Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-12-26
FRED LAWRENCE'S ADVENTURE.

dressing ueT COUSIN, Lucy Lawrence,
where do you think Fred has spent his
evenings for some time past?'
The lady addressed looked up some
what surprised at Hates question, but i'll
a moment answered:
In his own room pOrlng over those
old volumes ofancient history"
"You are much mistaken. Miss
Lucy" replied Kate, her merry eyes
sparkling with mischievous humor; she
wouldn't be studying those musty, fusty
old books while there is so pretty a
young lady as the widow MarstOn's
daughter in the village"
"What has Fred to do with Anne
MarstonY asked Lucy as she endeav-
Ored to read the very puzzling express
sion that rested upon her Cousins good
humored face. 1t was some moments
before she received an answer to her
question, when Lucy, with a light laugh,
replied:
"WhY, cousin, he's in love with her!"
an love with Anne Marston? [ don't
believe it." exclaimed Lucy, in a tone
of surprise and curiosity.
"Well, | will tell you something, and
then you may disbeheve it or not, just
as you please" returned Kate, with a
serO-cOmical air, as she raised her eyes
and fixed them intently on Lucy's face.
Night before last il was rather late
when we retired. you recollect, and l
was suffering with a severe headache.
You were soon asleep, but was unable
to rest from pain, and with the hope
that the night air would cool my burn
ing brow, | left the mouse by the back
window and walked slowly down the
garden path. BY some means | chaned
to turn my eyes in the direction of the
widow Marston's dwelling, and as the
moon shOne brightly | could plainly
see that there were two figures standing
upon the steps. One, | was sure, was
Anne, and the other a young gentle
man, as | supposed, | was sure l didn't
know. They stood upon the steps for
some moments, when Anne entered the
house, and her companion, whom L
thought looked wonderfully like Fred,
walked down the street. As he came
nearer | was sure it was no one but
Fred Lawrence. He entered the gar
den, and as | concealed myself behind
the rOse-bushes, he did not observe me-
He cautiously approached the window,
from which | had made my own egress,
opened it, stepped in, and then closed it..
From some unaccountable cause, my
headache had entirely left me, and in a
few moments more | returned to the
house. / knew that the person l had
seen on the steps with Anne was your
brother Fred, and no one else, and |
was quite sure, also, that the old vol
umes ofhistOry had not been disturbed
that evening"
And do you really believe Fred
spends his evenings with Anne Mars
tOn" asked Lucy, as Kate ceased
speaking, and laughed heartily.
Last night | watched him as he
slipped out and he was in few moments
at the widow Marston's. 1t was nearly
midnight when he returned, for | heard
the window open and shut a few mo-
ments before the clock struck that
hour"
"What motive could he have in
being so secret about his visits?"
"He knows we should be continually
teazing him about Anne, and doubtless
prefers to keep his secret from our
knowledge"
There can be no other reason" re-
piled Lucy, laughing in spite of herself
Mt the novel manner in which Hates
headache had been cured.
1--WE must punish Fred for doing so,
Lucy" said Kate, as her cousin seemed
to comprehend the affair, "and | think
we can prevent him from staying so
late with Anne, wasting lights and fire
for nothing as old uncle Joe would
say"
How do you think we can punish
him severely enough to keep him at
home?"
at do not think we can prevent him
from visiting Anne, but we can, | think,
prevent him from staying later than
ten IN the evening; indeed, l am quite
sure we cam"
Howw
Kate bent her head and whispered
for 4 few moments in the ear of her
cousin, and after a few more merry
words, both sprang up and left the
room.
That night, just as the clock struck
twelve, Fred Lawrence parted with his
lady-love" on the steps of her moth
er's dwelling, and with a light heart
turned his steps in the direction of his
own home. TO tell the truth, dear
reader, Fred aUdS in love with Anne
Marston, and it is no less true that Anne
Marston was in love with him. He
dreaded the mischievOus teaZing of his
cousin, Kate Myrtle, and feared it, too,
more than he would have done the dis
pleasure of 8. king, and the cutting sar-
casms OF his sister Lucy were by no
means pleasant. He had determined
to keep his engagement to Anne IN
known to them. if possible until he
felt better prepared to endure their
persecution.
1t was but short distance from the
widow Marston's to his own home, and
he was soon standing before the identi-
cal window at which Kate had seen him
enter two evenings before. He slowly
raised the sash, but ere he had succeed
ed in getting it to the requisite height a
difficulty occurred. The sash would
not move up another inch, and sup
posing it had struck something acct
dentally placed there, he renewed his
efforts to raise it. But, to his surprise
and CONSERVATION, as he pressed harder
upon the sash, down tell a brass kettle.
several tin pans and the shovel and
tongs upon the floor, with a ringing
crash, loud enough to awake every one
IN the house. Fred started back and
turned pale.
Glow could those things have got
there?" muttered he, as he listened at
tentively to see if the noise had aroused
any one. The sash was now easily
raised, and he sprang into the room, but
not without kicking against one of the