River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-02-22

hauLEl. SUIlc EillS 4cstIH uItoSLIdh-
ing, some to fashion lovely hats and
bonnets. others bookkeeping. Well.
learned rOp dancing. Ma said she
was able to take care OF me, and any
one knowing her would have said so
too. At first my pay was small, as in
all my contracts | had to include all
expenses for ma. But we were always
able to save something toward the
home we intended TO buy after awhile,
and this was something TO hope for. 1t
was to be a cottage in some quiet VIII
lage, with three or four acres attach
ed, and lawn with peacock. Hum
BILE enough. you VIII say, but we could
hope for this we knew, and took CON-
fort in saving for and talking and
planning about it whenever we were
together.
improved rapidly in my profession,
and my second season out | obtained a
splendid engagement with a first-class
circus that was to travel by boat and
have things very comfortable and
knew, il nothing happened, the cot
tage, the lawn, and the peacock were
waiting for us at the end of the sea-
son.
The first night | performed / was
looking my very best, in soft gray tar
latan. with flame-cOlOTed ribbon, ard
a great yellow rose on my bosom, and
dancing and balancing like a fairy.
When through my act and once more
dressed and wrapped in shawls and
wells, as ma and came out of the can
yass dTeSSing-rOOm, the ticket agent
1.-THE person owed my engagement to)
came up and said aRhoda, haven't
got time to take you down to the boat
tonight, and az none of the other la
dies are going yet, JEFF Gerand will
take you and your mother down all
right MAYBE he will and maybe
he won't" says ma, ''who's jeff Ger
and . Hes Miranda, the bare
back rider" SAYS George, ''and bet
ter fellow never lived. Here, jeff, if
you're ready, don't keep the ladies all
night. | had seen Miranda, early in
the evening, DO wonderful twO-horse
act, and hal admired the graceful dis
play of craftsmanship but as he came
up now in plain dark clothes and shook
hands with rs in his gentle way,
thOught--but never mind. lie was
not handsome. his face could hardly
be called good looking. but he was the
kind of a looking man little girls
would like to have for big brother.
The next day ma SAYS "RhOda, be-
lieye if yOu were to fall in love with
Mr.. JEFF. and MIR. JEFF was to fall il
love with yOu, I'd be tempted to let
YOU get married. though | always did
say YOu should never marry one of the
profession ''Why, he's not good
looking, ma. SAYS |. Good looking o.
SAYS ma. well, Miss Rhode Cutler
professionally known as Sonora Rodie
Culettil, If it is good looks you're af
ter, hope you'll find EN-. but in my
very humble opinion (Which Is not
mas, nor never waSl s'there is better
things in the world than good looks rs
you'll see.
After that ma and jeff were always
great friends, and thus three mCnths
passed away, bringing us nearer to the
cottage. to the lawn and the peacock /;
when enc night there was a terrible
storm, the tent was blown dOwn, near
ly everything ruined, and JEFF had
both of his legs broken above the
knees. They brought him to the boat
moaning with agony, and asked for
ma. IL was ma who quieted and sOOth-
Ell him as if he was her very own /; it
was ma who tenderly bound the brOk-
en- limbs it was ma who did it all,
though there were willing hands
enough, God knows. That night my
eyes were opened, and for the first
time | knew loved jeff GeTand. He
recovered rapidly, poor fellow, and we
kept him on the boat till the end of the
season, petting and nursing him like 4
child and each vieing with each other
as only the profession God bless emil
Fan. to make him comfortable and happy
till one dreamy day in Indian Summer.
he told me he was going To leave MS ;
he was whiting q little stick, | re-
member, and thought how beautiful
IL he cut and yeined the leaf he was
making. Ii was a knack he had and
You rarely saw him since the accident
without knife and piece of soft
wood.
Il can't live of You folks oIever,
RhOda.' he says. land though
haven I got relative in the world,
think | can find some friends in New
York to help me and find me some
thing 10 do. | once thought maybe
things would be different, RhOla. but
since the smash-up'-his voice broke
down, but he dashed away the tears
ard went OIL wouldn't ask my
girl to tie herself to poor Grip
have a very bad temper, ma says, and
ii showed itself right here. | WASH I
going to have any one | loved call
themselves a poor cripple, and | told
JEFF GeTand SO, too, and a great deal
more, and when ma found us had my
head on Jeff's shoulder in a way "a
make the blood boil. she said.
Well. married JEFF in spite of him
self, and before Christmas we were in
the cottage with the lawn and the pea
cock, too and Christmas Eve. as we
sat by the fire and ma hustled in ana
out getting tea, as the chimes of dis
tant bells came softly over the hill:
telling of happy little ones and loaded
Christmas trees. | claSped Jeff'S hanC
close in mine and was very. very hap
py. After paving for our little home
we still had small fund left, but | in
tended 10 follow my vocation of rope
dancing and DO what many a bette
woman had done befOre-suppOrt tn,
man loved.
We had been married some months
when JEFF began to write TO the city
and receive IL return small packages
these he did not show 10 any one, AM
one day. when he asked ne to fit up
small room upstairs for his Ow2 use
and then shut himself in day afte
day with the door locked. / think
had cause TO be curious and even m
began to hint things. I saw nothinI
wrong never for n moment sup
posed JEFF, my poor darling, dom
wrong. All God forbid But h
should have told me, | thought, 70
who loved or trusted him more tha
his wife, RhOdai
50 things went on for three lon
weeks. ma hunting some one-fo
shame you'll say-suIking. and Jei