddeus himself in prison.
| a shadow deeper than the Pickering
shade from the elm-tree fell athwart her
| book. She raised her head, and looked
out of her great dreamy gray eyes at a
strange figure that stood, gaunt and
| silent, in the garden path. A slouched
hat that would have disgraced a scare
crow of average sensibility half concealed
a huge green patch over one eye, and did
not at all conceal very red nose, long
| black hair and beard, both ragged and I'M
| kempt; a coat of many colOrs, that might
have been Joseph's, and defed the ele-
| ments ever since, hung with dangling
| sleeves from one shoulder, disclosing an
exceedingly dirty shirt, closed at the
throat with a wisp of yellow handker-
| chief;s IA red velveteen vest, guiltless of
buttons; and pantaloons that might have
formed part Of that famous Irish gentle
mans wardrobe,
Whose vintilation garments through
The wind most beautifully blew
A crooked stick over his shoulder, sus-
| tanning a small dirty bundle, bare feet
that looked as though their owner had
come through the 'medder muck,'' and
regular Irishman's dhudeen in his mouth,
completed the picture.
The newcomer looked at Ellie, and
Ellie looked at him.
"Git me something to eat-me hungry"
Ellie silently handed him her bowl of
| out for her lunch, and which stood for
gotten and untouched by her side. The
man devoured the contents eagerly. When
he had drained the last drop he said,
fiercely
More, meatr'
There was an air Of authority That Ellie
never thought of questioning. She laid
her precious book down on the stone, and
went into the kitchen to find Mehitable
She was not there. 1t was the custom of
the house to give food to all who asked,
and Ellie took from the pantry a huge
slice of beef and some bread and cheese
When she returned with her burden the
man was turning over the leaves Of INa9-
deus with an approving smile.
He accepted graciously the bread ami
cheese and meat, devourng them and the
book simultaneously, stopping occasional
ly to cross-question Ellie about the book
and her admiration for the hero. Her
enthusiasm knew no bounds when the
dirty foreigner-who Immediately be-
came glorified IN her eyes-assured her
he, too was from Warsaw, and knew the
King of Poland well. Eyes, he had
fought in the battle of Prague-shared
his tent with General Butzoun'
Her face kindled with enthusiasm, her
eyes grew moist with sympathy, as her
vivid imagination painted the scenes he
must have witnessed. His invention be-
came more daring, his eloquence irresisti
BILE, when he quoted, in the very words of
Thaddeus, though in somewhat broken
English,
= so driven, Poland, from thy ravaged plains.
SO mourning DER thy sad but loved remains
A houseless wretch, wander through the world.
From friends. from grandeur and from glory
hured.''
How could she question even his sublime
audacity when he added: "You veeps
1t is for me. Behold me! am dat
Thaddeus."
o blind, unquestioning faith of child
hood that could discern the beloved hero
IN this strange, repulsive guise!
Her only thought was of sorrow that
she should not have recognized him
sooner; that she had not bid him enter;
that she had not served him on Bonded
knees with a silver salver Would he
forgive her, and know how she adored
him.
"My lord Thaddeus Constantine, Count
Sobieski, how can | serve you?" Ger
tainly that was the proper way to address
him.
"Some monish, quick! I must go"
Ellie had a gold pocket-piece and two
dollars in her purse that mamma had |
given her for spending money. 1t was
her own. Oh, how lovely to be able to
give it to Thaddeus! Thaddeus suffering
and in diStrpSSt Sha no lopror onp;oJ |