Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-01-19

Lollie read over the words several
times, then she looked in the book "a
French story. She understood az once
his motive in sending il, and the counsel
thus indirectly given. Her life might be
barren, but her mind need not therefore
| lie failow. She took no time TO bemoan
| the unhappiness resulting from katie's
teasing, but straightway weht TO the
school room, sought oct the best French
dictionary there, and, wrapping her
shawl round her, sat down to the work OF
3. translation.
| Once, as she worked, she caught sight
of her own face in the glass.
! Louie," she said, gravely addressing
/ herself, you are quite plain and nearly
/ thirty; do not fancy Mr.. Fort has any in
terest in you-nothiDg like Harry Bel
ford's in Katie, for instance-beyond
that of good man who tries to rectify
the faults and failures of the human be-
| ings about him. I am much obliged to
Mr. Fort for his advice; he is kind, but"
-she set her lips and went on with her
| reading. But, alas! hearts are not always
under head control, and "a dream cometh
of the multitude of business" Certain
vague thoughts and desires, as vain as
they were vague, came to her that bright
Wlni6T dibST0OOHy Inhb ltNETuDI6 COulu
be persuaded to leave her.
| After this Mr.. Frost met her in the
streets. He often came to Edenmount.
But although he found she was following
his unspoken advice, she did not seem TO
| grow any happier. Her demeanor was
still as reserved as ever; bat he noticed
her too closely not to see that the old list
Iessness mad deepened to depression, and
| n nj Aoh RI
ness. He was dismayed at his own work.
| He had meant to do good, but the result
was evil. Soon she began to avoid him
| quietly, but steadily; indeed, she could
| do nothing else under KatIes laughing,
/ but keen sighted eyes. Fort asked him
self what he could do for her now? The
answer, though disheartening, was final:
Nothing!
| Meanwhile Lollie's awakening nature
mad budded and borne fruit at last. She
had not followed her own advice; the
! needs of the human heart once called
| forth are imptrious IN their hunger. She
| felt keenly, bitterly, all that her life lack
ed, and although she never for an instant
dreamt OF return, she had the miserable
knowledge Of hopeless love within her.
| The Sights and ridicule of former days
had hurt and worried her, but now, with
! the keen constituencies born of her new
! feelings, they became absolutely intoler-
able. Her slow moving nature once set
in motion bore down all opposition. she
| determined to leave home, and, to her
surprise, Katie actually helped to carry
out her plans. She undertook to fill tenn
pOrarily the post of superintendent in
Nurses Home. She was not a qualified
nurse; but being rather in a dilemma for
want of some one TO fill the post, the in
stitu6e accepted her services for the
time.
The Home was situated in a remote
town in the north of England, far from
TessletOn, and Lollie felt the change to
| the new lonely life. The nurses were
usually absent and although she had a
good deal to 90, and cha acteristically did
her work thoroughly, still there were times
when memory was vivid, and the longing
to see Blackburn Fort once more almost
too strong to be resisted. In the long
winter dusk she used to sit and picture
the doings ct home; the merry voices;
Katie's pretty glowing face; Mr.. Forts
step in the hall, the sound of which she
had learned to know so well. Was he be
ginning to love Katie? She imagined
over and over again how beautiful, how
true, how grand thing his love could be.
Happy Katy!
It was hard to force herself to go
/ through her duties. The thought of al
that might have been was a perpetual
Leart sickness. Many an inpatient short
| sigh she heaved over her account books
and the household linen. For awhile her
power Of self command failed her, but
there would surely come time when she
| should care less than she cared
now, when useless regrets and
desires, grown feeble, would cease to
poison and spoil existence. Her sore
heart, in its suffering, almost longed for
the old days of ignorance and deadness
to return. It sometimes seemed imposs-
IDLE to "teach her trial patience" to so
on living her methodical, monotonous lire,
far away from the sight Of events which.
indeed, she could have no power to alter,
but which so keenly and intimately inter
ested her. Katie's letters were feverishly
expected; they wero suggestive, and the
mention of Forts name grew more and
more frequent. He had done and said
this and that. They seemed to have grown
confidential, for one day Kate wrote:
You must have been q source of amuse
ment TO him at one time. He often
speaks of you" The very vagueness of
this was its torment, What had she, Lol-
lie, done? What had he said? Was he
base enough to have dissected Ter heart
and life for mere amusement?
And so two weary months slipped by.
| It was January now, and the weather cold
and raw. One evening, when the light was
almost gone, ap d the lam ps we're lit in the
street, Lollie sat in her usual chair, look
| ing out, and giving herself her daily in
diligence OF half an hour of idle thought.
The rain battered 6ismally on the wet
pavemeuts, and all else was silent, save
the football of an occasional passer by.
Suddenly, as q tall man passed, something
In his gait or appearance reminded Lollie
of Black burn Fort. Her heart Ieapad and
sank as he isappeared from sight up the
street. Had she never known before how
passionately dear he was to her? The
pang of recollection qulvered through her
hike physical pain. A step-a knock. The
servant had gone out; she must open the
door herself. She drew back the latch.
Blackburn Fort stood before her.
rs anything the matter at homer" she
painted.
mo; they are all as well as can be- he
replied, entering, and shutting the door
behind him. won't you ask me how l
am, Miss Chance?n
She murmured something unintelIigi-
BILE, for her heart was wildly futtering in
her throat.
81 have something very serious the
matter with me. I am hopelessly ILL.," he
said quietly.
How tall and strong he seemed in that
narrow hall! And he was looking so
| In q No