Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-10-16
A LITTLE FOOL.

=
self, why not marry Colonel Powell?'
Because do not like Colonel Pow
ell, and because Like some one else,
Aunt Ethel"
Il never heard of such thing. Do
you know what you are saying. Miss?
Such talk, can tell you, is highly i'm
proper; and as for not liking Colonel
Powell, this is nonsense. Colonel
Powell has everything necessary to win
any woman's approbation-very old
family, very fine manners, elegant resi-
dence, servants, Cal ria. e, money, and a
member of congress besides. Don't
you know that you would spend the
winters in Washington"
81 declare it does not tempt me a
bit"
"And don't believe he is day more
than fifty"
''He is seventy-fve if he is an hour,
and he hobbies and coughs, and is al
together dreadful. / never, never,
never will marry him."
"May [ ask who, then, is TO have the
honor of becoming my nephew" and
Miss Ethel sat stif9y down, and began
to carefully re-arrange the pink satin
bows on her white morning dress.
Eloise sat down opposite to her, and
fingered nervously the rose-buds and
ivy leaves that trimmed her garden
hat. The two women were strangely
alike, only one face was forty years old,
white and proud; and the other was
only twenty, flushing and paling, and
answering every feeling of the heart.
For some moments EIoise did not
speak, and Miss Ethel Bruce did not
urge her. She sat patiently looking in
her niece's face, until that young lady,
finding courage in her desperation, said
with bland defiaace, The gentleman
who is to have that honor, dear aunt,
is Mr.. Henry Torrens."
impossible! You would not do such
foolish thing?"
ooh yes, | would"
'Do you know who he is?"
"He is-Harry"
Ridiculous! Do you know who his
father is?"
"No, don't want to know him par
ticularly. "Do you know him Aunt
Ethel?"
mo. Idare say it would be very i'm
proper for me to know such person.
When we first met him last summer
in the North, don't remember that he
ever named his family"
"Nor l."
chat looks very bad, Eloise. If a
man has respectable relations, of course
he talks about them"
81 don't see that it makes any great
difference to me. L do not intend to
marry Harry's relations. | do not
care much about them, anyway. Once
he told me that his mother was dead,
and | said mine was too; and of course
we felt sorry for each other, and all
that. But [ am afraid | am little
jealous about Harry; would just as
lief be the only person Ia the world who
had any right to love him as not"
''You make me feel hopeless about
you. Pray what do you intend to live
upon p
Harry las two thousand dollars a
year."
''Two thousand dollars a year, What
magnificent mcconnell"
Don't make fun of us, aunt; / can
not allow that; indeed can not. We
love each other, and shall be very
happy"
Doubtless. May 1 ask where Mr..
Torrens is employed %
SIN West & Green's law Office"
81 thought be lived in New York.
What brought him here ?"
'How should | know" said Eloise,
blushing, and inyoluntarily dropping
her voice.
Her aunt watched her curiously, and
shuck her head for answer. where
have you seen him-for l hope you
have not dared to bring him within the
precincts of Bruce Place"
''He has never touched pa1ing of it.
/ met him at Aunt Kezia's; and / am
sure she would have let Cousin Lizzie
marry him very willingly. She thinks
great deal of Harry"
Lizzie Bruce is different. She has
five little sisters, and my brother Jake
always spends twenty out of an income
of nineteen. You have expectations
or at least had. l always intended, If
you remained unmarried, to leave you
the Bruce Place."
"Dear aunt, thanks for the intention
but | would rather have Harry. | have
little bit OF money of my own, have l
not?'
"About four thousand dollars: lust
enough to buy your wedding things, and
marry you decently. For though you
are going to make such a fool of your
self, | shall not show the white feather
about it. Unjust pretend to be happy
when [ am wretched, and receive con-
CALCULATIONS that will nearly choke me;
but such trials are part and parcel of a
woman's lot; l dare say | shall get
creditably through them"
Miss Ethel rose with proud air, but
pitifully sad face, and attempted to
leave the room, but Eloise. with gentle
force and many tender kisses, made her
sit down again.
"Auntie," she said. coaxingly, "you
have asked me a good many questions;
ami | have answered them truly now,
am going to ask you some, and
know you will be fair with me about
them. First, were you ever in love :?
Half smiling and half signing, Miss
Ethel sat thinking over the bold ques-
ton. At length she answered, slowly,
and with great deal of pathos in her
voice, eyes, Eloise; [ once loved as ]
do not think you have the power to
love. 1t is twenty-five years ago."
"Will you tell me about it?"
81 can not. Yes-I will try: perhaps
it may show you what waste of life it
is. Wait here 4 few moments"
She then left the room, but soon re-