Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-01-08

/ handed it back.
/ The message was from his brother al
Fordham, place forty miles distant, and
ran thus:
Come immediately third bad fit
my father anxiously expects you
/ "No help for it, Kate said Dir. Fer
| gusson, answering his wife's appealing
| look. so much may depend on my see.
ing him once more that dare not choose
but to 90. How am 1 to get to the station
| though, in time for the ten O'Clock mail,
| wonders It's nearly nine now, and five
miles on such a night as this would take
me more than an hour to walk!"
walk you cannot, john" answered
! his wife. diverted easily from her first
feeling of personal vexation by the diIem-
ma her husband was placed in. ~
know" she added, quickly. "The man
who brought this message must go back
past Mr.. Hollands; [ will write note,
| asking him to send Arnold and their dog
| cart up for you. Anything better than
walking. I know he will do it for you
| Mr.. Holland was the clergyman's
church-warden and very good friend in
| ell parish matters, and was always ready
| to do the rector a service, even to the ex-
! tent Of sending out his horse and man on
Il :.
| Ferguson wrote her note hurriedly, while
her husband spoke to the telegraph eff
Cial who promised to go to Mr. Hollands
| at once.
When ne was gone, Jane stood looking
! blankIy from master to mistress, and then
| she said, dOlefully:
"And, please, sir, what's to become OF
us?"
Become of youl Why, you will stop
and take care of the house, to be sure, -
said her master, rather shortly. "Just
! take my thickest great-c0at and air it by
the kitchen fire, please; and bring me
! back my boots; we will have the horse
up before [ am ready if you don't look
brisk" Then, closing the study door
upon himself and his wife, he added
But don't half like leaving you at such
time, and with only one servant, too
and with all that money in the house
How awkwardly things happen some
| timesr'
He was so heartily concerned, so evi-
IDENTIFY uneasy, that, as a matter of course
| his wife cheered him up by assuming q
bright courage that she was far from feel
| ing. She fetched his coat and helped him
| on with it, and even made him take some
SUPPER hurried stand-up affair-but
anything, she said, was better than going
hungry on journey; then she found q
| big umbrella and winter gloves and a
thick rug, which, if they got soaked
with rain, could come back in the dog
cart; and all these preparations made, she
lighted candle and held out her hand.
H understood the gesture.
"GOd bless them ~ he said, and followed
| her up stairs to where their children sic 1t
to give their little sleeping faces fare,
well kiss.
AS he stood by their bed he heard the
horse coming up to the door-the hall
hour had passed too quickly; but another
| thought struck him at the last momenl.
Don't leave that money down stairs all
night, Kate; put it in my dressingroom
or, stay, put it in yonder;" and he pointed
to a door partly overhung with curtain.
| That's the safest room in the house
Good-by, my darling; [ will telegraph in
the morning in time for the pOstman to
! bring the message. If I'm not back to.
morrow, get Allen and his wife to sleep
in the house. God bless youi Good-byr '
Another moment and he was gone, and
Jane and her mistress looked two very
| lonely and deserted females indeed, as
they stood peering ont into the darkness,
listening to the Teceding wheels.
Come, Jane, this will never do" said
her mistress at last, wiping some rain
drops and drops of another nature from
her face. "Let us see that al the doors
and windows are fast; then you had bet
ter get your supper, and we will make
haste to bed"
But Jane liked a grievance occasional
~, and being little bit of a coward, she
felt bound to make the most of her pres
ent situation. She declared, if it were MOI
for leaving her mistress alone, she would
60 then and there and fetch Mr.. Allen
the schOOl-master, up to come and protect
them during the night; "for, oh! the aW
full things she had read in the paper only
the week before of lone houses being
robbed, and the master beat, and the
maids mouth tied up!" at this her mis-
tress began to laugh.
81 do think, Jane, l must tie yOD1
mouth, or you will make me nervous
Get your supper, and come and tell me-
when you are ready for bed"
Then she herself re-entered the study
and satdOwl- TO collect her thoughts some
what after the hurry and turmoil of the
last half hour
This illness of her father-in-law! Would
!
share his property with his other chill
dren? Differences arising out of JOhr
FergUsson's marriage with dowerles'
woman, fomented by petty families ieal
ousies, strengthened by the Independent
attitude the young man had assumed
such differences had been, after all, thC
heaviest grief of Mrs. Fergusson's mar
ried life. And now she wondered ant
| Wondered on them till the clock on thu
| chlmney-piece struck the hour of ten
and startled her out of her meditations.
This is the night" she thought, $50
winding that time-piece up" and sh'
sought among the ornaments for the key
In her search she found something she
had not expected-this letter, not in al
envelope, slipped behind the time piece
most likely, as soon as read:
| DEAR SIR-The sum ven name in your letter o
the 9TH. e. 81O-will be remitted to you IN tn
form You request, on Monday the 10th inst. Tn
receipt of Mr.. Holland will be quite sufficient.
we beg 10 remain yours obediently,
"WILLIAx q FREDERICK MATHERS,
Managers of the FOrdham SaVings-BanB."
ooh, John, you careless manr' muir
INJURED his wife; land yet you say yoI
never leave anything about! This is tht
| 10th; so that's been lying there three
days, suppose. I'm very glad Saraf
has been out most of the time!"
IF you please, IN, I'm going up stairs
now as soon as I've cleared these thing:
away" said Jane, entering with respect
fully aggrieved air; land glad l shall bt
to get to bed; for what with the nigh
being so rough and Master goin' off 81
suddint feel all queer like, and as if
had the cold shivers runnin' down the
spine of nv back"