Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-03-12

the winter, mother, and if we do we ar,
all right"
Bending down she gave her mother {
comforting kiss, that brought the word:
"God bless you, child. How could
live without you"
An instant later, and 10 was in the
street. Putting her hand into her poke
for her gloves, she encountered the note
which she had placed there some time be
fore
Bless me! As true as you live, Jc
Stillman, you had forgotten all about it,
A little pink blush tinged her cheek as
she fingered moment over the seal, but
it crept higher and higher as she read
until her whole face was suffused with a
happy glow, and happy eyes were shining
through a mist of unshed tears. Had any
inquisitive passer-by looked closely at the
plainly-dressed young lady who was read.
ing a note in the shadow of McLean's
awning, he might have seen in that IRA
dated face problem not at all difficult
of solution. JOS life suddenly burst
into bloom; there wasn't anything bleak
or bare about it now, and all the way
down the dingy street, with one hand
| clasping the precious missiYe, 10 walked
as one in dream Her thoughts ran
something in this wise:
ooh, 10 Stillman, amt you happy
girl? Who would ever have thought that,
! plain as you are, you would have won the
| love of such d man as John DOlway ?
| This is what he meant when we parted at
| Westover last month in such hurry, and
| | had to come home to take care of
mother. He said he should write me and
| tel me about his plans, and so it seems |
was one of them. [ didn't dream OF such
a thing then, and how heavy-hearted l
was because | thought he was only my
| friend, and this is what has come of three
weeks of summer sunshine at Westover.
But" A sudden thought struck 10
! that for moment made her turn pale
az don't believe he knows that [ am a
| shop girl, and that we are so poor. was
so glad to forget all about work that
| don't believe I ever mentioned it, and
unless Aunt Molly did he don't know.
| Never mind, I'll write him all about it be-
| fore | give him his answer; but he is so
noble don't believe it will make a bit of
difference Anyhow, if it does, I'm well
rid of him; for if he can't love me when
l work, he can't love me at all.
This last thought did not trouble 10
much, and all day she was as lighthearted
as a bird. That night, long after the
other girls were asleep, 10 sat writing her
answer to Dolway. From the length of
| time it took, from the number of quires
of paper that were spoiled, and the grave,
| preOccupied face of the writer, the locker
| on might have been forgiven the suppo-
! sitiOn that weighty matters Of state were
under consideration. And the suppose
ton would not have been far from right;
| for the heart IS woman's kingdom, and is
it not matter of weighty consideration
when she suTrenders it unto anOther's
| keeping? The next morning the white
| winged messenger was sent on its way,
and 10, hugging her secret close, set to
work with a will to keep up the spirits
and the fortunes Of the StiIlman family.
1t was no easy task to prepare trOus-
seau out of the limited allowance; but 10
worked with nimble fingers far into the
night and made up for scant quantity by
superior neatness and taste.
At last everything was ready, and
Laura, arrayed in the coveted travelling
dress, felt at ease about the legality of the
marriage. A wedding is always a solemn
thing, let there be ever so much happi-
ness in it. Not one guessed the true rea-
son why 10 burst into tears as the cere-
mony was being said, nor why, when it
was all over, she rushed away without a
word or congratulation for bride and
groom. Poor 10 crept off to her room to
stay until the good-byes were said, and
then she heard Laura and Ralph ask for
her. She went down to be kissed by both
and was told forest whole month, for she
was looking shockingly.
"When | come back, 10, | shall expect
to find you your old rosy SELF" were
Laura's good-by words. But somehow
10 didn't grow back into her old self
again. Even when she had put away all
hopes, and knew that henceforth John
Dolway must be to her as one dead, she
did not regain her old lightheartedness
Instead of her former frank credulity,
which led her to believe in every ones
honesty, came a doubt and distrust of
even those whom she loved. 1t came at
last to be subject of remark among her
sisters that 10 was a skeptic But it was
in this alone that she was changed; in all
else, in her kindness, patience and indus
try, she was still the old 10, and though
they all marveIed, none dared to ask
what had brought about this change
JOS WestOver experience had never been
mentioned by her, and for this reason no
one knew of John Dolway, nor of the
letter that had never been answered.
The truth is John Doiway was cow
ard he had become infatuated with JOS
freshness and intelligence; but the feel
ing that he dignified by the name of pride
would not admit of his marrying a shop
girl, and so, somewhat regretfully, to do
him justice, he let the letter remain unan-
swered while all the beauty died out Of
JOS life. With many privations the win
ter wore away, 10 and Adelaide working
late and early, and the mother and Annie
using all their ingenuity to make both
ends meet"
But the spring brought more work.
Mrs. Stillman took school again, and,
having reinstated HalIelujah, Annie found
time to earn quite little sum by stitch
ing for a ladies' furnishing house. By
June the Stillman fortunes were looking
up little and Adelaide obtained leave Of
absence for few weeks visit at West
over, at Aunt Molly's. 10 had been
pressed to go, but declined, and all
through the hot summer months worked
steadily away without complaint; but
the over-exertion told on her. Before the
summer was half gone she had begun to
grow wan and heavy eyed. Yet she would
not give up.
Now it happened that Mr.. James H1ck-
man, the Junior member of the firm Of
Hickman Bros, a handsome, well-l->
served bachelor of forty, had long watched
with quiet but unfailing interest the
fortunes of the Stillman family, and
seeing the brave, courageous spirit with
which the girls met their misfortunes,
had taken it upon himself to fall in love
with both Addie and 10. 1t had