Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-10-21

SOWn, and another was TO reap MS ldDOrS.
Day by day all that Summer long the
glamor grew and deepened. Captain Hal
| Iett's leave of absence seemed of the most
elastic description, permitting him to
| stay the entire season at Baymouth. His
mornings, his evenings, his moons were
! spent with MilIy. Stephen sickened at
the inevitable goldbanded cap that met
! his eyes whenever he entered the house
and proved his rival in possession of the
| field.
! Milly greeted Stephen kindly always,
but there was sense of interruption, he
| felt himself third party. Then he tried
| staying away, but that was worst of all,
| for his love did not notice his absence be-
yond a careless, "What ages it is since
we saw you, Stephen" This state of af-
fairs, of course, set people to talking. but
Milly was blushingiy indignant. at was
hard" she declared, "if a girl couldn't
have pleasant friend without having
such things said" But her pretty pout-
ings and protestings made little differ
ence, and it was understood that the affair,
If not an absolute engagement, amounted
to san understanding" whatever that
may mean.
~ idSG buS lung lofSlJ Ouh4IuOI SdI1o
to an end, as Summers will. Scarlet
boughs famed in the forests, golden rod
burned along the brooksides, the birds
flew, and with them Captain Hallett pre-
pared for flight. His orders had come to
report in Galveston, Tex, and his leave
takings were hurried. The last moment
was Milly's, and though no one knew the
exact situation of affairs, it was taken for
granted that another year would bring
orange-blossoms and a wedding.
Milly's expectations were not so def
mite. No definite promise had passed be-
tween her and her lover, but she trusted
him and waited brightly and hopefully.
Letters came and went; the scarlet
boughs burned into ashes and fell to the
ground in pale heaps; then came snow
and the winter, to be in turn scourged
away by the whoOp of the fierce New En-
gland Spring. Still Milly waited, but not
so brightly now, for the letters came less
regularly than at first. By and by they
ceased altogether. Weeks passed with
out word. Miily, with visions of yellow
fever and Indians chasing each other
across her terrified brain, wrote and wrote
again, but had no idea of the real danger
which threatened her until one day open
ing the newspaper, this met her eyes:
"At Galveston, Tex, by Rev. Pierre
st. Cloud, assisted by Rev. Thomas
Dix, Captain Edward Hallett, United
States army, and Blanche Emily, only
daughter of the late Pierre st. Cloud, of
Pilatki, Fla. No cards."
Mrs. Graves up stairs heard no sound;
but when she went down Milly lay on the
sofa white and rigid, the newspaper still
clasped in her cold fingers. 1t was not
long before her senses came back. Her
mother famed with anger, but the girl
hushed her with a weary sob.
eve were never really engaged, you
know"
''Not engaged! Oh, Milly!"
But Milly turned her face to the wall
and said no more.
Baymouth was stirred to its depths
next day by the news that Captain Hallett
was married to a Southern lady, and
Milly Graves was down with typhoid few
er. Everyone wanted to help to nurse,
above all, to know the particulars. Such
masses of blanc mango and jelly were
sent in that poor Mrs. Graves was at her
wits end to know how to dispose of
them. But no one could readily aid,
not even poor Stephen, who scarcely left
the house day or night, or ate or slept,
till the crisis passed and Milly was pro
nounced out of danger.
Out of danger, but it was weeks before
she could sit up, and weeks. longer ere
she came down stairs, thin, white, shrunk-
en-a mere shadow, and a wreck of the
blooming little beauty who walked so
gayly up Love Lane at Ned Hallett's
side not quite year ago. She was al
ways patient, and accomplishing, but she
did not often smile. Perhaps Stephe
won those infrequent smiles oftener than
any one else, and he counted them as
precious payment for all time and troub
lie spent in her service.
Only once did I see her shed tears.
This was when, hoping to give her pleas
ure, he brought in the first wild roses of
the season and held them before her.
Suddenly a spasm passed over her face
she gave gasp, turned aside and strug
gled for composure. Stephen dropped
the flowers as if they burned his fingers
and hurried out of the room. A hot
anger shot through him. 'He has ruin
ed everything for her." he thought
even a rose reminds her of him. Cow
ard that he is. They hang man for
poisoning the water springs, why not
hang him, though hanging is too good
for such william as he."
Natures processes of cure are secret; it
is in their depths that wounds begin to
heal. Gradually, as months went by, the
renovat1ng principle worked in Milly.
She resumed her place at home, the little
duties and pleasures, and took up again
the burdens of life. She was pale, still,
but the paleness unfolded sweet sereni-
ty which was no less lovely than her girl
ish bloom.
'Milly Graves has really improved since
her disappointment" certain severe old
ladies asserted, and they were not far
from right.
Stephen adored her more than ever.
Two years later he told her so.
To his surprise, she was neither aston
ished nor shocked, but looked into his eyes
with a smile which was sad and tender
and sweet, all at once.
Dear Stephen" she said, ''this is just
like you. Do you recollect the day in
Love Lane, and the rose you picked up
out of the dust? You are doing the same
thing now, but I am not worth it, dear,
not worth picking up"
"Milly," said Stephen, trembling with
eagerness, ''there never was day since
| first saw you, and that was twenty-one
| wars auo when T didn't love Won hevOnd