Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-08-26
AN VERY-DAY OCCURRENCE
Chambers Journal.

There are in all our lives episodes
which we should be glad to forget; of
which we are so much ashamed, that
we scarcely dare to think of them, and
when we do, find ourselves hurriedly
muttering the words we imagine we ought
to have said, or making audible apologies
for our conduct to the air; and yet these
are not always episodes which necessarily
involve a tangible sense of wrong done
either to our selves or to others. Some
such episodes in a commonplace life,
such as must have fallen to the lot of
many men, we would here reveal.
Once upon time-to commence in an
orthodox fashion a,,man and woman lived
and loved. On the woman's part the
affection was as pure and generous as
ever filled the breast of a maiden; on the
mans as warm as his nature permitted.
His love did not absorb his whole soul, 1t
rather permeated his mind and colored
his being. Like most men of his uncom-
mon stamp, his affection once given, was
given forever. He was not of jubilant
nature, nor did his feelings lie near the
surface, and his manner was undemonstra-
tive. The girl was clear sighted enough
to see that what love there was, was pure
and true, and she made up for its scarcity
with the Overfowings of her sympathetic
nature. She localized rather than con-
doned. She gave in such measure that
she could not perceive how little she was
receiving in return, Or if she noticed it
her consciousness of its worth seemed to
her full equivalent. He was an artist;
and circumstances forced the lovers to
wait, and at the same time kept them
apart. A couple of days once a month,
and week now and again, was the limit
of the time they could spend together.
This, of course, prevented them getting
that intimate knowledge of each others
personality which both recognized as an
essential adjunct to the happiness of
married life, though they did their best
to obviate it by long letters, giving full
details of daily events and of the society
in which they moved. The remedy was
an imperfect one. Strive as they might.
The sketches were crude, and the letters
had tendency to become stereotyped.
We only mention these details to show
that they tried to be perfectly honest with
each other.
While the girls life, in her quite coun-
try home, was one that held little variety
in it, it was a part of the mans stock in
trade to mix with society and observe
closely. Whether he liked it or not, he
was compelled to make friends to such
an extent as to afford him an opportunity
of gauging character. Unfortunately for
the purposes of my study, he had no
sympathy with pessimism or pessimists.
He loved the good and the beautiful for
their own sakes, and in his art loved to
dwell on the bright side of human nature,
a side which the writer has found SO much
easier to meet than the more sombre col
oring we are constantly told is the pre-
dominating one in life. Like most ar
fists, he was somewhat susceptible, but
his susceptibility was on the surface; the
inward depths of his soul had never been
stirred save by the gentle girl who held
his heart, and she was such as to inspire
a constant and growing affection rather
than demonstrative passion.
At one of the many houses at which he
was welcome guest, the lover found a
young girl, bright, sensuous, beautiful,
Unwittingly he compared her with the
0ne whose heart he held, and the COM
oar1son was unsatisfactory to him; do
what he would, the honesty of his nature
compelled him to allow that this beauti-
full girl was the superior in a number of
ways to her whom he had pledged his
life. He was caught in the Circe's chains
of golden hair, and fancied- almost hoped
yet feared lest, like bonds of cobwebs
in the fairy tale, the tolls were too strong
for him to break. He could see, too,
that the girl regarded him with feeling
so warm that chance spark would rouse
it into flame of love; and this gave her
an interest as dangerous as it was fas-
cinating. His fancy swerved. Day after
l. IL L.
too violent to be wise, he kept away from
the siren till his infiamed fancy forced
him back TO her side.
To the maiden in the country he was
partially honest. In his letters he faith
fully told her of his visits, and as far as
he could, recorded his opinions of the girl
who had captivated his fancy. Too keen
an artist TO be blind to her faults, he
dwelt on them in his frequent letters at
unnecessary length. When the lovers
net, the girl questioned him closely
about her rival, but only from the in
terest she felt in all his friends known
and unknown, for her love for him was
too pure and strong to admit Of jealousy.
and he, with what honesty he could, an
swered her questions unreservedly.
Little by little he began to examine
himself. Which girl did he really love?
Should he not be doing wrong to both
by not deciding? The examination was
dangerous, because it was not thorough.
The premises were true. but incomplete.
Yet we should wrong him if we implied
that he for moment thought seriously
about breaking off his engagement. Even
had he wished, his almost mistaken feel
ngs of honor would have forbidden it.
This constant surface introspection-
kind of examination which, had not the
subject been himself, he would have de-
spised and avoideG-could have but one
result-an obliquity of metal vision. He
had horror of being untrue untrue to