River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-11-08
Ills an III Wind That Blows Nobody
Good.


A midsummer day-the air heavy and
sultry-the leaves of the trees, which
have hung heavy and mOtiOnless for
hours, beginning to rustic and tremble-
the birds flying with shrill notes of warn
ing To their nests-cattle vending their
way hOmeward in search of shelter-thc
tall corn bending lightly and gracefully
toward the eaTth-a low storm muTmur
telling the bee and butterfly to leave the
honey feast and hide-the skies growing
dark with threatening clouds-tangled
skeins of lightning in the east-distant
sounds of thunder Young woman, with
pretty. fair hair, small, feline mouth, and
bright, shrewd, green-blue eyes. writing
at a desk beside the open window of a
handsome country hOuse-One sheet ef
paper closely covered lies before her
She finishes second and third, chances
over them. places them IN an envelope,
reaches out her hand for the one upon
the desk; pauses moment to lean from
the window and watch the awful glory of
the heavens; when all lis forces gathered,
comes the wind like a young hurricane
snatches the envelope from her grasp,and
bears il, with shrek of triumph, far
away.
4 gentleman at least quarter of a
mile distant from the handsome house
toward which he is fastening tall broad
shOuldered, with scholarly stOOp-mild
gray, truthful eyes-gentle, refined
mouth. honest, serious face-hair and
beard slightly silveTed and hands filled
with treasures gathered in the woods.
The fierce wind meets him-battles
4. - .1Tuu
away. anil diving drops an unaddressed
envelope at his feet. He bends and picks
il up-Tegards it a moment abstTactedly
opens it-takes out a fragment of a
letter-in another moment lets the for
est treasures slip from his grasp-steps
backward a pace or two, leans against
the sturdy trunk Of an old chestnut tree
and with puzzled look and knitted brow
reads what the wind has brought him
slowly and carefully through from be-
ginning to end and this is what he reads:
Not introduced you to Uncle Maurice
until six months are past | want him
70 believe that | have been thorough !.
devoted To him, fOr the last two years
ever since he took me from the convent
school where | became pupil-teachel
when my father died.
At the end of the six months, on my
twenty first birthday, he has half-prOm
ised 10 make over IL me this house anC
grounds and all they contain, and the
probability of the half-prOmise becOm
inc a whole one and being fulfilled /:
ycrg much stronger if he be kept in hap
DIV ignorance of our lOve-atfair than i
would lie il he even suspected my year,
engagement 10 you. So you see, my deal
hoy. il Is all nOnSense-rOmantic non
scnse-yOuT urging me to confess To my
uncle in hopes of fastening our mar
riage.
Itwould be eOnsummate folly to ruI
such a risk, for there's no telling wha
these very good people will do when al
their lifelong preiudices receive suddeI
shock.
Uncle Maurice finding that | had de
ceived him might Danish me to tie OBJ
security frem which he took me!
Then We could aerer marry, for you
n.vc but a small income, scarcely sufh
cicnt 10 procure the comforts and luXu
Ties absolutely necessary to man of so
Cietv, and nave nothing but q love fOl
comfort and luxury commensurate witt
your own.
Ut FANAAEAks AAAcA " my NAANA fR1A 10
thence shall soon be rewarded. And real
ly, when one comes to consider, you have
much less to complain OF than I. You
have no disagreeable uncle 10 find fault
with you. For, rs l have told you be
fore, Uncle Maurice, though a great fav
orite with most people, Is extremely dis
agreeable to ne. We haven't taste, ;
feeling. in common, and were 1t not fol
the benefits accruing I would not remain
beneath the same roof with him anOthe
week.
In the first place he is unpleasantll
truthful, and thereby getting one constant
" into awk ard scrapes; in the next h
looks with perfect horror on round dance
believing them inventions of His Satani'
Majesty, and I, who dOte upon them, havl
TO tell our guests-how YOU would laugl
10 hear me-that I do not allow them
do YOU remember our first galOp9
As for our Jolly. rollieking French ope
ras. he rs made an Gutd ia fe of m,
Grand Duchesser and "Barbe Bleu" mu
sic. and he would have added all the res
Of nv Offenbach collection to the pile has
not hidden them away and declared II
in a tone and with face that would hav,
indicated .'the Father of his Country, tina
had no more.
Then he insists upon entertaining ever.
month, sOnfe fifty dreadful children whom
me gathers from the neighboring village
and am compelled TO assume the part o
the lovely charitable young mistress o
the mansion, in white, decorated witt
blue ribbons, and preside over the feast
the money expended on which ] can't hell