Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-12-04
HOW IT

together for my own sake, though Thomp-
son and Barton do look at me sc oddly
when | meet them, as if they had misgiv-
sa2s as to M sanity. Everybody tnat
knows me looks sharp at me, as if they
were irving hard to make out something.
And yet | have tried to hold my head up
and carry the thing off like a man. have
shought that after a while they would
think it was ali right. or that it was none
of their business, anyway.
But somebody else might get into the
same fix. [ seems to me II of the east
est things III the world, now never
used to have my idea Of tne number of
deaf unmarried Women there are. But |
hear of them all around us, and always
with a SIGH, and a shudder Of foreboding
and sympathy for somebody, | suppose
tiley ali mean not to miss q proposal,
vh ttever else tley fail TO hear, Just as
But | anticipate.
could not possibly make up my mind
fe sit down and tell the boys about it. |
would be worse yet. And don't think
rtleIe is any danger that Henrietta will
get hold of il in the newspaper. What
eescr pecu.iarities she may have, I'll say
CHAT for her, that she is not one of those
kind OF women that spend their time read
ing papers, magazines and novels. She
attends to her clothes and her back hair
most OF the time, and gets herself up pref
~ well, too, considering that she IS
But | wander again.
7 don't just know how it happened that
l called at Browns that day. | didn't
1hink about going in, but [ was going
right by the door, aud remembered how
sG3aSantly the old gentleman and his
daughter had spoken to me at a party a
few nights before, and asked me why |
did not come in as [ used to, and invited
ne to call often in the future. Besides |
knew that pretty Fanny Stuart, Browns
ward, and the daughter of his step-son,
had graduated at school. and would be
coming home to stay in a week or two,
and it would be well enough to 90 in
once b~efore-pshaw! What am l talking
about? | went to Browns that day be-
cause it was my fate. No man can re-
sist fate.
sent up my name and Henrietta came
5nt0 the parlof looking exceedingly pleas
an, and was very sociable. | had never
noticed much about her when | used to
call there, but | had a general idea that
she was a nice kind of an old girl on the
whole, though rather dressy and fussv,
and youngish acting for her age, (Thomp
son, who knows everybody's age, had said
she was past forty)-and thought it was
VEL enough to have her like me pretty
well, in case | needed a friend in future
emergencies.
Well, | acted glad to see her, quite
glad, And she seemed pleased with it.
I knew she was rather hard of hearing,
but l spoke up loud and plain, and she
seemed to understand what | said about
the weather, and the new park, and how
full it was at Long Branch last summer,
and so on. Pretty soon she said some
thing about how long it was since | was
Iere last.
/ said, YES, it was g good while, though
s1ot S, long as it seemed, either. But [
hoped she did not think I'd forget my
friends, if | did stay away"
Cried to forget And why, Mr.. Parker =?
II certainly does seem a long time" she
rnurmured, looking down.
j havn't much time to call my own" |
said, trying again, and overlooking her
mistake. 81 have to make the best of it,
and cannot go as often as | would like to
see people"
She looked down again, and hesitated,
and fidgeted, and / thought she blushed..
Pretty soon she said, rather archly. "Are
you sure it nas making the best of it to
stay away and try to forget mes How
was | to know you wanted to call me your
own?"
tried again, beginning to feel sorry for
her. None of my friends like it." l said,
chat | am so devoted and attentive to
business, and see them so little at their
W houses, | am sorry to offend them,
out feel 1t necessary to see to my affairs
cretty closely just now"
Henrietta simpered and hung her head,
and looked so very conscious and gratitied
Shat knew she had misunderstood me
again, before she opened her lips.
She looked as if she expected something
more, some way. but after a ONE she
said in her sweetest tones, "Weli, dear
Charles, if your devotion is so great, l
don't think your friends ought to be too
.nuch considered. AS you say, it is really
none of their business, and you are capa-
Ne OF attending TO your own affairs, and if
toey don invite us to their houses, why,
l hope we shall have a pleasant house of
our own, my dearest"
How should l make her understand
Shat | was only talking of common place
things, and not making love to herr
began again, desperately. Il did not
expect to see your father the other even
fng. | was pleased to find him so we'll
aud cheerful. When do you expect your
niece, Miss Stuart?"
Yes, | think father will be pleased. I
have no doubt you can see him this even
,ug. AS for Fanny. she is only a little
girl, you know, but l think she will like
IL, She always seemed to think a great
deal of YOU, and wouldn't believe a word
nf your attentions TO Belle Smiley, ever
when | feared it was true" | became deter
ruined to end the misunderstanding, and
yet | wanted to do it gently, for | thought
~ would be a dreadful modification to the
poor thing when she came to see her mis-
.ake.
l thought ! would speak of things as
far as possible from the subject of her
thoughts.
''TheSe are serious times abroad" |
said. France and Germany are not like
" TO have their trouble settled very soon.
The su%tferings of u own country in the
late wal makes us feel for these poor peo-
pc. They haven't had much to say about
The political affairs which led to the dis
turbances, and | suppose the common
soldiers are not actuated by the interest
aud patriotism that our armies felt" |
thought | would keep on long enough
for her to get the drift of what | was
SAYING. She listened intently, | did
not know then that she never read the
papers.
1T was very good of you to think OF
spending some time abroad" she replied
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