Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-05-01

LII WAS lIlIS tIOHcy WHICH IIClcH 1Oulld
in the envelope addressed TO her in
Philips handwriting. He had not kept
Il penny for himself
It was for her that he had sinned.
when finding every avenue of success
closed, he at last made up his mind TO
become wanderer and IN outcast up
on the face of the earth.
He must have been half-craZed
at the time, or he would have fOreseen
that in the exposure which must follow
Helen would discover how he had OBJ
tanned the money, and in learning of
his sin learn also to scorn the sinner
But when the arch-enemy of souls sets
out to catch weak mortal in his tolls,
he does not hesitate 10 blind and con-
fuse his reasoning fac"l'in0 % wnn 90
his conscience.
SO Philip dreamed not that his pro-
vision for his wife would prove futile
rendered so by her own delicate sense
of honor.
1t would be too narrowing to depict
the exhausting grief which reduced
Helen to Il pale shadow of herself after
her husbands apparently causeless de-
sertion of her.
The first time in which her rallying
power returned to her was when 4 Wis
itOr was ushercd into the drawing-room
to see her, and she-recogniZing the
name-crept down YEARLY to learn his
business.
Until the present moment she had re-
manned in ignorance of Philips cir
cumstances. The large sum of money
he had left her precluded the idea of
- ;+eo1f 10
her, and SO she was powerless to divine
any motive for Philips desertion.
Mr.. Crawford, Philips uncle, rose as
she came in, and said crafty:
Hope / see you we'll, ma am. I've
come TO say n few words to you which
/ hope you'll take in sensible way
though q woman with q grain of COM
mon sense in her head is out of the
question.
''Ive got q paper here signed with q
very good imitation Of my name, but,
nevertheless, it isn't mine. 1t is that
of my scapegracc nephew, who, not
content with leaving you to shirk for
yourself, has also made off with my
money. want your help to bring him
to his just punishment.
Helen's pallor had given place to
color rivaling the red upon the reddest
rose.
HE has not left me unprovided for,
Mr.. Crawford! it is unjust to say so.
He took care to see that | should have
plenty. But what | want is Philip HIM
self What matters money without
him to share it with me!'
How much did my nephew leave
with you?'
Helen named the amount
That's just the sum my nephew
robbed me of, ma am. SO it was all
left with you?"
Robbed you OPP exclaimed Helen
with gasp. Robbed"
Eyes, ma'am, robbed Didn't I
say he had signed my name TO this doc
ument?" and the old man held the
check out so that Helen could see it.
'Oh, my poor Philip! did he need
money? Why, l always thought he
had plenty and to spare"
mo doubt, mas Rich mems
daughters cam be expected to know
much about the difficulties of getting
money. l suppose they think it lies in
the street waiting for some one to come
along and pick it up"
But Helen was too much absorbed in
her discovery to heed the satire in the
! old mans speech. She went on ex-
citedly:
eff he had told me that he hadn't
plenty of money, do you think I would
have bought this and bought that, and
run bills and-in short, sir, ;" with
| sudden dignity that contrasted pathet-
ically with the distress pictured on ner
agitated face. 81 am 10 blame if Philip
| has done this. Punish me-not him.
| What money / have left | will at once
return to you, and l will ask my father
for check for what | have used in my
ignorance of = of Philips circum-
stances"
And without giving Mr.. Crawford
time to answer her, Helen gli.led from
the room to return again with the
money.
Don't think, sir, that l had any
heart to spend anything since Philip
went, except to pay the household bills
and the servants. Here is what there
is left"
Mr.. Crawford hemmed and hawed to
do away with an obtrusiye huskiness
which would interfere with his vocal
organs. Then he said:
Poor Phil, it is pity he WASH man
enough to make clean breast of it to
| you, for-excuse the comparison, but it
is a good one-you are a trump. Rich
! mans daughter or not, you are not
| spoiled. To tell the truth, came here
to-day rs much to see what stuff was
| in you rs to accuse Phil.
Il am satisfied fully satisfied with
you. but am ashamed of myself [
ought to have helped Phil, for he's my
| namesake. But was so ALFRED mad
at the boy for his fine-gentleman ways,
that thought to turn the cold shout
| der to him, and let him suffer for them.
| have been an old fool, and [ consider
myself responsible for the boys going
to the bad. But we'll put our heads
together and try to make it all right.
No one but ourselves has any knowl-
edge of that piece (and I'm bound to