Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-10-30


arouses her, and James enters with
cluster of violets. There is no card
nothing to tell from whom they came;
but she knows only too well. In the
dear old days, when she was Miss Ire
maine, two such clusters were left every
day at her door, one bearing Ray Rem
ington's card and the other Charles
Thornton's.
How long ago it seems, and how
changed the violets arel As fragrant as
of old, and as quantity pretty, their dear
little faces all awry, but somehow they
almost make her cry. And she likens
them to little fearful blue eyes, and
kisses them tenderly, pityingly, and
then-thrusts them hurriedly into the
open drawer Of the table, closes it, and
turns to meet her husband, whose step
had announced his coming.
A moment later she is excessively
provoked at herself for thrusting the
violets out of sight. Why did she do it?
She could not have told you. Perhaps
she felt instinctivelv that her husband
would hardly approve of her receiving
even so trifing gift as wee bunch Of
violets from his old rival, Ray Reming.
ton.
Well the thing was done, and there
was no help for 1t. Were she now to
take them from the drawer, Charlie
would certainly require an explanation
as to how they got there, and surely it
was a queer place in which to put pref
ty, fresh flowers? Better not say any
thing about them. And should she
speak of Rays visit? Yes, she would
surely tell that-but not now-after din
ner. Charlie was always just a trife
impatient cross-when he was hungry.
She would wait until after dinner. But
before the dessert was brought on, while
she was eating her salad, her husband
asked to be excused.
There was an interesting article IN
the EUeging SpOuter on the Chinese
question, which he had commenced in
the omnibus on his way home and be-
came deeply interested in."
And off he went, and when the dainty
cup custards, fragrant mocha and lus-
cious fluit were brought in, there was
a troublesome lump in the white throat
and a suspicious moisture in the blue
eyes of the wife, and the custard was
trit1ed with for moment, and a spoon
full or two of the mocha swallowed, for
were not the watchful eyes of "Jeemes"
upon he1? And then she FASTENED from
the room, her mind fully made up.
She would 60 to Charlie, tell
him everything ust how she miss
ed the old caresses and delicate
little attentions; how lonesome it was
to sit there night after night, gazing at
the back of his newspaper or at the top
of his sleek brown head, as it peeped
above the top of the paper. She would
tell him of Rays visit, and about the
hidden flowers, and with this resolve in
her heart she opened the door Of the
sitting room.
Charlie, DEAR would not give
herself moment for fear her courage
might fail-"Charlie, dear, will you put
your paper aside moment? [ want to
tell you something"
"Now, Lou, don't bother me; [ never
was more interested in my life. By
lingo! this fellow writes well. Where's
Leila or BJou? What is the use of hav-
ing pets if you never notice them. Now
sit down, that's q good girl, and dress
You ought to be fond of that confound-
ed cat; it cost enough"
How quickly the moisture leaves the
blue eyes! What sudden firm tight
ening there is of the pretty red lips, and
what q hard, cold heart this of hers has
suddenly become! And the Tempter
whispers in her heart: ''Not so would
Ray Remington have looked or spo-
KEN" And, remembering the tender
voice and the love in Rays eyes, she
feels sudden tenderness springing up
In her heart for the owner of the bold,
black eyes, and glad though guilty
pleasure in the thought of the hidden
violets.
And Charles Thornton, ESQ, returns
to his paper with a most self,satisfied
air, which, by the way is the expression
generally to be found on the masculine
countenance when the owner thereof
has been making most egregious ass
of himself.
An hour later he throws down the
SpOuter and asks what she has to say to
him.
81 really have forgotten. 1t was Of
no consequence"
Take care, Charles Thorntonl Your
wife's first falsehood Who is to blame
for ii? And to what will it lead?
Three months later. Ray Reming-
ton and Mrs. Thornton have met many
times since that sad day on which he
sent her the violets. They have lunched
together, rode together, and attended
the mattinees together, and tonight it
is all arranged that she will leave her
husbands protection for that of Ray.
Is she happy at.the thought OF leav-
ing her husbands home? Happy? No!
wretchedly unhappy. But that which
seemed only a slight grievance at first
has become now an unhappiness too
great to be borne.
Of course she confided her sorrows
to Ray, and his indignation was intense.
"That any one could SO neglect her
She, whom he would have cherished so
tenderly," and so forth, in the usual
strain.
Of course, all this only made her lot
seem the harder. And now she is going
to escape from it all, But the treacher-
Gus little heart in her bosom, that she
had thought so cold and dead to Char.
lie, now begins to plead for him.
How he haunted the corridor outside
her bedroom door that time when she
was so i'll, and he was forbidden to en-
ter. And when at last she was we'll
enough 20 see him, how shocked she
was at the alteration in the dear face.
Why, it was worn as thin and white as
her own, and when she first saw her
own face In the ola Sc the GREAT hnllou-s