Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-08-05

"Oh, Michaelm she cried, 3whers do Won
| think our child isl Why should she not be
herea Did you say anything to her yesterday
to scare her? Last night she kissed me
sweetly. and thanked me for my love. and
she would not break my heart by leaving
mel oh. Michael, what didst thee say to
herf"
! Il said no more than bid her be ready for
the coach at o'clock this morning. he said.
| speaking with difficulty through the tension
of his lips. @What is there to fright you in
thisi Could you not have guessed that il she
| bad sinned she would not go with me to
| Londoni Would she rush upon her own
conviction, silly woman" He added in a
faint voice: "What heavier blow than this
could come upon mani l would sooner see
her dead And after all these years--in this
little town where we are honored-how win
some people scott to hear that pious Michael
Strangfeld's girl
| "Fn not hear thee say itln shrieked the
| mother. raising her hands to her ears. mi
| chael, will you not go and seek here Shall
we stand here wickedly raging at the poor
| heart that hath been driven from our love by
| our sorrow and your anger, when every
moment is taking her further from uss Oh.
| husband, think of our pretty one--so tender.
| 20 gentle, Misunderstanding wearied by the
wayside, weeping and calling upon death.
and thinking there be naught to love her but
the gracious Lord who is in the skyl Dost
thee not see hera If she had gone twenty
| miles l would walk to herl l would-I
would"
In a paroxysm of grief and love she ran
| toward the door. But her husband came
| after her hastily, and his hand fell upon her
| shoulder.
where would you gog' he said.
ITO find my child Michael, let me be- /
will not be hindered!n
He drew her back from the door and
closed it violently.
Listen to reason, womanl" he exclaimed.
controlling his voice with an effort that dis
colored and convulsed his features @You
| run mad easily, and madness is on you now.
and IN this temper you are not to be trusted
abroad. What will your sorrow do but pub
fish our shamei At thy time of life to chase
q phantom. Such is your child now: for
where is she gone, and what road will YOU
takea Oh, fooll to let love blind thee to the
curse that God has set upon our foreheads,
You have sucked vice, and / have loved it
and caressed it, and now it has brought
shame upon us and left usl The will Of the
Lord of Hosts be donel But this is my death
Jane Wife, this thing has put ice in my
heart am cold here"
He stopped short, with his hand upon his
breast, shaking his head slowly, with his
frown gone.
"Sit thee down, Michael My poor mani
This is cruel hard upon us bothl What
have we done that God should take our only
one from usf Sit thee down. Why do YOU
pluck at your shirtl-your hand is all of a
shiver"
She pushed a chair under him and he sank
into it, and family beat with his fingers
upon his thigh, looking downward with a
sideway droop of the head.
He rallied presently, and gazed at her
wistfuly with a softened eye, as she stood
before him with averted face silently crying.
"Am not l wise, Jane, to restrain thee
from running into the town to seek the girl9
That which is crooked saith the preacher.
cannot be made straight; and that which is
wanting cannot be numbered II she come
not back of her own accord, is it meet that
her mother should bring herr Not with my
leave shall you do it. And If she come, COL
for this house win not hold us two. Hushl
I'll not hear you. Your love is mothers.
and say, God help theei but if she were
twenty times my child, the hem Of her gar
ment should not touch the sole of my
boot, so hateful hath her sin made her In my
sight"
He spoke with subdued energy-as a man
in an illness might, indeed; and though
bitter and shocking as his words were for
his wife to hear, We. his broken aspect, his
ashen face, his dropping head, the senile
twitching of his fingers, the dulled CLEAN
in his eye, were sights of pathos to modify
pure maternal anguish with wifely yearn-
ing and a dim dread not yet definable
"You will not think her honestf she
moaned. You viii net believe that fear
has driven her forth. If she is ignorant Of
the church wherein she was married, and
hath no memory to help thee to find it,
would she not think with terror on the
journey and fly rather than take it with
you who are so stern to herr Oh, Michael,
it drives me mad to stand here and think
of her as a lonely, helpless wanderer."
why do you say that? Has the man no
friends, or means. to give her shelteri
How know you that her fight is not
scheme to join her lover who is in hidingl
Does she lack cunnings Do not seek herl
l would lock thee in thy bedroom rather
than that this last disgrace should come
upon us!"
She answered him not a word but leaned
her forehead against the edge of the high
mantelpiece, and thus stood in silent anguish.
TO be Continued.