River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-11-06

Vi
eighteen to some man down in Maine,
aud he hadn't a relation in the world he
knew OF, nor a decent suit of clothes
when he came to Farmer Reds house.
But for all that Justin proved a smart
likely boy, and the farmer, who some
bow was never very before-handed-l
always thought his wife's sudden death
hurt him-found that Justin was real
prize.
"At first he was gloomy and silent,
doing his work and taking little notice
Of anybody. But he couldn't stand 1t
long before Lucy. / wouldn't like to
have the heart that that girls smile
would't have thawed out.
"She was just like bird around the
old place, singing from morn TILL night.
and her blue eyes, that we're SO like her
mothers, seemed to be sending out one
laugh, and her lips another. / never
wondered her father dotted on her as he
did, and of course Justin was not long
| in the old house before she tried to
make friends with him.
" Poor fellowl it must have see ed
very strange to HIM at first, for | do not
believe that anybody had ever given
| him kind word until he came to
Meadow Brook.
But he made ladders for her flower
vines to run on, and got shells for the
| borders, and propped up the dahlias,
and did a thousand other things which
took them out in the garden after sup
| per, and which made them the best of
| friends.
Lucy had a playful, childish way
| about her that made her seem much
| younger than she was; then she was
small of her age, so that at fifteen she
did not seem a bit older than you are,
! Cora.
Well, she rode on the top of Justins
hay cart, and helped him husk corn i'll
the barn, and pretty soon the farmer
noticed a change in Justin.
| He got him a new suit OF clothes,
and his face lost its down look, add
after harvesting, Farmer Reid made
him an offer to tarry all winter.
so Justin stayed with the farmer
four years. Then he had good offer
somewhere in New York State, and con-
cluded to stop for the winter only.
Lucy Reid had grown into young
woman by this time, and handomer
one children these dim eyes never look
ed upon. don't know how it happened,
for Lucy might have had her pick
among the boys for miles around, but
somehow she took to Justin; and when
he left they were engaged to be married
one year from that time"
"Why Grandma Deani you amt going
to stop nowW cried Cora in alarm; for
the old lady laid down her knitting.
ga u ~ l.
spe itacles and wiping her eyes; "but
the rest is a sad story, and l must hur-
ry over. l don't exactly know how it
happened, but that winter LuHy's father
got into q terrible lawsuit with Squire
Wheeler. There was some flaw in the
title, and the people said it was plain
that the old man must let the home
stead go.
They said, too. he'd never survive it,
and better, perhaps he never did, than
kept it as he did; but one day Squire
Wheeler, to all the neighberhood's as
enlistment, rode over to the farm.
"What he did there was never exact
" known, bat in little while it was
rumored that the suit was withdrawn,
and next spring Lucy Reid was to be
married to his son, Stillman Wheeler.
And so if was. One bright March day,
she went to the old church yonder and
gave herself to him.
''He was good-looking man, but new
er over smart, the neighbors whispered,
and | always thought that it was his fa-
theirs money more than anything else
that kept him up"
"But Justin, Grandma Dean what
became of him?'
"There is a dark look about the whole
matter. Lucy was made the victim of
some terrible falsehood. Inever blamed
her father, for the losing of the home
stead seemed completely to shatter MIN.
81 only know that Squire Wheeler
and his son were at the bottom of it,
and that Lucy went to the altar believ
ing that Justin had been false to her."
"Dear me, how dreadful! Did he
ever come back"
Eyes, the next May. Lucy had been
q wife two months. Justin had not
heard of her marriage. She was at
home visiting her father. When she
first saw him she fell down like one
stricken with fit. But he carried her
into the house and there learned all.
Both mad been deceived.
at was a terrible scene the old front
room witnessed. Justin swore ven
geance, and it was not till, with clasped
hands and streaming eyes, the young
wife knelt to the only man she ever
loved, and pleaded for the life of her
husband, that he promised for her sake,
to spare his life.
"But from the day of Justin's visit,
Lucy was changed woman. All the
light and gladness of her being seemed
dead in her She moved about her
house pale and quiet, with look of pa
tient suffering in her once sunny eyes,
that made my heart ache to behold"
"And her husband-did she ever tell
him what she mad learned?'
81 think not. His father and Lucy's
had died in less than two years after the
marriage. The Squire was much less
wealthy than was supposed. The next
spring Lucy and her husband moved
west. and somehow people lost sight of
them"
"And Justin?'
"You know tine rest, my child. He
became a moody, unhappy man, ask
ing no sympathy and giving none. But
he was always smart at bargain; IN
few years he had laid u enough to buy
Deacon Plates farm when his son went
south.
Ever since he has added acres to his
land and hundreds to the bank; but for
all that he is man soured toward all
his race, man who was never known
to give little child a smile or beggar
crust of bread.
81 have sometimes thought his heart
was ike desert, without a tree to
shade or a stream to gladden. it. And yet
1t bore bright blossom once; and, be-
| lieve me children, for it is the word of
an old woman who has seen and known
much of the WAYS of man, it is always
so. The heart may be great wilder
ness, but in some of its byways there
has grown a flower"
Cora and / looked at each other and
at Uncle Charlie. Just then Aunt
Mary came in. She had been out, and
had not heard of Grandma Deans Wis
it.
But Cora stole up to her uncle, and
winding her arms about his neck, whis-
pered:
81 shall believe it always, Uncle Char
lie, now / have heard the story of Farm
err Keep, that there is blossom in the
wilderness of every heart"