Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-10-25
Her sister did as she wished, and, taking

Her sister did as she wished, and, taking
| down JENNINGS Vow" Jeannie's otpn
copy as it was called, being the very first
that had come into the house, she opened
it at the part JEANNE had asked for and
read aloud, keeping her voice as steady as
she could. AS matter Of fact, however,
| the scene itself was as powerful as it was
pathetic, and quite sufficient to account
for any unseemly exhibition of feeling on
the part of the reader However, she
struggled through it till the last sentence
was reached. 1t ran thus: "And so Jenli-
ma stretched out her hand 20 him and said
Goodbye And presently, knowing that
she had now kept her promise, and being
happy because she had done so, she went
to sleep"
''Ahr' murmured the blue-eyed child
who listened. ''I wish that I vas as good
as Jernima. But though 1 hare no VOW
to keep can say goodbye and 1 can go
to sleep"
Augusta made no answer, and presently
JEANNE dozed off. Her sister looked at
her with eager affection. "She is giving
up" she said to herself, ''and, if she gives
up, she viii die know it; it is because
we are not going away. How can / get
the money, now that that horrible man
has gone? How can I get it," and she
buried her head in her hand and thought.
Presently an idea struck her; she might 90
back to Meeson and eat her words and sell
him the copyright of her new book for one
hundred pounds, as the agreement pro-
vided. That would not be enough, how
ever, for travelling with an invalid is ex-
pensive. But she might offer to bind her
self over to him for a term of years as a
tame author, like those who worked in the
Hutches. She was sure that he would be
glad to get her, if only he could do so at
his own price. 1t would be slavery worse
than any penal servitude, and even now
she shuddered at the prospect of prosti-
tuting her great abilities to the necessities
of such work as Nelson's made their
thousands out of-work out of which
every spark of originality was stamped
into nothingness, as though it were the
mark Of the Beast Yes, it would be
dreadful-it would break her heart; but
she was prepared to have her heart broken
and her genius wrung out Of her by inches
if only she could get two hundred pounds
wherewith to take JEANNE away to the
South Of France. Mr.. Meeson would, no
QOuDU, make a ndTU DdTSaIn-Ine narQeSJ
he could; but still, if she would consent to
bind herself for sufficient number of
years at sufficiently low salary, he would
probably advance her a hundred pounds,
besides the hundred for the copyright of
the new book.
And so, having made up her mind to the
sacrifice, with sigh she went to bed, and,
wearied out with misery, to sleep And
even as she slept, Presence that she
could not see was standing near her bed,
and a Voice that she could not hear was
calling through the gloom. Another NOR
tai had bent low at the feet of that I'm
known God whom men named Death, and
| been borne away on his rushing pinions
into the spaces of the Hid. One more hui
man item lay still and stiff, one more &C
count was closed for good or evil, the echo
of one more tread had passed from the
earth forever. The old million-numbered
tragedy in which all must take part had
repeated itself once more down to its last
and most awful scene. Yes, the grim farce
was played out, and the little actor Jean
ME was white in death!