Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-07-09


stage, with his graceful, commanding air,
and uttered the first words in his ringing
voice, knew the prize was his He was
applauded again and again, and at the
close a shower of bouquets fell at his feet.
He gathered them up, but I saw with a
thrill that all through his grafton he had
worn my knot of pansies in his button
hole.
The remaining days we did not care
so much for; STILL they were pleasant.
We went to the tree-planting; we heard
the valedictory, and staid till the diplO-
mas were given and the farewells said.
Then Aunt Cree and | went home, and
the boys with us.
1t was not quite sunset as we came in
sight Of the house, and my garden made
itself visible at once l could see at a
glance that things had blossomed great
deal during my absence, and the beds
were of all colors and very gay. Aunt
Cree went into the house to take her
things off, but we three young folks
turned into the garden paths.
These pansies are perfectiOnm ex-
claimed Douglas, with enthusiasm
They fairly take my breath away"
And bending over he gathered handful,
humming to himself:
''All in the mellow twilight
Ere yet the dew was boar
went plucking purple pansies
Till my love should come to shore!"
Meanwhile Joe was looking around
with puzzled air
"Pansies in both hearts, Susie?" he said,
reproachfully. could you not spare me
one little corner even?"
II am sure | planted them all right,
Joew [ exclaimed eagerly; but they
came up just this way. What can it
mean?"
q don't know what it means; only
know what | see," he replied, in what
was a very gloomy tone for Joe. Il see
you have no room for mignonette."
This was making serious matter of it,
more serious than il deserved, | thought,
and / could not 90 on forever protesting
that it was not my fault. So l remained
silent. A moment after, Douglas, who
was standing by the medley bed, said,
suddenly:
Here's your mignonette now, half
smothered under these lupines."
went over to see. He pointed it out
with a smile.
"What! that little green thing?" cried
out, thOughtlessly. "Is that all there is
W IlllSllOuCIbC. w uls L luOuSllG II lI1uSG
be something wonderful for Joe to care
so about it."
Now that was careless thing to say,
and 1 saw instantly that Joe felt more
hurt than before. But what could | do
about it? Nothing but laugh it off; so
laugh | did, and led them gayly back to
the house, thinking to myself there would
be chances enough before summer was
tO l[n with -Inp
But, as it turned out, there were no
chances at all. That very evening Joe
told his mother of a proposal one of the
professors had made him to join a coast
expedition that was to start the very next
week. 1t would last three months at
least, and when it returned Joe would
then be so near the medical college,
where he was to study for his profession
that it would not be worth while for him
to come home then, not before the regu-
lar Thanksgiving vacation. There was
no denying the advantages of the trip,
and Aunt Cree sighed and relinquished
her boy. l felt pretty sober, too, [ can
tell you, though | did not show it, for
had counted a good deal upon Joe's
CHEEKY presence at home during the rest
of the summer. So then we had to hurry
about to get him ready to go. | neg
lected my garden that week, and nobody
said a word about mignonette, so there
was no chance made for me to tell Joe
how sorry | was about his favorite
flower. And | did not want to make a
chance for myself for fear of giving the
affair a sentimental aspect. So the days
slid by, and somehow or other Joe and |
did not have single one of our nice old
talks; but now and then [ caught him
looking at me gravely, sometimes, fan
cied, even sadly.
The day he went Douglas and I
walked down to the depot with him. The
farewell words and wishes had been
spoken, and we were just turning away
l, at least, feeling dreary enough
when Joe suddenly caught my hand from
God bless you, little Heart's-ease"
That was all. Il minute later the train
was moving on, and Douglas and were
strolling along home together. He was
to stay a day later, his home lying in a
different direction from that Joe had
taken. He seemed very distracted dur
ing our walk but not in an unfattering
way; for when he did look at me it was
with a look as if he had been thinking of
me all the time. SO, what with his
glances, and what with Joe's last words,
my heart got fairly in fiutter.
When we reached Aunt Cree's gate he
said: Don't go into the house yet,
Susie; let's 60 hunting for heart's-ease
first"
So we turned aside into the garden,
which a weeks sunshine had made very
bright and gay with blossoms. Douglas
began to fill his hands with gold and pur-
pie pansies Meanwhile | was ruefully
regarding the crowded mignonette in the
medley bed.
4 cannot possibly understand" l
said, why Joe's seeds should have
turned out so strangely. Isn't it too
bad?"
Douglas laughed lightly.
Have you never suspected?" he asked.
d" 1t is the greatest joke. | did it myself.
l changed the seeds last spring in the
sauCers, never dreaming but you would
find me out the next day 1t has been
the greatest fun, Joe's black looks and
your innocent perplexity. | meant to
have told him the joke before he went,
but forgot it."
The joke! Instead of seeming like a
joke the thing took on a tragic air to me.
Poor Joel dear Joel my comfort and
protector in my darkest days cheated out
of his flowers by this stranger, and made
to feel sighted and forgotten! A sudden
reyulsion toward Douglas swept over me.
Five minutes before he had seemed so
grand to me had even been on the very
edge of loving him, but now it was as if
a strong hand had turned me back. |
could see and think of nothing but Joe's
sober face and disappointed eyes. And