Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-08-12


walk out with her, to call
At the rectory house, or our friends would
think I'd quite forgotten them all.
And Bessie was there! could not see her
winsome, welcoming face,
But the very sense of her presence seemed to
glorify the place;
And trembled and fush'd in the foolish way
that lovers understand,
| At the gentle sound of her ptying voice, and
the touch of her gentle hand.
We sat in the quaint old parlor-ah, how well
knew it of old
And the good old rector prosed away, about
! his church and his fold
The parish schools, and the state of the roads,
and the probable price of hay,
Till Bessie at last jumpd up from her chair,
in her old impulsive way.
"Come, who's for my summerhouse?' she said
"for it is so hot in here!
| What! none of YOU speak? Then Charlie here
shall be my cavalier.
| Mamma, dear where is that magazine? O.,
here it is, | see:
! want to read MIN the poem you know, that
SO delighted mel"
| Then she took my arm and led me out, with a
tender, sisterly care,
To the dear old garden, so dark to me, to her
SO blooming and fair,
| Till we came to the arbor, the scene of some of
| my happiest hours o life,
Ere I'd put from my heart its browning hope
| of calling her my wife
| Twas Tennyson's very last poem she read,
| and it may have been very fine,
| But somehow her sweet voice trembled so
| much could hardly follow a lie;
And at last she gave it up with sigh, and laid
| the book away
81 think it must be the heat" she said, "but
cannot read to daym
Then there came pause-a dreamy pause
when in fancy could see
The fair flushed face of the gentle friend so
full of pity for me;
Then she laid her dainty hand on mnc-her
hand that trembled so!
And the tears were in her tender voice as she
whispered soft and low
''Charlie, we two arc such old, old friends that
you mustn't think me bold
If ask you to tell me secret that else would
ever be untold
What was it you wanted to say to me that
evening by the mere:
Come, I'm sure you'll tell me, won't you, now?
for should so like to hear
"What! you dare not tell me, you say!-ah
well, think can guess!-
And, Charlie dear, Pm sure you know my an
swer would have been 'Yesp
You know | loved you, without the need Of
either promise or vow;
| And yet-how cruel, how cruell--you thought
| should turn away from you nor,
"Now, when your poor dark life has need of a
tender and trusty guide
Now, when I'm prouder of your love than Of
aught in the world beside
And did you think that this was the time
should choose to coldly part?
| All, It's little indeed you men can know of the
depths of a woman'S heart
"Charlie, don't think me unwomanly, dear
unwomanly and weak
| Because give a voice to the love | know you
would never speak,
| It's better so than that both our lives should
be forlorn and lone;
And so-if YOU care to have me, dear-yor
may take me for your own!"
What need to tell Of my answer, Jack-of my
hearts ecstatic bliss
| AS my lips sought hers, and we sealed our love
with first warm, passionate kiss?
While my silent thanks went up to God on the
Jacobs ladder of prayer
The God who had brightn'd my life with JOY
that seem'd too great to bear!
And so we were marred-Bcssie and but
God knows that, far above
The home and the wealth she brought, priced
the richer wealth of her love
And she tried to persuade me that helped tc
pay our way, you see,
BY the stories and rhymings, grave and gay
she loved to scribble for me.
And children were born to us-frst girl
who'd her mothers eyes, they said;
Twas then | wept my saddest tears since Bes
sic and were wed;
For when they laid the wee mite in my arms
and spoke Of its baby grace,
| felt it hard should never look i'll my little
darngs face;
Then our boy was born, and my life stood still
with sudden horror and fright
o Jack, old man, shall ever forget that trying
and awesome night,
When l paced this room here, through anC
through, with cropping helpless dread
While my darling's precious life up stairs wa
hanging OH thread?
But God heard my prayers-the blind mans
prayersand spared hertz me, my sweet
And our home grew merry with cradle songs
and the patter of little feet;
With the patter of little baby feet that woult
toddle up to my chair,
To lay little soft head on my Knee, that loved
to nestle there.
So the years passed on and even life now Of
ten seem'd hard to me;
But when | sat in the eventde with my little
ones on my knee,
While Bessie would sing US some quaint old
song of love or of doughty deed,
I'd think how good and pleasant it was to the
life had thought 20 lead
Let's see, It's twelvemonth ago since first
noticed, with strange surprise,
That the darkness seemd to grow lighter-ibe
at times to my poor blind eyes,
And yearning passionate tren bling, hope
erept into my heart and brain;
But never a word | said to my wife, lest my
thoughts should be false and vain:
Then spoke to her of a book I'd plannd, tina
| fancied would answer well,
But wanted some talk with firm in town, 20
see if they thought 'twould sell;
And Willie had promised to go with me and
see me through it, l said,
For knew that she couldn't leave the BARNS,
or I'd like her to 60 Instead,
She tried to persuade me from it at first, and
dolefully prophesied
All sorts of accidents and mishaps and then
she pleaded and tried
| To get us to take her with US, too; but at last
we settled it right,
And Willie was pledged again and again not to
trust me out Of his sight.
So we went to town for week or so, and
you'll easily understand
NY huttering hopes, and doubts, and fears,
now the test was near at hand:
Enough, that one wondrous day, Saul like, the
scales dropped off from my sight,
And tainted in Willie's brotherly arms, in a
sudden burst o light.
was dazed and giddy-like for a while, but