Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-08-17
A REAL SWEET STORY.
Harper's W eekly.

had ever had, and they had had many,
for she had temper and he had tenn
per, and they were both of them i'm
pulsive young people with very little
self-cOntrol.
'You are false, selfish, untruthful,
unmanly man" said she.
"And you are suspicious, I'M
reas enable, unwomanly woman" said
he.
Take back your letters" she cried,
flinging parcel tied with hyacinth-
blue ribbon on the floor at his feet.
II will" he muttered between his
clenched teeth, picking up the parcel
and throwing it into the fire where 1t
blazed brightly for d moment or two,
and then flew away in thin, uncanny
black fragm ents up the chimney. As the
last fragment disappeared, Rick turn
ed again to Lefty, with frowning brow,
and asked: "Do you still persist IN &C
cusing me of deceit and falsehood ??
Il do' she replied, "unless you show
me the charm"
II will not show it to you," he de
Clared with violent emphasis. elf my
word be not sufficient | refuse to give
you further proof | wonder that you
dare insult me by asking it. And |
also wonder how you, believing me
false and untruthful, can be willing to
trust your future to me. And, to
speak frankly, begin to think we
have made great mistake IN suppOs-
ing that future happily together, for l
am fully convinced that We are any
thing but
Two souls with but a single thought
Two hearts that beat as one
These lines were quoted with most sar-
castle infection. And furthermore,
also begin to think that perhaps it
would have been better we had never
made this mistake-if we had never
met, IN fact"
ooh, indeed, STRIP with great assump-
ton of dignity. "Have you just ar
rived at that cOnclusiOnY | have long
been sure Of it. But there is nothing
easier than to part. Your letters al
ready are disposed Of. Tomorrow
will send back your ring and picture.
And then, when am free once more,
| can try to please my mother, Jour
acquaintance, as you are well aware,
has never pleased her), and in pleasing
her may find | am doing pleasant as
well as q wise thing for myself"
care you referring to Brougham
Brown"
81 am referring to Brougham
Brown"
'By Heavensp exclaimed Rick,
Selling his hat, this is too much, Let
ty, good bye, forever"
But Lefty began humming an air
from Patience, drumming an accom-
paniment ON the window-pane, and
vouchsafed no answer. Rick rushed
from the room. The hnmming and
drumming performer listened intently.
Five minutes passed and still the door
did not slam. Gle is waiting for me
to come out in the hall and beg pardon
suppose" she said with defiant
grimace, "but [ won't" and she turned
again to the window and the door shut
with a bang.
And then sac flung herself on the
lounge, kicked off her slippers and cried
like a summer shower. Rick gone and
gone "forever!"-Rick,w whom she had
loved so dearly, for two long years.
And why? just because that silly,
gigshng Lena Varian, with her pale
blue ewes and straw cOlOred hair, had
chosen to tell tibs about him. And
shaking the tears from her lashes, she
began scOlding herself as hard as she
had scolded poor Rick. THE idea,
Lefty LOunsherry, of your believing
that girl before hint What possessed
you? He did firt a little with her. that
is true; but all men hirt a little with
girls who persist in admiring them ana
catering them. But he never gave her
the little gold pig-your Christmas gift
to hlm-neverl How she got it can't
imagine, but he would nave explained
If you had give, him a chance" And
then the absent mother, gone to Aunt
Emory's for two days visit. came in
for share of reproach. IF she had
only let her engagement be known, in
stead OF insisting upon our waiting until
Rick was twenty-one, and | had not
been obliged to carry my engagement
ring III my back hair, the only place
where IT is safe from Baby'8-Goodness
gracious! Baby" And Letty's suddenly
remembered that ever since Rick came
IN TO make morning call, knowing
Mrs. Lounsberry was absent-pOor fel,
low he'd have staid away if he could
have toreseen his eception-Babv had
been sitting alone in the dining.room
III the middle of the dining-table. sur
rounded by all the pickle and MARINA
lade Jars and fruit cans and catsup bot
lies ana Jam pots out of the store room.
Fsr it was the monthly house cleaning
day, and the store room fell to Letty's
share, the fOreign.help being gifted with
too great talent for smashing and
breaking, to say nothing of an equally
great talent for abStracting and devour-
ing both sweets and sours. Lefty sprang
from the lounge, thrust her feet into her
slippers and FASTENED where duty had
been calling her for some time. Baby
sat, good as gold, nursing a bottle OF
tomato sauce, snugly wrapped in dish
towel, in the the very spot where she
had been when Kicks ring had sum-
moned her sister to the door. Only one
small flask lay broken on the floor, fill
ing the air with the garlic. THAT
won't be missed" said Lefty. ''Thank
fortune, there is no worse mischief
done" But the Thank" was scarsely
uttered when her eyes fell upon the
famous peach marmalade, the secret OF
he making of which died with grand
mama, and which was being carefully
kept for Aunt Emory's (Aunt Emory
was all old maid worth $50 ,000) birth
day. There it stood directly in front OF
Baby, with more than half Of its thick
paper hat torn off, and a yawning cav.
ity made In Its precious contents by