Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-07-08

Come away from the draught, and shut the
window. Father wants thee down stairs"
at is past nine, mother. What does father
wants / like this cool wind and the stars
are pretty to watch, running among the
clouds
"Father does not understand your moping
Here have you been sitting for above an
hour. We have been talking about thee, and
he has some questions to ask"
"What questionsp exclaimed the girl,
quickly. LET me stay here, mother 1t will
be time for bed soon What questions has
father to asks"
"Why, you speak as if you were scaredl
Jenny, if you would fly in the face of the
Lord, the way to do it is to fiout thy mother
What ails youl A dozen times have asked.
and you say nothing ails you Are you not
wels Is there some secret to trouble you?
Are you weary of homes Come down, come
down, and open your heart to your parents.
And saying this she took Jenny's hand, but
finding it cold as stone, cried out, "See, now.
if this wind viii not put thee in a sick bed!'
And in a little passion of anxiety and annoy
! ance, she closed the window sharply
The sweet and faithful heart. hidden To
watch for her husbands coming felt the
closing of the window to be the true ending
of her hopes and fears for that night. Ii
was a reprieve that left deep yearning and
faint heartedness and sorrowful wonder
Never had he failed her before. 1t could not
be fear that made him shirk the interview he
had himself planned; neither fear of her
father, nor want of passionate love for her
| With ears straining to catch at every sound,
she gazed through the closed window at the
vision of dancing lights without, and the
flare of the moon sweeping beyond the
clouds and silverlng the tossing tops of the
bay trees
What questions has father to ask,
mother!p
"Why, what these mopes signify. He
doubts if you brought your heart back with
you from Sydenham. But say it was
your spirits you left there"
Mother let me be here. l am low in
spirits tonight Father would easily make
me cry, and what would he think to see me
in tearss'
Jenny, just tell me this, then, that may
answer him when | go downstairs Mr.
Shaw talked soft things to thee2 Come,
come, speak up, my child. Surely, need
not be angry, if your beauty has pleased
him, and he has saddened you with foolish
fancies. Is that it, We will make you smile
again when we know what troubles you,
sweetheart
"Why do you say / NOPE and am low
hearted, mothers Is not my laugh merrys
Am not cheerful help to you in the house!
One cannot always be glad. The noise of the
sea, and the cry Of the wind tonight, and
the struggling of the sweet moon with the
clouds have--have--n She faltered, and CON
tinued, in a voice as soft as a flute's-"Some-
times one has pleasant sorrows which one
likes to nurse There is no reason that l
should NOPE. | can feel very happy All,
dear Lordl would that he had come and
saved me from another day of fearln And
breaking out thus, she threw her head upon
her mothers breast and cried.
But Jenny wept rarely-at least, in her
mothers sight; therefore, the honest bosom
on which her face was hidden was rent by
the unaccustomed sobs, and anxious, plain
tive sympathy spoke in the poor womans
voice, as she exclaimed, with her pretty
fingers tenderly kneading the girls rich hair:
"Oh, my child, my deariel you will break
my heart with your misery What is your
feara Has any one wronged youl Kind
Lord, what trouble is this that hath come
upon you! Jenny, Jenny, raise up your
eyes-see how bright the moon shines in
the room; it makes thy hair like yellow
silk. Oh my pretty lamb, who is he that
hath not come? and what is thy fear, Jenny"
Now, the door of the bedroom and the door
of the parlor both standing open, and the
| staircase measuring but small space be-
| twixt the low floor and the passage, it was
| scarcely possible that Mr. Strangfeld, sitting
in expectation of his daughters arrival,
should fail to catch his wife's words When,
! therefore, in her clear, panied voice, she
cried "Who is he that hath not come?n and
what is thy fear, Jenny!" up rose the mas
ter shipwright, and the staircase groaned
under his boots.
Jenny, hearing him coming, drew away
| from her mother with quick movement of
terror, and backed through the glare of
moonlight into the shadow near the bedstead
."Wife, exclaimed Strangfield, in his strong
voice, show is it that Jenny does not come to
me.'
To which no reply was vouchsafed. He
advanced by stride and said, what has
the girl been saying, and what is her fears
Jenny come forth. / can see you standing
there. Give me thy hand, foolish wench,
| and now down stairs with us ALL If there
be aught to fear, pray that the Lord may
deliver us from evil"
| So speaking, he held forth his hand, and
the shrinking girl, not daring to disobey,
came to him fearfully and dropped fingers of
ice into his palm.
/ AS Uney Weub uONu Dne stairs tnefe was n
lifetime Of suffering in Jenny's thoughts
For what now was she to doc Must she con-
fess under the crushing gaze of her fathers
eyes3 Beyond her strength of voice, beyond
control of passionate weeping, would the
confession take her. Cuthbert would be here
anon--to-morrow, surely-and shift the heavy
/ load of her secret upon himself. And with
| him at hand those stern eyes would not be
| terrifying, nor the anger unbearable.
snow, my girl" said he, his voice insen-
sibly softening under the beauty of his only
child, speak boldly and acknowledge the
trouble that has come to you. will tell
you," laying q forefinger on his thumb,
'when this habit of moping first became Wis
ible to me; that was "a full month before we
sent you to your aunt Rachel That visit
did not improve thee, but, on the contrary,
has made thee worse. Now you have your
date and so you shall not be at a loss for the
reason.
The girl tried to meet her fathers eyes,
whereof the severity appeared intensified by
the spectacle rings that concentrated their
forces of fire and feeling; but to stand to
them hardly was an impossible feat; her
gaze went downward, and in a scarcely au-
dible tone she replied: II do not NOPE,
father; sometimes / like to be alone
"Be honest, wench, be honest!" exclaimed
Strangfield, harshly. @What was the mean
ing of those words your mother was repeat
ing just now"
Jenny, they were Would that he had
come and sared me from another day OF
fearP" whispered Mrs. Strangfield. "Have
no fear, my pretty. Thy father is stern, but
he loves thee.