Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-06-12
FAINT HEART.

since he could remember; they mad
gone to school together; he had spelled
above her and refused to take the first
place; he had envied the more daring
boys who walked home with her through
the green lanes beneath empowering
elms, as if it were the most common
place thing to do in the world, while he,
with his heart in his mouth, tried to
find courage for the effort, and found
himself left bekind for his pains. Later,
when they first began to go out into the
world together, what tortures he endur-
ed when she danced with some hand
some stranger; if she rode with bis
Drawer com panions: if Carl Hughes took
her off in his wherry down the silver
length of the river, and lost his way
among the creeks Of the silent marshes
only returning home when the evening
was far spent, and the stars trembled
in the heavens, and unwittIngly brush.
ing past poor John, waiting on the wharf
in the shadow of some warehouse to
see them landed safe! Life began early
to seem like pleasant difficulty to him
He was always wondering what she
was doing; how she passed the long
days while he was busy in the counting,
room; what were her every day thoughts
her dreams, and did he hold any share
therein. Sunday, too, soon became the
first of holidays, for then he was sure
to see her. His fathers square, old
fashioned pew almost faced the congre-
cation, and not breath or blush, the
futter of an eylid or the ghost of a
dimple, was lost upon him. In the
meantime, 1t is probable that Elinor
was not blind. Chances are easily inter
preted; actions sometimes speak louder
than words. There is little doubt,
when Carl Hughes or any of the others
stepped out of a concert or lecture
room and offered an arm to her at the
door, but she understood that John had
been waiting and wavering and longing
for the favorable moment in which to
anticipate this attention, which moment
would have arrived, sooner or later, but
that Carl, intent on his purpose, and
unhesitatng in its performance, had
pushed to her side, and had gained tn e
day before John had thought of losing it.
But by insensible degrees one out
grows this sort of faint-heartednes, and
pushes out before Carl Hughes and the
indulgent crowd, and wins the prize for
the nonce. but delays to take the next
decided step in the right path. And so
it was with John. One day he aheard
that Elinor had given away her heart
to Mr.. Denormandy, now on his trav-
els. However much pain this an
nouncement gave John, his faint-heart-
edness-which, perhaps, was only an
cd oYD,o,-oniotin,1 Of fho nhSnaE
Of desir9-became a something super
huous, since, if he had already lost her,
why should he fear? 1t is at this stage
that one ceases to doubt and begins to
sutier So, now that he had nothing to
lose, he went in and out of her presence
with fatal fascination, as bold as a
lion. He asked her hand in the dance
without a qualm; he took her out to
supper or down to dinner, as the case
might be; he strolled with her on the
mo nlighted terrace; he played melo-
dies Of his own composition upon the
flute; he even ventured to take her in
his own wherry down the dazzling reach
of the river; and though he failed to
entangle himself among the ribbons of
the marshes, vet the wherry sprung a
leak, and while he pulled home against
the tide-as it seemed to him he had
always been doing-Elinor bailed the
boat with her slipper, which he begged
when they were safe ashore, as the
slipper was of no further use to the
owner.
should like to keep it myself" she
said, Gas memento of the day in
which we made shipwreck together
but you may have it.
One day he happened to say some
thing about the time when Mr.. Denor-
mandy should return from abroad and
carry her beyond his reach.
Mr.. Denormandyw said she, knitting
her brows; what should possess him
to carry me anywhere ??
The right OF possession"
Il don't understand you. Mr.. Denor-
mandy has no right of any sort in me.
Excuse me; but | thought had
heard"
"That | was going to marry him ?
Don't believe what you hear again.
The truth is he never asked me, though
my friends declare that he wished it,
and | myself had some reason to ex-
pect it; but faint heart, you know"
Never won fair lady. And you p
was relieved when he left for Eu-
rope. 1t is so hard to say No that
one is in danger of saying Yes from
compassion. Love is so sweet that it is
difficult to refuse it; and then one has
haunting fear of some time needing
it."
And a woefuI waste makes a woeful
that Nv no,,0-.
mandy had not known your compass
sionate temperament and been enabled
to have taken advantage of it,"
"Do you think 500" she asked.
INC; / shouldn't wish goddess to
marry me from compassion thou
sand times mol"
But this did not mend matters. Now
that there was everything to gain or
lose-now that the affair was assum-
ing critical aspect, since the respon-
sibility of the crisis and the event were
hls-the native timidity of his char
acter stepped in to hinder him. Not
that he abandoned his position at once;
it had become too much a matter Of
habit for him to meet her at home and
abroad on terms of intimacy, and the
habit was too precious to be easily
broken. Only inch yinch, and almost
without his own consent, he retreated
from the ground which he had honestly
won. He invited her for no more lonely
pieasurings down the river; II they vent
together, 1t was with a crowd of friends.
On one such excursion they became de-
tached from the others by some acct
dent. and were left. like shells forgot
ten upon the sands; for walking around
the bend OF the beach where bluff hid
them from sight, with the wind blowing
the other way, they neither heard nor
saw their comnanions embark for home