Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-07-19
GRANDPA:S STORY.

/ Tilted Fanny Howe said Grand "a West
! one rainy morning, as he stood shaking
of the drops from his great coat On ouI
| kitchen stove.
eyes" replied I, as I filed q pan with
apples and prepared to cut them, sand
more shame to him, too. Brought her
clear up to an engagement ana then left
town with another girl, and without one
word to Far
"Shamem repeated good Grandpa
West, with an indignant fash from blus
| eyes, as clear as twenty one; "Its dis
grace, to any Christian church TO let one
Of its members go on so. Time was
when ne wouldn't have gone scot free as
| he has now"
"But what could have been done?" [ in
quired.
| Ozone? He'd have had the full broad
| side of church discipline on his shoulders
| so years ago. He ought to be dealt with
as Harmon Page was," concluded grand
pa Ineditatively.
Glow was that?" inquired [, interested
at once.
81 wonder if you ever heard that
story!" said he, with a curious glance
understood better afterward. See here.
it's rainy day, and mother won't be
expecting me home. Hand over knife
| and I'll help you with your apples and
tell that yarn at the same time"
Well pleased with the plan, took an
other pan, and our fingers few as grand
pa went on with the true and authentic
history of Harmon Page.
"You see, he began, sail this happened
so years ago, and Amityville wasn't then
the slow-going, dull little place it is now.
It was comparatively new, and was as
lively and enterprising as the new places
of the west are to-day. There were a
good many old aristocratic families,
though, and tell ye they held their heads
high. The very neetin' house slips had
to be ganged accordin' to the rank of the
buyer, and I tell you old Deacon Avery
would never have got the scowl out of his
forrard if Squire Page had happened to
had seat in front OF his.
deacon Avery had q daughter = a
quiet, gentle girl, with q slight, graceful
figure and face-well, you don't see
such faces nowadays; clear, fine com
pIexion, with a delicate pink trembling
up into her lips when she was spoken to.
Her eyes were great limpid wells, chang
ing with every thought, and her hair was
a soft chestnut brown, waving about her
face in its own wayward style.
'EShe was a lovely girl, became pro-
fessor young, and was always to be seen
in the end of the deacon's pew every Sun
day, rain or shine. She'd never had much
company, for there was a kind Of dign1-
fed reserve about her that kept the fell
lows at a distance. But when she was
long bout eighteen or twenty Harmon
Page began to go with hex.
eHe was a handsome, high-spirited
chap, lively and full of talk, and as diff
ferent from Mercy Avery as two persons
could be. But they loved each other;
there's no doubt about that. Many's the
time I've seen her grand eyes sparkle and
pretty cheeks flush at RarmOn's witty
speeches, till she was really brilliant. And
| he, with all his proud spirit, always grew
strangely gentle with Mercy.
$50 in spite of the rivalry that had al
ways existed between the two families, no
one would have disturbed the two had 1t
not been for Virginia Wake. She was a
cousin of Col. Ford's first wife and came
| there visitin' from the south.
| "Virginia was called & handsome girl,
with her brunette face, flashing black
eyes, and heavy black curls she was never
| tired of jingling around her neck. She
/ had good deal, too, of what you call
| style and Amityville folks who didn't
know as much of the ways of the world
! as they do Dow were com pletely fasclnat-
| ed by her taking ways. The young folks
| in particular lowered around her like
moths around a candle.
Cali except Harmon Page. He had en-
! gagged himself to Mercy, and at first gave
the newcomer the go-by. The Pages and
! Fords had a family feud of a good many
years. standing, which kept them apart
! for one thing, and Virg mia had plenty OF
company besides Harmon.
"But [ suppose Harmon's Indifference
piqued the girl, and she snubbed the
other boys and exerted all her charms on
Harmon.
"She came in the fall, and along about
Christmas time the neighbors began 70
notice that Virginia was mighty thick at
the Pages.
| "The two houses were pretty near To-
gether and she used to run over to Mother
Pages on some excuse or other 20 times q
day. Perhaps 'twa'nt strange that Har-
mon began to be flattered by it. He had
as good a turnout as any chap in the
place, and he got in the habit Of taking
Virginia considerably.
| L GU see pOSiGICuS Sfot III l1OA
cases than one, and Virginia was right
there handy, while Mercy lived at the tor
of enc of our old-fashioned Connecticut
hills, with a dreadful hard road leading
to it.
Whether she knew how much Harmon
was taking the other girl wasn't known
some thought not. She didn't get ouf
much, except to meetin', that winter, anG
she had enough of her fathers spunh
about her not TO let on that she saw Har
mon foolin' with Virginia Wake at the
noonin's.
"There was splendid sleighing that sea
son-the kind we don't have these days
and some of the young folks wanted tc
have a general sleighride. It was put Of
from time to time, till it was finally SCI
for one Thursday night.
at ives the night of the regular weekly
prayer meeting, and after the time Of the
ride was all settled, Harmon, who was the
J only professor in the party, tried a little
TO have it changed; but Virginia Wake
, declared, with q wicked shake of thoss
iingling curls, that she could say be-
prayers just as well in a sleigh as she
, could cooped up in that stupid barn of 6
meeting house.
Everybody thought afterwards thai
she fixed the ride for that night to show
Mercy Avery the power she had over
Harmon Page"
s'Well, the party started from Amity
vile long about five o'clock. They were
ell in q big two-horse load except Vir
ginia and Harmon.
''She had arranged for them to g
ahead in his cutter alone, and I'll admi
they were splendid looking couple-h'