Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-12-02
THU pllssIIIg bell
list tolls one into heaven Or hnIl

L . n
story; only a record of the great world song
the event of SO many lives, the finality Of All
That passing bell
That tolls one into heaven or hell
as the old poet sings. When I hear peonle
say, Only 4 love story l think of that
conplet of Tennyson's:
One drew sharp knife through my tender throat
Slowly, and nothing more,
Quite enough for olcei muses. the average
reader; and SO is this matter of love. be it in
The passion Of Romeo and Juliet or the less
wordy and more commonplace emotion of a
foreman in factory and farmers daugh-
ter, for, after all, "do the best that We may,r
It's love, love, love that makes the world 90
round-yes, that makes our sad old world O
merry go-round.
Love will find out the way .ays an an
Gent song, and Joe was no exception to the
rule of the Pathfinder. He persuaded his
mother to send him over TO the neighbours the
very next night for pitcher of milk, and
| also to negotiate for their daily supply. This
being successfully effected, he went daily for
the milk before mill hours and his pail was
| filed by Mary Ann, blooming with the sweet
morning air, neat, trim and lovely at o'clock
a. IN. as city girl at her late dinner. Joe
grew worse and worse. He thought of Nanny
in mill and market; her face shone above
the machinery, her laugh tinkled with the
mill bell He made friends with Peter
also; for cats know lovers-when they are cat
lovers-just as well as children know their
| friends Tiger was still kept in the high
fenced chicken yard ON the Parker premises
now devoid of chickens-as measure of pre-
caution against his straying; he was too dear
to his mistress to be ventured at large yet
1t is not to be denied that Nanny looked with
favorable eyes upon Joe Parker; personable
young fellow with good position docs not fall
1.-THE feet of every farmers daughter, even if
she is beauty, The anxious and aimlessr
have in their ranks many lovely face and
capable character: Nanny had been no fur
Their than the district school for her educa-
ton, and her home training was too hard,
| practical, thorough work. She read no
novels or 'story papers, The Weekly Cour-
ant and The Puritan Recorder helped her
through Sundays, but ON week days she had
work 70 do, and at night was tired enough to
| go to bed early. So she was simple as well as
sensible, i'll the best sense of simplicity. and
| did not coquette with Joe any more than was
natural to any girl. She dimpled and blushed
when he came in, pretended to be vexed when
Peter preferred his knee to her lap, called him
AN awful thing if he caught her hand in his
with the milk pail handle, and was always
ready to so to singing school and evening
meeting with him, so that his true love ran
ominously smooth.
But, alasl there was trouble coming. Tige.
the Parker cat, hurt himself seriously in an
attempt to climb the palings of his Jail yard.
| for they Were old and rickety, and could not
bear his weight. His mistress nursed him in
the house for six weeks with great care. and
when he was quite well again, and stronger
than ever with much feeding, he was turned
out of doors and allowed to roam and ravage
as he would, and at once he lit upon Peter.
Dire was the conflict, but Mrs. Parker
FASTENED to the rescue with pail of water.
and the astonished Peter, quite drenched to
the skin, fed, while Mrs Parker picked ND
| Tiger and carried him into the kitchen.
! lamenting over him as if he were hurt child.
! Now Mrs. Parker was shy and silent
woman, but very resolute; she at once made
| up her mind that the Nays cat should
not intrude on her premises to dis
| turb Tiger. She had the garden fence
REINFORCED, and even a strip of wire
netting added to its. height on the NAYS
| side; but she could not cabin, crib or con-
| fine Tiger himself-a circumstance that vexed
her much And when Peter came home to
Mary Ann, after that first duel dripping like
a drowned rat, she, too, was indignant; but
what could she doS Battles set in, bowls by
night, skirmishes by day; piece was soon
bitten out of Peters lovely waving tail, and
! Tiger lost half an ear Nanny made invidious
remarks about Mrs. Parker's cat every day of
her life, and Mrs. Parker made Joe's meals
bitter to his soul with evil speaking of Peter
! md for Al.
they were friendly enough, except on the cat
| question Mrs. May taught Mrs Parker how
to knit new heels into Joe's yarn stockings.
and Mrs Parker showed Manny's mother the
last pattern of crochet edging; they ex-
changed samples of cake, talked skill ully of
pickles and preserves in fact, had a liking
and respect for each other-all but the cats
! Before the last pleasant autumn days were
gone Joe had gathered courage to ask Mary
Ann to marry him, and she had prettily con-
sented; they were "keepin' company" now,
and the old folks looked on well pleased to
think that neither of their children would
stray far from home, though joe insisted on
having a small home of his own, if only
tenement in the village, properly remarking:
"We won't mix folks, Manny--it don't sue
coed: besides, | want you all to myself"-a
peremptory sort of logic that pleased Miss
Mary Ann and made her assent hearty and
! prompt.
| They meant to be married in April; in no
| less time could the modest array of clothing
| and house linen be made ready for chiefly it
must be sewed by Mannys deft hands; and
sewed it was, with no intervention of ma
chinery, and almost ready, when-how shall
l tell itl-one pleasant February day Peter
trailed into the house with a bleeding ear,
blinking eye and one leg SO hurt that he could
not even limp on it. This was the climax
Nanny had winBed at Tige's enorlnities all
| that winter for Mrs. Parker's sake (meaning
Joe's); she had only once hurled a basin of
| dishwater over him, three times chased him
with a broom handle, and not thrown more
than dozen stones at him-which didn't
| count, for women never hit anything they
throw at, or at least men say SO.
| But now Manny's patience gave a great
gasp and died. She flew out of the door in
tent to MAIN or slay, but Tige's black tail Just
whisked out of the gate; she could not follow
him, so she did the next thing, which was to
wash Peters wounds, put him to bed in the
cellar, fetch him dry catnip and warm milk,
and leave him to that solitude that the
wounded animal seeks and the wounded man
shuns.
| 1t was tea time then, and when Joe came in
at his hour for visitation he found Nanny no
| longer tender, arch or sentimental: the hazel
eyes had redder spark in them than he had
ever seen, the cheeks famed, and the red lips
were puckered into lovely severity instead
of wreathed with smiles.
Joe she began, rushing at once into the
fray, you will have to kill Tiger can't
stand it. He has chawed up Peter till he's
| most dead
my dear girl" said Joe. in dismayed
tone. another sets by Tiger So"
Il can't help it; he's horrid, dreadful
cat, and he'll murder Peter, and he's got to
| be killed.
"But, Nanny, think of mother; she's goin'
to be alone and she thinks everything of
Tiger. Why, she never would forgive me if
| killed him."
"Well. if you like her better'n you do me,
all right. shall kin him, unless pa win
so there!a
Now Joe was not used to girls and their
ways He thought Mary Ann meant every
word she said He was really frightened.
But, Nanny, just think. What win mother
sayg'
Il don't care a cent what anybody saws. |
win not stand by and see my dear sweet old
not defend him. I'll pison it. "
"Oh, Mary Ami" cried Joe
"Then kill him yourself" she retorted.
Il cannot" said Joe, ste lilly.
Well he knew how his silent mother loved
Tiger; like many other women, she bestowed
on her pet all the demonstrative affection she