Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-12-20

publications I notified them that should
never write again unless upon the abstruse
science. They could hope for no more
poems from me. Having taken the ad-
dress of "she that was"-Halena Irving
Roberts sauntered sadly forth feeling
that I would at least look with reveren-
tial grief upon the outside walls of the
house that had been her home. Follow
| ing up the address I came to little
| tumbledowu, wooden house in the sub
urbs. The obsequies were evidently IN
progress. Three or four carriages we're
drawn up before the pavement and about
| the door group of colored people were
talking in subdued accents. From them
| I learned that Helena Irving Roberts had
| been until three days since q capable
Young colored woman, but that personal
vanity and overcredulity had killed her.
travelling peidler had sold her some
medicine, one dose Of which was warrant
ed to unkink her curly wool and make it
as straight as an Indians. She had
bought it and taken it and the present
mournful occasion was the result.
Ny spirits rose with a bound. I was
palpably on the wrong track, and was
probably still an innocent man. resolv-
ed to give up my Quixotic search, and to
J throw the whole matter off my mind.
might have done SO had things gone
prosperousIy with me, but just at this
juncture very lovely young woman, q
friend from childhood, Of whom I had
always been wildly fond, and whom [ had
always intended some day to marry
quietly and unobtrusively married an
other man.
This slip on the part of young woman
is, as everybody knows, quite an obstacle
in mans way. Though not actually in
despair, was greatly put aboat-derriled
SO to speak, from the track I had laid out
for my future. More and more frequent
ly in these detected days would come TO
me, in spite of nay past resolve, the voice
I had heard through the telephone:
elf ever you do feel deserted and alone
ETC."
That girl had not died. I knew it.
felt it. I would resume the search. Eav-
ing only voice to guide met was
voices that listened for and critically
studied from that time on stadied
them in the cars, in the church service,
in places of amusement. [ caught snatch
es of them On the street, but though [ be-
| came monomaniao ueon the subject,
nowhere could I heaf, listen as I might
the voice that was leading me on. Once
or twice, waiting at the telephone to have
a certain number given me, thought
that away of in the distance, by some
strange trans position in the mesh work
of wires, heard for an instant, if there
| is such a thing, the tones of that voice,
but could not be certain
One day, however, while [ wac having a
| longer wait than usual before The tele-
| phone, heard the voice as distinctly
| as though it had been in the room with
me.
Give me Smith & Lombard" Ca we'll
known butchers establishment, it said
Smith z lombard were evidently give
fog the voice continued "Will you please
send up in time for luncheon, two pairs
of sweet-breads, two boxes of straw
berries, and a quart Of firm, ripe toma
toes"
o Joy! She was alive. She had order
ed what no disembodieds spirit could make
way with. She was wealthy, too, for straw
berries We re then a dollar q box aDd
| there was no end TO the costlinegs of tcma
toes. l seized my hat and rushed for
| Smith Il Lomhards.
"Mr. Saith" Intercepted, "gho Or
dered of you half an hoar ago two pairs
and quart of firm, ripe tomatoes foE
| luncheon3"
James," called Mr.. Saith te the young
man at the desk, without looking up from
the chop he was Frenehing, "who order
ed two pairs sweet breads, two boxes of
Strawberries, and d quart of firm, ripe to-
matoes for lunch, this merning9"
There's two families, sir,'' responded
James, "as has give that same erder, the
Joaeses and She Spencers:"
l took Mr.. Smith aside, and told him
that for weighty reasons [ should be
greatly obliged to him if he woGl3 tell
me who made up the Jones and the S oen-
Ger households,
SWELL" said he scratching his head,
"there's Mr.. and Miss Jones al the oneses.
Old folks they are. And at the Spancers
they're Old folks, too. There's fouc VIC
men of 'em. ALI sisters. Three widders
end one old maid"
My heart sank. One old maa and five
old women. 1t was discouraging out
look.
Gut" Isaid, catching at new thought,
"who does the orderingf Who teiephoned
this morning?"
"Mr. 5ones come himself. He alters will
see his meat cut. It's the Spencers cook
as most generally does the tele phonin,.
Twas her this morniR' as usual; wasn't it,
Jamesf"
James assented. had reasons to fear
was off the track again. Still it might
be that the voice had gone ont to service.
There was hidden strength about it that
felt would make it shrink back &c moth
ing. / ferreted oat the delivery boy, and
giving him dollar [ asked him what
sort of cook they had at the Spencers.'
"Pretty good sort" was his com pact
answer.
But" asked, show old JIG she?"
"Well, hain't never asked her up and
down, though her and mes pretty init
mate over the virSuals. She's been there
going on thirty years, she says, and she
hain't had but one place afore, aud that
she was into ten years, and faint likely
but what she was we'll growed when she
took to cookin'. You ken igger it out
for yourself if your'er amind &c. faint
CROWN old, though, near so much as tits
CROWN fat, that's troublin' her, she says.
She says TO me t'other day she shan't
give up so longs she kin git in az out o.
the doors. She sits mostly now and or
ders round the rest, and 1 tell you it's
better Twin they gifts at the Speneers,
with her asittin' than with most folks
a-standin''
moved on In silence. Now I thought
of it there had been an olesginous roll in
the voice / had heard that morning ute
foreign to the one 1 sought. had been
led away by over eagerness. In future l
must be more patiently critical, even than
L had been in the past. Several
months passed by End the late summer
found me in the same restless, inquiring
state of mind.
Tn AuuusS 7 raoaivs6 an invita- tior ~