Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-11-06

Cora's look of incrudulity was giving
way to one of curiosity.
Grandma Dean won't you tell US all
about it? Jennie and L will sit down
on the stool, and / know by that look in
Uncle Charles eye, he wants to hear it
too. Come, let the flowers go, Jennie"
and my vivacious cousin established
herself at the old lady's feet.
Grandma Dean slipped the yarn
around her little finger and COM
menced:
''Let me sect cannot be more than
forty-two years this Summer since
Justin Keep came up to Farmer Reds
to let himself out for the harvest boy
through harvesting.
'The Reid house stood little this
side of Stony creek. There is nothing
left of itnow except the chimney and it
looks out gray and bold from the grass
all about it; but forty years ago it was
fine place with lilacs in front and the
hop vines running ali around the back.
Lucy was hardly three weeks old
when she lost her mother. Her father
never married again, and the child
grew up there in the CID home as fair
and sweet as the flowers that clustered
about il.
''She was nearly fifteen years old
when Justin came that summer. He
was shy, strange lad, and the neigh
bors said that Farmer Reid would
never get the salt FOR his porridge out
of him.
"He'd been bound out until he was
eighteen to some man down in Maine,
and he hadn't relation in the world he
knew of, nor 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
how was never very before-handed-I
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 it
long before Lucy. [ wouldn't like to
have the heart that that girls smile
would't have thawed out.
"She was just like q bird around the
old place, singing from morn till night.
and her blue eyes, that were 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 coGrse Justin was not long
in the old house before she tried to
make friends with him.
Poor fellow it must have seemed
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 q thousand other things which
took them out in the garden after sup
per, and which made them the best OF
friends.
Lucy had 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.
"WelI, she rode on the top of Justin's
hay cart, and helped linn husk corn in
the barn, and pretty soon the farmer
noticed 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.
$50 Justin stayed with the farmer
four years. Then be had q good offer
somewhere in New York State, and con-
cluded to stop for the winter only.
Lucy Reid had grown into a young
woman by this time, and a handomer
one children these dim eyes never look
ed upon. don't know how it happened,
for Lucy might have mad 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 Dean! you amt going
to stop nowW cried Cora in alarm; fol
the old lady laid down her knitting.
mo, my child" she said, moving hel
spe 3tacles and wiping her eyes; "but
the rest is a sad story, and L must hur,
ry over. | don't exactly know how it
happened, bot that winter Lucy's father
got into 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
ly known, bat in little while it was
| ri hot 81 1,.,,
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 a good-looking man, but new.
er over smart, the neighbors whispered
and [ always thought that it was his ia.
theirs money more than anything else
that kept him up"
"But Justin, Grandma Dean-.what
became of him?'
There Is dark look about the whole
matter. Lucy was made the victim oil
some terrible falsehood. Inever blamed
her father, for the losing of the home
stead seemed completely to shatter him
Il 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
a wife two months. Justin had not
heard of her marriage. She was al
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 al