Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-09-25

Lena was perfecting her voice, she
was making for herself that exquisite
style of English composition through
| which, few years later, the romances
that had been her delight when she
was lonely child in the Devonshire
woods, became known to hundreds
of thousands of children all over the
world.
Her full meed of fame did not come
until much later; but in the mean
time she gained her wish, for her lit
tie lovers were sent by her to one of
the first of the English public schools.
No one now could have venture! 10
speak of Maddalena as different from
others, save as by her genius, her in.
dustry and hor noble faithfulness to a
trust committed 10 her by a dying
friend, she excelled all other women
upon earth When, therefore, after
several years of our school life had
gone by, our grandmother died, and
the question of our right to our grand
fathers property had to be tried, this
(his surest ground for contention of
our claim was cut from under the feet
of our adversary.
AS it turned out, however, the
question of Maddalena's capacity or
incapacity to think and act reasona-
bly, did not require to be entered into.
for an unexpected champion appear
ed. While she was battling with the
world for us, the Italian doctor, to
whom reference had been made, had
been busy gathering together evil
dence in support of our claim. He
brought it forward now, and it proved
so complete that the case was not even
taken into court.
My brother and [ stepped into our
inheritance, and Maddalena, at our
earnest entreaty, assumed the man
agement of our old home, where we
spent the first summer that followed
the events have narrated. We were
then nearly twenty, and we had been
for some time at the university of
Oxford. 1t will be imagined that we
were perfectly happy, but am forced
to confess that we were not so happy
as we had been. Lena, indeed,
had not changed. But this, [ think.
was the principal source of our dis
contentment. We would have liked
her to change a little. We would
have liked Cat least so we both per-
sUaded ourselves) to sec her show
some small preference to one of us
over the other. There were two of US,
and we were provokingly alike, but
there was only one Lena, and she had
no right, we thought, to think of US
in exactly the same way.
GIob vuoc tho of C114. foo1I ;, cr-
when one day we missed Maddalena.
We knew her love for the riverside
and we sought for her along the
banks, Lucius taking one direction
and ! another.
It was I who found her. She was
in the nook she loved beyond all
others, where, under overarching
trees, the mountain ash, the birch
and the willow, our river sweeps
round a mass of rock covered with
moss and fern, and harboring in its
crevices the loveliest of fow Lena
was seated on the moss covered rock.
Her face was IN shadow and her eyes
were cast down, but her lips were
parted IN smile of deep content.
Feeling an undesirable paDg at
my heart, pressed forward. It was
as I thought Our Maddalena was
not alone. The friend who had sus-
tanned and hel ped her through these
long years-the Italian doctor-was
by her side, and one glimpse of his
face was enough to show me what had
happened. [ stole away as softly as
] could and left them to themselves.
Presently [ met Lucius. He looked
at me suspiciously, and asked if [ had
found Maddalena
eyes, " I answered, ''I have found
her She does not want us.
'Us?' he echoed angrily. "What
do you mean2"
[ put my hand on his arm, for he
was on the point of rushing to find
her, "Lucius," I said, 1.-The Signor
DOttOre is with her."
"W hat!' he cried. 'here?"
eyes, here! In Maddalena's green
parlor, They look very happy. |
think we ought not to disturb them
there"
From that moment Lucius and I
were friends, and we never fell out
again.-C. Desp0rd.