Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-12-31
MISTAKEN.
Thaughtless Words and the Results The,
Wrought in Two Young Lives.

Thaughtless Words and the Results The,
Wrought ia Two Young Lives.
| A cool breeze blew up from the river
1t played among the reeds and tall
ginsees on the hank and ran lightly up
the slope toward the white ilahssn on
| the hillside, futterifg the vines that
ffinged tie wide pi8zza where d groun
nj winnie Girls sat ehaitiug resting; or
bu.ying themselves with dainty needle
| work
What a delicious breeze exclaimed
Florence Freeman, rising as she spoke.
The slender thoughtful-looking Young
man reclining Unseen in the depths Of i
| large easy chair Just within one Of the
long widows Elhnted iii from the
| pages of a book in which he had been
absorbed, and bis dark ewes followed
her gracifal figure admirlngly.
lit sets me Wild Ii Je Hoins some-
thing She continued, pacing up aud
! down the long porch ..Do You know.
girls. pausing abruptly, .'we're a set
Of slayes?"
80, florfyP'' exclaimed a laughing
voice, NOW don't give lis lecture on
woman ) rightsl'
Never fears that isn't what I was
thinking OF. We IRE hindefed by ciF-
cumstances from being dfia doing whai
we feel is within us to be and do.
Listen. girls, interrupted another
/ voice, "Flofrg is on her high horse.
Now we shall see soiie prs,iicing.'
Laugh away returned Florefice.
I'm in earnest. Why must we. be-
cause we happen to have drifted into u
certain channel, or because particular
course is market SIT for ny By friends,
drift on down the stream OF keep On in
the same course 70 the bitter end, even
though we mIlst smother the best there
IS ii our natures in doing SOP
Intense feeling emphasized her wor.ls.
and her unseen listener found himself
wondering what personal experiene
had prompted ilienI Amy Gray lifted
her ewes.
"Daty is often unpleasant she said,
'.but it is best after all, to have 4 settled
plan and purpose ind cling 70 them
through everything. Think what d chaos
would result if we all followed our own
inclinations. and, worse than that,
whatever might for the moment be our
ruling passion.
Florence did not answer for mo-
mcnt; her eyes were rowing across the
wide sweep of the river, where white
sail glimmered in the afternoon sum
shine.
20, yes; there must be plans, of
course, and they must be carried out, or
nothing would be accomplished. But
take special cases. There Is cousin Dora,
for instance. Why must she give up
her painting to marry Fred Long, mere
ly because she promised to when mere
child, and didn' know what she want
ed? OF course | don't say anything
against Fred. He is good as gold, but
he can't appreciate her talents. Why,
he has begun to interfere with her plans
already. Says she works too steadily,
and wants her to give up some work
she had undertaken in order to be mar
ried sooner. She only laughed over it.
OF course she wouldn't say anything,
but We can all see she doesn't love him.
How can she, when he has no sympathy
with her on that subject? Now, why
can't she say so. and be free?n
''She feels her responsibility, said
Amy's soft voice. ''Sbe knows how de-
voted Mr.. Long is 70 her."
..sh-h! here. she comes" whispered
Edith Stanley as Il briehi-faccd girl fiut-
tered up from the garden, like a dainty
white butterfly, and perched herself on
the steps. A dead silence fell on the
group for a moment, and then Dora
turned her laughing face toward her
cousin: go on, Flolry. You were Civ
ing lecture, weren't YOU? l could hear
you Grating, but couldn't catch a word
Of the discourse.
Its ended now, said Florence cool
~. mentally resolving never to be SO
careless again in mentioning especial
cases, "ahd unless some one has taken
notes you can never hope to know any
thing abor it, for it was quite inn
promptua And, taking her cousins
arm, she marched her up and down the
piazza humming gay air.
Meanwhile, within the windows the
young man sat motionless, his finger
still between the pages that only a few
moments ago held him spellbound, al
though his world had fallen in ruin
around him since Florence began her
''lecture." Outside the breeze rang
among the tree-tops and rufiled the
shining bosom of the river. The August
sunshine lay mellow on the grass, but
he heard nothing. saw nothing
The tea bell rang suddenly and start
ed him out of his meditations. The
girls disappeared with much chatter and
gay laughter, and he rose mechanically
and walked like one in dream down
through the garden and on into little
grove beyond, his one thought to be
alone where no human eye could add
to his torment with its questioning
glance. There, under the trees, where
he and Dora played in childhood, he
walked to and fro, one sentence ring
ing in his ears like sentence of doom:
1--WE can all see she doesn't love him.
1t was hard to come down from the pin
nacle where he had imagined himself
crowned king of one heart.
When Dora, only 10 then. had given
him her hand so eonfdingly as they
walked together in this very grove
only it was morning then. and spring
time, and the air was filled with the
scent of wild erab-appie blooms, and she
wore them at her throat; how plainly he
could sge her now, all in white. and the
pink of her check so like the dainty
blossoms he had taken the gift un-
questioningly, and no doubts had ever
assaied him. He knew her devotion
to art and was proud of her success, but
he had never dreamed that it woutt be
his rival in her affections.
Have been SO blind?N he questioned.
20, my little Dora!''
Something must be done, and that at
once. Should he 30 to Dora and ask i
these things were truc2 That would be
| like saying Have you been deeeiving
me all these vears?N He could not do
it. He must wait, with what patience
he could. until he could decide for him
self. He was very thankful that Dora
had not quite decided to be married IN
| the fall, as that would be one test he
/ could put her 10. Ii is something 10
/ have an idea that can be acted upon at
once. and he retraced his steps toward
! the house with this one purpose in
/ view. How shall he find minute in
which to speak alone with Dora? He
/ feels that he cannot bear Che suspense
until another day shall come, and then
/ nmifers to himself, Fool what if it
must last lifetime? What il | am
never 10 know
As he reached the piazza girlish
voice cried out eagerly: 20. Mr.. Long!
where have YOU been hiding yoluseff27'
and in an instant he WAS surrounded by
4 laughing group, who scolded and
questioned with snch vivacity that their
victim found it unnecessary to say a
word. If was. IN fact. quite impossible