River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-02-28

the distant fields with q swift and elo-
quent gesture of longing. "Oh, let me
gol / must goi"
/ was both shocked and disappointed,
and I told her so, and tried to reason
with her
Where would you go?" / asked.
"There are no gypsies near that you
could join, and you would soon starve
and die alone; and, besides, how can
you leave poor baby and me? Do you
not love us, Helenore?"
ooh, do. / dol" she cried, passion
ately, throwing herself down upon the
floor; and / do not try to hear the
call, put mine fingers on my ears,
but / hear them just the samer
Who calls you, Helenore?" / asked
All things QUITO doors; the birds
and boes and winds. They call me, al
ways, always: they say, Helenore, Hell
| enore, GOMEZ and ! must gow she
cried, springing to her feet and looking
wildly around
/ feared she was losing her mind, and
was much alarmed about her; we tried
to divert and amuse her in every pos
sible way, and for few days she really
seemed to be more quiet,
But one morning we missed her. The
afternoon previous, hand grind
/ er and a woman, evidently his wife, en-
| tered our grounds. Helenore went out
| to hear them play; and we noticed that
| she stood eonversing with them some
/ time afterward.
They had been hanging about the
neighborhood for several days, and some
I'll E1aA stl.o Hal fI
| them, Our suspicians were confirmed
/ by farmer living a mile or so above us
who said he met them just at dusk, as
he was returning home from the city-a
man and woman and our Helenore. He
said he recognized Helenore at once,
and spoke to her, bnt she made no an
| swer.
/ We learned furthermore from her
/ mother that an organ grinder and his
wife-old acquaintance of the family
! had been in the vicinity for a week
past, and had put up night or two at
her house; and she donbted not that
they We're the same persons we had in
mind She made light of her daughters
disappearance, saying, with shrug of
her fat shoulders, that :she would be
back soon enough" and seeming to think
that in any case we We're well rid of her.
But we missed her and we mourned
her, aud [ did not try to fill her place.
Ny Every latest" as Jack still called
her, seemed to have proved sad fail
ure.
was lingering in my rose garden in
the twilight of a warm September day,
| hanging fondly over a bed of pet hy-
brids-latest and sweetest of roses
when ! suddenly missed little Ned from
my side, and looking around for him, /
spied him swinging on the front gate.
started to go toward him, and at that
moment the figure of a woman sprang
up, as it were out of the ground near
him, and at the same moment / heard a
glad cry from Ned; "Helenore! Hell
enore"
1t was our Helenore! She caught
him to her breast and flew, swift as the
wind across the lawn to meet me, and,
dropping ON her knees, with one arm
still around the bewildered child she
chung to me desperately, sobbing and
grooming; but not one word did she
speak.
l. Dt4REl 1ltI W list. Jub Sllt WOulO
not; so l sat down there on the damp
grass, and, taking her head III my lap,
soothed her with the old touch of the
hand she loved so we'll.
At last she heayed long tremulous
sigh and lifted her face to mine.
81 car not ask you to forgive" she
murmured humbly; "that would be too
good for Helenore; but | come to see
YOU once more, and TO tell YOU what is
SO heavy here pressing her hand on
her heart and then to die.
led her into the house and drew
from her the history of her experience
since she left us in the spring.
"Were the people with whom you
went away kind to you?7 asked.
'Kind!'' she cried ferceIy. ooh, they
were indeed most cruel! True, they
did never hurt me like mine moder, but
they have made me so to suffer that
wish not now to live any more"
but you liked it at first, did you
not-the fields and woods and the mu-
sic?"
Yes; like well to wdnder and to be
free; but learned soon that only chill
dren and birds and squirrels are truly
: -uOb NOildIi Will Il IiStt5 litl e HtliNl
here" touching her forehead and lay
/ ing her hand on her heart.
! ] wondered at her words, but [ I'M
derstood them later
For few days we had happy time,
and they were good to me, but then
/ trouble came / could not dance when
| was tired, and / could not learn to
sing their songs-and they laughed at
my own poor songs; so they began to
| speak only bad words to me and to care
/ not il | starved and suffered
'sWe were far away know not
4 where when we came to large woods,
where many men chopped the trees,
and some wifes and children were there
too, and I begged the music man and
woman that | might stay and work for
4 them and leev in little hut; and /
/ STAYED They too came back afterward
and worked"
"And were yol. happy there?"
She clasped her hands tightly over
ger bosom and a II W and strange ex-
preston swept over her face that | did
not understand
Happy, happy" she murmured;
"Oh, yes listen-I Will tell you"
7One chopper WAS kfltt TO me. lie saul
/ beloved me loved me 2 she repeated sol
emily, with tender thrill in her voice
that explained ALL And he was so kind
to me, as if / had been a queen. 1t was
he, too, madam, that did teach me to
1 speak so well, for he was Yankee man,
she added proudly; and you see | do
/ speak much better"
/ / assented. Where is he now?" l
saked
ooh, | know not know not" she
cried, rocking herself back and forth and
wringing her hands.
''That wicked man and woman took
me away one night; they said that he,
my Eloi, had sent for me to go to meet
| him, far far off and when we found him
not they Knocked and laughed at my
pain Oh. | could kill them, liars!
/ beastaw The last words were only a
hiss of rage, and she stopped short,
| choked with passion.
s'Helenore," | said, why did they de
ceive You so? What had You done to
! them?n
ssWhat had [ done to them? Noting,
noting; but they hated me like mine
moder do and would not that should
be happy
Here she paused and a sudden re-
vulsion of feeling seemed to sweep over
/ her.