Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-10-14
MY COUSIN ERENE.
Frank Leslie.

Mademoiselle Ercne, whom was visit
ing, and l. She sat in tumbled little
heap in the corner Of her cushioned
sofa, her brilliant black eyes cleaning
with excitement under her dark eye
brows as she talked. She had light,
crisp, airy blonde hair surrounding a
very fair, colorless face, and her dark
eyes made her appear singularly beau
tiful. Lwas modest little American,
with beauty (if any of a quiet order;
hair and eyes brown, and my figure
slim and petite Erene was a Partisan
born, with all their tastes and ways.
She was suffering forth impulsively
now about friend of her fathers, an
Englishman of high birth, whom we
expected to dine with us that day. They
had met him on the continent, and al
though Erene said d great deal against
him, knew her so well that in my
heart | somehow felt she liked him.
She never made so much ado about
any one or "Mon Die1-ed" so often
when she did not
ooh, but that was the great nuisance
that piece of high dignity, Lord Stol-
holm liOo Dieu! what name was that!
His father must have been a Swedel
His lordship, then, was to dine with Us
on this particular day, when VIC We're
going to the Sante's ball at night, and
needed the day to rest All, those
English they were made of stone! How
they walk! Ma foil three miles or four a
day-she had seen them! How he
would carry his nose III the air!-they
all did-and sit stiff as a post when
every one else talked like live people
and enjoyed themselves! Non Dieu! but
it was a trial, And how gay would
she be when the wine came to leave
his lordship and go back to her good
novel, 'Virginie' All, but she was get
ting horribly ennnyed, and would sleep
soon, she was surew and she INDUCED
in big yawn and held two tiny hands
over her mouth.
Here we were summoned to dinner.
[ could see nothing disagreeablc about
Lord Stolholm. He appeared SEN
slble, pleasant gentleman, of about
thirty-five. He treated Erene and my
self with gallantry, and 1 thought Erene
honOred him with quite as much cOur-
teous notice as he did her. He told
me that he had once known my mother,
and had esteemed her highly. He
further remarked that [ greatly resem-
bled her lie spoke very kindly, and
mamma, for she was dead, and papa |
had left with my only brother in Ger
many.
At the Sante Hotel that night we
again met Lord StolhOlm. He danced
several times with me, and well, /
was only seventeen, the scene was gay
and fresh to me, and Lord StOlhOlm
was very handsome that night. But ]
could not but feel sore at heart when
Irene was so disagreeable after the ball
and the next day. Surely / had not
tried to draw Lord Stolholms attention
from her. The manner increased as
he continued to show me his regard and
[ grew homesick and wrote to papa
that he must send trdule1n to bring me
to Germany. [ left suddenly without
seeing Lord Stalholm, and | thought
Creme may now know | don't wish tC
interfere with her preferences" But
alas! was sad, and knew before long
| that [ had grown to think much more
of this kind friend than | was aware of
Weeks passed and [ heard nothing
from him. To be sure, he did not know
| where | was, unless Erene had chosen
to tell him.
Erene wrote very pleasantly now
and frequently mentioned Lord Stol
nolm. Presently / began to look i'll
FrduleiB fretted and said | must trave
again. So my father went down tC
Italy; but 1 continued pale and sad
At last one day received the following
letter, written with the impulsiveness
of Erene's nature in its happiest mood
''MA CHERE, PETITE CoUsISE-I write nov
! while / can Scarce Y my pen, am so wild will
| pleas ire. What will you think when tell yOu!-
| Lord Stanton StOhOlm loves me! This knew
| last night for the first time. Is he not a flint
match? The world talks of him everywhere; but
| then, he has not much money. 1t Is his it'll
| that makes every now wild about him. Papi
| will, OF course, consent, even though he has NJ
wealth, for shall have so much. Non Diev!
am happy, for everyb body wants him, he is St
| handsome. Write me your congratulations, cb7'
coiSstae, for in few months L shall be Lady Stol
holm and no more-though yours still in affec
| ton IRENE L'ABTEE."
The letter came to me in the sOf
southern twilight as [ sat alone under
the clear stars of the Italian sky. i
pierced my tired little heart like the
unexpected stroke of stiletto, and
like it, brought the silence of death
death to feeble, fading hope. [ die
not moan or cry out, but despair
nmbed all my senses, and mechani
cally, almost unknowingly, [ wandered
off to secluded spot amid the lime
trees, and threw myself upon the
| ,1,o,,,, CoFt t,1rf TIN ORC T Law ora S11ipc
in my hand still the letter with its hid
den sting, turning my little, wan face
up to the waving boughs above me
through which came the CLINT Of the
| lights of heaven, as if they would fair
comfort me.
mo. no, naught could comfort mer
[ moaned within myself; and like the
echo Of my heart, sounded the distan
esper-bell-clear, but faint and wall
| ing-borne on the evening air.
| "Ach, 9Hein Cot! what is this?" |
was the rugged voice of .trduLeil1 tina
startled me, and l rcalized that the Ions
twilight was spent and the night wa
far on. She reused me and took mt
up in her strong arms and carried mt
home. 4 long insensibility followed
A month passed under the power o
the fever that seized me. Upon my re
cOvery we again travelled for six months
With my brother, who was in the uni
versity in Germany, came two students
We all journeyed together. One wa
Il Standardization intellectual
and fercely impulsive; the other
Hollander, whom | thought intolerabl,
StuDid for no smoked all the time ana