Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-08-09

it | heard voices. | listened, halooed
and the reply told me that the other
team found itself ia exactly our posi-
ton. Crying that | would be with
them directly, | went back to Rose.
Or. Wilder and his friend have
brought up in the wood, too said /.
Il heard them,' said she.
And that is much more cheerful.
sAh, not in the least she said.
Mrs. Burbank will never overlook it
anyway. And it will kill Dr. Wilder,
too-that old man in this winter
storm =
well, really, / don't know that /
am to blame for his being here said L.
sOh, / don't mean that she cried,
starting forward. ooh, l don't know
what did say-what with the dis
aster and the ride and the worry.
Don't-don't be vexed with me-
'Vexed with you'll! said /. How
absurd AS if it were possible-the
poor tired child And by that time
was standing in the snow close
beside her. 'Rose,' began, draw
ing off one of the little otter-skin nit
tens-'how cold the little hand is I
ooh no, | am very warm and CON-
fortable.'
| How cold the little hand is ? and /
pressed it to my lips.
She took it away hastily. No, no,
no, she marmured. you mustn't
speak to me so-here.'
| sAnd if 1t were not here p cried.
Rose, you will never dare to 60 back
to Mrs. Burbank's now?'
She made no reply
Then why not go home with me ?
60 home with you?' she repeated,
like some one in dream.
with me- l said. To stay with
me. Forever
ooh, you would never have asked
me if it had not been for this 7 she
cried. do you think / am SO small,
so pitiful, as that tbs my misfor-
tune that we are here ; but I shall
not let it ruin your life by burdening
you with a wife you don't love-
Il don't love?' l answered her
Heaven knows what joy in my voice !;
and told the rest in the dark upon
her dear, warm, dewy lips.
Five minutes later, Tiffany and l
had pulled and tipped and tilted the
other sleigh, with the doctor in it, to
a place close beside my own.
My dear young friends said the
doctor, with whom l had now ex-
changed few sentences, this is very
sudden and very surprising but in.
deed, as the son of an old friend, and
as one who has been under my care,
in some measure, since her childhood,
| think may say quite the best thing.
Quite the best thing under the cir
cumstances. / don't know upon
whose parish l may be intruding, but
[ think [ may venture and as the
State requires no license, and we have
witness and here the old doc
tors voice broke forth under the
sonorous arches Of the wood in the
music of the Church service that he
knew by heart. We had heard it
lately in the midst of flowers and
light and friends, organ strains and
bell notes but here in the solitude of
the forest, and the great darkness,
and the falling snow, as the wedding
prayer rang out, it was inexpressibly
solemn. We felt as if great spirits
were the company before whom we
gave and pledged our troth, and if
| 1,I IyNnnl 80 fha Aln1rs.,ce
nevertheless it seemed to fall upon
our bent heads like tender hand,
as that voice cried out of the gloom
and shadow, 'The Lord mercifully
with His favor look upon you, and
fill you with all spiritual benediction
and grace, that ys may so live to-
gether in this life that in the world to
come We may have life everlasting =
'Are you sorry, my Rose p I whis.
pered. And for moment, two arms
thrown about me, and a little cold
cheek on mine, were more eloquent
than words.
sThen Tiffany and | proceeded to
cut other boughs and pile them round
the horses and the sleighs. Destitute
of matches-for | had used my last
in looking at my watch-we could
not build a fire and at length we
disposed ourselves among the furs
and rugs in our respective sleighs, to
be as merry as we could till sunrise,
with the snow still falling softly round
us. And very merry we were. We
TESTED and spared and told stories !;
| the old doctor recited the adventures
of lis youth / invited the two to
come and make another night of it,
watching the old year out at the farm
presently and at length Rose, who
had been very silent, trembling in my
arms among all the furs and robes, as
we sat side by side, sang sweet old
German hymn that scared and went
far as an angels song through the
wood. And thereat Mr.. Tiffany, who
once had been a chorister, began an
old hymn we all knew:
| "No seas again shall sever,
| No desert intervene,
| No deep sad-fowing river
Shall roll its tide between.
No bleak cliffs, upward towering,
Shall bound our eager sight
No tempest darkly lowering,
Shall wrap US in its night
"Love and answered union
OF soul with those we love,
Nearness, and glad communion
Shall be our joy above.
And as he sang, the beautiful head
sunk lower and lower, and rested on
my shoulder; and as l held her under
the canopy of the umbrella, the sweet
soul slept through the rest of the long
watch, while the doctor and Tiffany
and / talked ourselves into a fiery
religious argument, and had rousing
quarrel over the political aspect, and
q grand reconciliation over a yellow
CLEAN of sunrise across the dazzle of
the snow and through the shadow of
the great pine boughs. with which We
made haste out Of the woods, found