River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-06-05

I
bad times our marriage is as indefinitely
postponed as the millennium. Now, my
dear girl, do not wish to stand in your
light; If YOU were not engaged to me,
some more eligible partner would seek
you, / feel certain. Moreover, my health
is precarious, and the doctors have adj
yised me to try the air of California. 1t IS
prescription more nauseous than drugs,
since | must leave You behind me; but l
could not, in honor, carry your promise
with me for an indefinite space OF time
for nv own selfish satisfaction merely.
At the same time, believe me, 1t is no
easy thing for me to say 'adleu to the
| dearest girl in the world.
.Sincerely, STEPHEN SoTHERE."
To saw that Greta was surprised would
be the same as if we should call an earth
quake unpleasant" She was thunder
struck, overwhelmed, with Just spirit
enough left to return Mr.. Sotherne's let
/ tors and presents by the next mail with
/ out word.
He has heard all about the diamond,
and believes it, she thought It would
be a comfortable arrangement if one
! could cease to love the instant lover
proves unworthy. but hearts are not fash
/ toned after that manner. When every
] thought and motive of ones life is woven
4 up with those of another, one can not I'M
4 unrayel the tangled web all at once. AN
Il other such shock will send me to the in
I sane asylum sighed Greta. But there
4 was another vet in store for her. Mr.. Graf
ton had taken to dropping in upon her
/ after her days work. One evening he
said:
Miss Greta, what if you should DE
/ found guilty of this-this'
If they should find me guilty How
( can they find an innocent person guilty.
! If took the diamond, where is it!''
Mr.. Grafton smiled indulgently. "Peo-
| pie have been imprisoned, branded, ex
| lied, hanged, and quartered for sins they
never committed. If you were guilty,
you would be more likely to escape: you
would have laid your plans"
Greta gave an involuntary sob; the
tears shone in her eyes. "And there is no
one to help me- she gasped, thinking
aloud, rather than speaking to Mr.. Graf
/ ton.
Yes, YES, there is some one ready to
help you, Greta,n said that gentleman
Il will help YOU, if you will only give
me the right he petitioned.
"You, Mr.. Grafton? What right can |
give you. | don't understand
al you were my promised wife All
nv dear Miss Greta, don't turn away
your head disdainfully; hear me out |
Mr.. Stoughton is under some obligation |
to me; If you were my promised wife, |
could write him. There would be no
more said about the missing diamond |
it would be accounted for in some natural !
manner You would be no longer sus-
pectcd No one could suspect the wom- |
an whom Thomas Grafton delighted to |
honor
'You-you are very kind. | thank |
YOU; but | do not love you. Mr. Grafton" |
Il don't ask you to love me. OF course |
YOU don't; the idea has never, perhaps, |
entered your head before. | only beg |
that you will marry me. Love will come
sooner or later, as | deserve it at your
hands. And, my dear, Grcta, what bet
ter can you do! Who will give you en-
ployment, with his blight upon yot?
How will you earn your daily bread2'
i don't know, returned Greta; "how |
shall /, indeed, But, all the same, it
would he contemplate to reward your
unseltishness by merely marrying you for
Il home
Only agree to marry me, and | will
not quarrel with the motives he i'm |
plored.
What could Greta dol Her lover had /
deserted her; her good name was tar
uished. Without home, friends, OF work, |
was 1t not the height of folly to refuse
such Il way of escapet And yet, how !
could she love him? But might not one |
survive the luxury Of loving2 Come !
wealth, ease, and position; vanish all illu |
sions that make life sweet. She begged |
a fortnight for consideration something |
might turn up TO her advantage-the dia-
mond, for instance. But the fortnight !
passed, as fortnights will nothing happen |
ed, except that Mr. Grafton, feeling conf |
dence in the woman who hesitates, re-
furnished his parlor in blue satin and pale
gold, fitted up an apartment for his wife
boud0ir like suburb of fairy land,
bespoke the parson, the ring, and caterer.
"Do tell" said one gossip to another;
"Greta Loring's going to step INTO clover,
and no mistake"
'It's powerful change for her. | hear
Mr. Grafton's always had hankering for
her. He told Mr.. Jobson any man could
marry any woman he set his
heart upon, if he'd only work hard
enough, and wait like a spider in his
| web"
Il guess he got Greta for the asking,
eh.'
Il dunno; there was that Sothernc who
was sweet on her
Il reckon that's blown over--only a
young mans pastime. I'm surprised at
Tom Grafton, though, with all his airs
and frills. with his family tree and his
coat of arms. and his ancestors and his
money. How does he get over that little
affair of Mrs Stoughton's diamond? |
| s'pose he expects folks to visit his wife
and ask no questions, once she's a
Grafton
Law its the way Of the world a pref
/ tv face makes man forget trespasses and
! get rid of his judgment. It's no use
I quarrelling with such thlngs at our age.
I Greta'll make q fine lady, and | mean to
/ pay my respects at ration Place directly;
| I'M lust crazy to see the new fixing. I'd
/ Just like to see how Id look in the blue
! satin parlor."
And all this time Greta had not even
/ consented. 1t IS true, wealth and com
/ tort were allurrIng. she had told her-
/ self that Providence would provide. and
( huw could She know but this was the
. very provision made for her! 1t would
/ bc delightful, no doubt, to enjoy such an
establishment rs Grafton Place Sl re-
membered what visions Of romance had
! accompanied when she rambIed through
/ the quaint oil fashioned m mansion, which
might easily boast a haunted chamber;
through the halls with the dim religious
light falling from painted Windows;
gazed at the portraits of the dusty Graf
tons pushed aside the hiocade hangings;
drank from the china that had outhved
generations She recalled the great mir
/ rors that lined the walls, the silver eper-
! ruc upon the side board heaped with
/ fruit, the flashing ivory Of the piano, and
odor OF the dollhouse flowers And it
might ali he hers at word. Only let
, her say Yes" and she might wear her
veivets and Iaces with any lady in the
land, drive in her satin-hned carriage,
and have servants under her, and all that
heart could desire, All! Yes, all but
self-approval, love and Stephen Sothorne,
Still, let her answer No and stephen
and love would still he lacking, and hard