Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-08-20

NO. thank you; hate classical mu-
sic. Besides, must work. Good-by."
When a man announces that he really
must work, an idle fit is coming over him,
it is equivalent to the = | won't give in"
of one who is just beaten Directly he
was alone Doria sat down in the place he
had vacated.
So people talk, do they? Was there
anything in her manner to Justify out
siders in thinking she would have him If
he asked her? What did it matter: He
did not ask her But was it prudent to
90 to places where he would be sure to
meet her? He must avoid her in the fu-
tUre; she would 90 back to the country
in few weeks, and then he would for
get all about her" out of sight out of
mind" He had made good beginning by
declining to go to the concert.
Poor DOria must have been very far
gone when he tried to deceive himself.
He knew well that Sybil Nugent dis
liked classical music as much as he did,
and would certainly not be there. In
truth, he had hardly admitted to himself
how far his happiness was bound up
with the love Of girl. He was not a
susceptible man; his affections were
stronger than his passions, and both
were well under command of his reason.
He certainly would not have allowed
himself to grow so fond of Sybil had he
been aware of her pecuniary position.
He had met her at different houses
where he was an habitual guest, and,
from her retiring manners and simple
style of dress, formed the conclusion that
she was a poor girl, rather patronized by
the friends with whom she was staying.
He was one of those men who never
catch floating gossip till long after it is
stale news to everybody else and when
at last he learned that she was wealthy,
and that he was rising rather in estima-
ton as successful heiress- hunter, he
felt the wound go deeper than his pride,
and he had a good, thick coating Of that,
too. Yes, he had too much pride and
very little vanity, and lack Of the latter
quality originally confirmed him IN his
idea that Miss Nugent was poor, prOba-
bly, dependent Would she listen to him
draw to him as she did, if it were 9th
erWise-tO him, a poor, little-cOnsldered
artist, with no prospects beyond his art?
AS for Sybil, she entirely reciprocated his
affection, and had made up her mind, at
a comparatively early stage Of their ac-
quaintance, that if she did not marry
him she would never marry any one else.
Of course, in her case, there was a spice
of romance about the matter. She got
to know and like him before she caught
his name, which had been slurred when
she was first introduced to him; and so
the coincidence struck her very forcibly
when she suddenly and accidentally
learned that he was the very man whose
studio she had examined in so uncere-
monious fashion, and whose "Ariadne"
she had purchased in Cousin Emily's
name She felt perfectly convinced that
he loved her, and wondered why he did
not say so.
Are there any limits to human peryer-
sity? Lovers are torn asunder by pow
crty every day, but here were
couple who positively failed to come to-
gether simply and only because one was
rich. 1t was not ala ordinary love affair;
they had never talked of love. But their
tastes, ideas, sympathies agreed so adj
mirably that they seemed positively
made for one another; and to friends
who knew them both it seemed more
than natural, almost necessary, that
they should marry. If of the
same sex they would have been
fast friends. Had their ages been
very dissimilar, or had they both passed
bIIt GSt VI lllG ItdSSlOIIS, GlttN W OuINl sun
have been drawn closely together. These
cases are very rare but they occur and
when two such people meet and marry
they attain degree of happiness not
often vouchsafed to mortals. And yet
these two never met again. DOria stuck
to his resolution and avoided Sybil, who
went back to the country and took to
ritualism and fantastic embroidery.
Ano+bay, NV oo,,,a round op1 TIarTy-
DOria had four pOrtraits-three ladies'
one "of a gentleman"-hung on the
Academy walls, besides a classical study,
which sold for high price He eXcelled
most in figure painting, but figures must
have fairgrounds and backgrounds, and
he was not quite satisfied with his land
scapes. So, when the season waned, he
packed his knapsack and started oil on a
solitary walking and sketching tour for
the purpose of sketching English skies,
streams and trees A wandering life of
that kind having great attractions for
him, and the autumn teing remarkably
fine the month which he intended to
spend out of town expanded to nearly
three and it was toward the end of Octo-
Der that he entered pretty village,
which took his fancy so much that he
stopped, though it was early in the after
noon, and he meant to have gone some
miles further. 4" | must have that church
porch and the avenue" he said to him
self, as he turned into the old-fashioned
inn, where he left his knapsack and
ordered his dinner and then went out
again with his portfolio and water-Color
box, to utilize the couple of hours re
naming daylight.
"What is the name of this place." he
asked his landlord that evening.
Nutting, sir; NUtting," replied the
host, astounded at the depths to which
human ignorance could sink.
Nutting. That was the name of the
village where Sybil lived. She had often
talked about it and said what pretty
sketch could be made from the church
yard, and how often she had tried to take
it and had failed to satisfy herself What
a strange coincidence that he should
have wandered there. 1t looked like a
fatality
You are a stranger in these parts,
maybe, sir?" added the landlord.
Yes; but have often heard of Nut
ting from a friend who knew it very we'll
There is pretty place, Owlsnest, here,
if it is the same Nutting l mean"
Yes, sir, yes; that's right. Shall you
want anything more before the bar
closes? You see we are early people
here"
Doria did not sleep much that night
He had made up his mind to avoid the
heiress altogether, and yet, now finding
himself close to her, the temptation to
call was very strong. In the morning it