Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-01-08

granQI2Un6r bought u; JENNIE, Wn6n
you were a baby, and we all spent our
summers there. That's 20 years ago,
and I was then what society calls
passe-in fact, | had before that
made up my mind to life of old
ma1dism.
Zone day had taken fancy to go
into the kitchen and make a cake. I
did this because everybody except
the hired men and one of the cham
maids had gone to the city, even the
cook being away for the day, the
hired men in the fields, and Mary and
[ the only occupants of the house. I
had began my cake-maklng when I
discovered the want as certain spices,
and Mary volunteered to 90 to the
store to obtain them. She had hardly
got away when [ heard a step, and
raj sed my eyes to see a man standing
at the kltched daor, which opened
into the path that led to the road.
MY heart was in my throat in an
instant, and remembered how utterly
alone | was. We were not afraid of
tramps in those days as now, but 7
think a better specimen of that genus
I never saw. He was dilapida-
ton itself, and as J. looked at
him in dazed, frightened way, he
whined:
"'Lady, I'm very hungry. Won't
you give me something to eat?
GAS scared as I was [ reasoned. 7
would feed him and talk to him until
Mary returned, and [ would then send
her for the hired men; and so [ babe
him come in, and I set before him the
contents of the kitchen pantry, with
an abundance Of warm coffee from
the stove. He ate like one who had
not seen food for over a month, and
as he ate, he poured forth the tale of
his troubles. He had been a prosper
Gus shoemaker, having at one time
had as much as $500 in the savings
bank; but, as he declared, he had been
ruined by bad wife, who would not
bear with his little foibles, one of
which was his conviviality, aud so
she left MIN, and ne became a wan
derer.
''Of course I sympathised with him
in his troubles, and under this and
the stimulation of the coffee, as soon
as he could cat no more, [ found him
on his knees before me, pooring out
his admiration. Oh, If he had but
such a wife as [ was, whata different
man he might have been. A million
aire, perhaps-Oh, will that girl Mary,
ever return-but it was not too late
yet His wife was not dead, but he
was not afraid of her. Would I marry
him?
It don't know how I found words,
in my fright, but I saw that | must
temporize, and [ told him that the Of
4er was so sudden, that I was unable
to decide at once; that at any moment
my father or brothers might come
down stairs, and / would rather keep
it secret from them. Ii he would go
away now and return the next day at
same hour he should have my answer.
He promised he would, and very can
dsdly confessed that he did not know
where to sleep that night, whereat I
took odt my purse and gave him what
money I had, about two dollars, and
that's the only direct offer, girls, |
have ever received in my life"
'Oh, auntiew went up in chorus
chorus from the three girls "How
terrible! Did he come back 2"
"Oh, no! I never saw him again,
and as [ did not know his name, you
know, girls, I could not hunt aim up.
When Mary came back she found me
stretched upon the kitchen floor,
where had chosen to drop in faint.
and after she had brought me back to
life she wanted to send one of the
hired men after my visitor but [ re
fused to allow her, for what had the
man done? Nothing! He was civil
and quiet, and had gone away at my
request, and had LETT it in my power
to say that I had received one offer at
least in my life"