River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-10-18


and be sure il is your welfare 1 have in
mind when ! ask you if you do not think
you are old enough to marTygn
"0ld enough. Why, yes, of course,
the girl said, slowly, turning a troubled
look upon vista of the lake shining
| through the trees. But
II would not urge you to this step
4 against your inclinations, my child; but
| speak to you as a mother. No woman :
| life is complete till she marries; and,
though you have had, and continue TO
have. opportunities that
"Yes, auntie, know what you would
say-opportunities other girls long for,
and opportunities / may not have again.
know, too, that there viii soon be plenty
4 of tongues to whisper old maid,' and
how she fades when / pass by. But
whom shall marry TO escape tins dread
full fategr
/ There was careless misery in the
girls face and voice as she uttered these
/ words. The world, the flesh, and the
years, and she could not make an uncon-
/ ditional surrender without some bitter
ness of spirit.
Mrs. Marlette replied briskly to her
/ last question.
"You have the best match in Airline in
your grasp this morning. Who is richer
more talented, more ambitious than
Ernest Hot ston' Already he holds a
high position in Washington, and
"Well,' interrupted Helen, jumping up
/ from her low seat with little laugh; II
am wise enough to understand you. In
quiring friends may find me this morning,
She lightly kissed her aunt's still un-
wrinkled forehead, and left that lady to
her embroidery.
Within an hour Mrs. Varieties rever-
les were broken upon by the coming of
| two young men up the serpentine gravel
walk.
The elder was very dark, with hand
some regular features, and polished in
sinuating manner, strongly in contrast
with the brusque, straightforward air of
his companion. The latter, though quick
er in his movements, was of much heavier
! build, and his face, if not so handsome,
was redeemed by face of singular beau
| ty. His eyes were clear and honest. Al
| together he might have proved a less
agreeable companion, but perhaps bet
ter friend than the other.
aunt Celia" said the FIRST gentleman,
easily advancing, "your prodigal nephew
Fred. Hasn't he changed beyond recog-
nitionl'
"Fred, my dear, dear nephew Mrs.
Marlette bubbled, bestowing such a
greeting OF kisses upon the young man
that he blushed warmly through his
Drowned cheeks, and would have wished
himself back in the Falkland Islands had
he not possessed a peculiarly grateful dis
position. Then she told him that before
he saw either of his cousins, he must sit
down and tell her all about himself and
the misunderstanding he was going
back again, and whatever induced him
to go there in the first place. Ernest,
meantime must go in search of Sake and
Helen, and bring them out to see Fred
she thought that they were in the Ii
brary.
Whereupon Ernest departed with dis
patch.
Helen Marlette set alone in the bay-win-
dow of the library, large cool room to
which little glass door leading into the
conservatory was the only entrance save by
the hall. A magazine lay open on her
lap, but her mind was far from its pages.
A crisis had doomed up in her life, and
she was regarding it coolly with folded
hands. So absorbed was she. that the
subject of her thoughts, the man she did
| not love, stood beside her before she
knew he had entered the room. She
started, and looked at him mutely, as
she would have looked upon her fate.
Meeting the look with his handsome
/ eyes, he said, gravely:
/ "Helen, you know why | am here.
/ Tomorrow / leave Airline. You must
tell me whether | leave it forever, or
whether / shall return to claim my wife"
He was very, very handsome, and he
had read her cold face too we'll to say
much. Why did she not love himl she
asked herself, as in dreaps o.! why
couldn't she! Was she not unreasonable
For some kind fate to interpose forever
between them. She sat as if spell-bound,
and did not speak word.
/ EmbOldened by her silence, he caught
her hand TO his lips.
There arose q succession of terrified
cries, and trampling of feet in the hPll.
/ With dilated eyes and wringing hands
/ Mrs. Marlette burst into the room.
Rogers mad! Rogers madi" she
shrieked, distractedly, rushing into the
/ conservatory and locking the door upon
/ Sake, who closely followed. Seeing no
egress from the room, Sake, mad with
/ terror, leaped upon a large writing table,
snatched off its green cover, regardless of
inkstand and papers, and enveloped her
head in its folds, pressing her face to the
wall
With lolling tongue and burning eyes,
/ in an answering line toward Helen,
came Roger. Pale as death, Ernest Hous-
ton leaped from tn window. All this in
the twinkling of ar eye. Aunt Celia
door, still shrieking ard wringing her
hands. From the green table-cover came
4 incoherent means. Near,r -nearer-still
nearer-one leap. Her nerves relaxed,
and she fell back I'm onscious.
In the course Of ten or fifteen minutes
Helen Marlette became aware of sitting
sensation and a bun ing in her eyes,
which further develo -ments proved to be
the result of ha lkerchief saturated
with ammonia fun over her face. A
frightful railroad ccident had taken
place-what, she di not exactly under
stand Somebody was tanning her after
it: somebody with dark, bright eyes
kind eyes-eyes that watched her long,
long ago. She closed her own peacefully,
and thought she was in heaven with the
happy dead.
90, she opened her eyes. Give her a
little wine now: she's coming to-" said q
terrestrial voice, and very terrestrial
vial was put to her lips,
Dear met another voice said also IN
earthly accents, & if it hadn't been for you,
we should all have died Of hydrophobia
How did you happen to shoot Roger and
miss Helen when they were so near
You should 90 on the stage and play
I William, Toll Fan her moro. eha don'f