Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-07-28

some time. For his BRIDE! NO; man
does not come down to dinner and
leave his bride to follow alone. For
his wife of longer date? When | had
the opportunity of another look daz-
cling creature sat there, golden head
ed darling, radiant as if a star had
turned rose. Was [ not ashamed of
myself to wish to look that way? What
did I care for Loring Richards, or his
wife either, if he had one? Not in that
direction again did turn my head. [
was gay and all alive myself, and Mr..
Lowering ali devotion. [ knew by some
other senses when those two had left
the room, but not by my eyes or ears:
"Who is that going Out?" asked
Mr.. Lowering. eff his looks were a
burning glass you would be in flames"
Gone of the waiters?" ! asked. "There
is a French count among them, you
know, and a Polish refugee"
Margaret" exclaimed mamma.
Chow should you know anything about
such people?"
ooh, mamma, l am interested in
them; and since | joined the Interna-
tionals, and the Nihilists, and the Mar
ianne, and the rest, | know all about
such people" [ saw Mr.. Coverings
hair slowly begin to rise on end. THAT
old rag picker" [ added, ''told me yes
terday that"
But Mr. Coverings head looked more
and more like an electric hair-brush,
and mamma cried Margaret !"
"Why, mamma, we are all human
beings together"
81 really must insist began MAN.
ma; and then Amy giggled, and mann
ma looked as if she thought | had gone
out of my head, and Amy was hyster-
ically sympathetic.
"Your daughters advanced opinions,
said Mr.. Lowering, stittiy, "are a sur
prise to me-"
you silly little mother" Amy laugh
ed. cit is our boating club at home,
the Internationals, our charity school,
the Nihilists, our sewing club, our
book club, our"
Il really thought you meant secret
societies" gaspcd the old goose of an
elderly lover.
And what if | had?" said I, my
native vigor returning "What if |
were an own cousin to Vera Sassalitch?'
"Do have her name right" said the
Doctor. II was afraid thatyou young
ladies would be following NataluShka' s
fashions as soon as Mr.. Black made her
so charming"
"Charming?" said his father. "a
girl with such ideas charming?'
81 am reiOyced to hear you express
yourself So" mamma.
"And I" said [. Because they are
my ideas"
(which are your ideas?" he asked.
"Mine, or those of that young Russian
grip"
"Hers, certainly" I said. "The ideas
of humanity and brotherhood" And
my heart began to beat like an engine
one hears in the night, with wild sort
of eXultatiOn that now, no matter
what had happned to Loring Richards,
| had made it impossible that [ should
ever marry Mr.. Coverings stocks and
bonds, for the temptation was out of
the way; ne would never ask me.
But it had all been little too much
for me. And | saw that mamma was
cOmprehending the situation and
growing angrier and angrier. Oh, how
angry the dear soul was! "You looS
very pale, Margaret" she said. care
you not well? | see by your converse
ton that you are not quite yourself
You had better go to your room. Oul
friends Will excuse you, [ am sure.
And [ bowed to them all, and caught
the Doctors twinkling eye-the Doctor
who wanted no young mother-in-law-
and rose and slipped from the room be-
fore either he or his father could offel
me an arm. [ could not have held out
through another five minutes.
The elevator was ust coming up
from the lower hall. [ stepped in. A
gentleman in it took off his hat as usu-
al | seated myself, the boy closed the
door, and we softly slid upward. We
assembled half way to the next floor,
when we paused with a slight jar. The
boy looked up at the bell signals; pull
ed one string and then another; pushed
Open the door against the blank wall,
and then before he had shut it, there
came a sudden sense Of breathlessness,
and we shot up toward the roof like a
catapult; the boy had flung himself out
as we passed one of the open spaces OF
the flying floors; all at once we stopped
again with a shock, suspended by some
unknown agency between the two up
per floors with some seventy feet of
empty space under us, and nothing that
We knew of between us and destruc-
ton.
The light in the elevator had gone
out, and only dim glimmer from the
ljets in the upper hall made the dark
ness visible. For a moment I closed
my eyes, and leaned back. half lifeless.
"It IS horrible" Igasped. For thought
of the fierce shock, the crushing of body
and bone that was to follow at any mo-
ment, if we fell to the pavement or
were driven up into the timbers of the
roof. Then canfG the thought that it
was but a moment after all, and with
it would end all that was so unbear-
able. LOring Richards wife and Lor-
ing Richards himself would be nothing
then to me. No more torture, no more
heart break, no more tears-just peace.
And there came with that certain glad
ness over all immediate horror. "Are
you afraid ~ | said, turning to the 9th
er occupant of the cage. at whom [ had
not yet glanced.
Afraid, Margaret! Here ?-alone
with your" came the answer.
"Loring! Oh, how dreadful! And
and your wife"
MY wife! There is only one wife
possible for me, Margaret, and YOU
have kept me away from her for five
years"
do you say you are not married to
that lovely creature at the table"