Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-01-05


sidered the Herbert alliance "folly."
1t was not folly of long duration. Ma
for Herbert was killed in India when his
little daughter was still a child, and his
wife did not long survive him.
Then William, the Majors elder brother,
took charge of the little one, and brought
her up as well as ne knew how, which, as
he was a recIuse, loving his books and his
garden, and knowing little of the world
and nothing at all about children, was let
ting her pretty well run wild.
Uncle Will was in reality barely fifty,
but he looked ten years older; MS hair was
iron gray, and his face deeply lined, and
he stopped as he walked.
''Ahl Charters, /" he CRIED, catching sight
of the young mans figure at the stile; ''all
alone, Ell? Where is the child?"
''She has just left me-" returned Louis,
with backward gesture toward the wood
land behind him. ''She was here minute
ago."
"Why did she run away?" asked Mr..
Herbert, unsuspiciously; and, without
waiting for an answer, he poked with his
stick at a currant-bush, adding: Looks
poor and thin; must have something done
to tilt has hardly borne any fruit this year"
Louis, who knew no more about currant-
bushes than he did about the source of the
| Nile, or the Anglo-Indian controversy; but
| he wanted to conciliate uncle VIII.
Seems toI I should think it did seem
tori observed Mr.. Herbert, still pol1ing at
the unfortunate bush. ''Tll have it pruned
and tied up. You'll stay to dinner, Of
| course, Charters"
JipoI oorIr ha
81 shall be very pleased said Louis,
swapping off a large twig from the hedge
| near him, and beginning to ''whittle' it.
Uncle Will left his currant-bush, and
came up to the stile, seating himself on the
lowest step thereof, and Louis gathered a
little courage He felt that he could get
out what he had to say better when Mr..
Herbert was not facing him.
every hot to-day" said Uncle viii, re-
moving his hat.
every hot!" assented Louis, absently.
| There was pause.
ct is eighty-six degrees in the shaded
parlor,'' said Uncle VIII.
'Indeedp' responded Louis, feeling as if
| it was something like one hundred and
twenty degrees out here just now.
| He must make plunge or the dinner
bell would ring, and he might not get an
other chance that day.
'sMr. Herbert" he began desperately.
"WeII?" inquired the recluse, mildly.
He was the most unobservant of men,
and therefore of no use in the world to help
| a lame dog over a stile.
81 wanted" said Louis, flinging away
the twig, and clearing his throat-'Iwant-
ed to speak to you'll"
| 1,T1clv % n
ted.
Uncle Will perceived there was some
| change, and half turned round, but, with
out looking up, said, mildly:
81 am ready to listen; what have you to
say?"
81 wanted totell you," stammered Louis,
'sto say-to-to-speak to you-about-Va-
lerie"
Uncle Will raised his shaggy eyebrows
in surprise; but he had not the least suspic-
ion of the truth.
"About yalerie?" he repeated, wheeling
round, and looking full in the young mans
flushed face ''Well, what about her?"
ooh! Mr.. Herbert, can't you understand?
I love her. and she loves me. | want your
consent to make her my wifep'
"WHATr'
Uncle Will rose erect, and stared at the
young lover as if he had been an octopus.
But now that the thing had come out,
Louis felt holder, and stood his ground
without finching.
81 repeat" he said "that love her, and
she has promised to be my wife"
Suddenly Uncle Willis grim features re-
Taxed. He burst into loud. harsh laugh.
Upon my word" he said, "a charming
| 10 in NJ
pray when did this child, just out of the
pinafores, promise to marry you, who have
scarcely more than left SCHOOL,"
Louis turned scarlet. This kind of ban.
ter is, of all things, most trying to the
young.
'You forgot" he said. 'that am twenty.
two, and Valerie seventeen"
Every mature ages, certainly! So you
put your two silly heads together here-at
this stile-a little while ago, and determ-
tned to become man and wife. Is thatit?'
YES" said the young Charters. "Per-
haps ought to have spoken to you first"
81 rather think you ought; and if you
had been older and wiser you would have
done it. But it does not much signify.
The thing is utterly absurd. Valerie is a
child-a mere child; and you have nothing
to marry upon"
Il don't ask to marry her nO1U," cried
Louis, 'but only your consent to our en-
gagement."
"Ohl consider yourselves engaged as
much as you ikep' said Uncle VIII, with
his harsh, bantering laugh; cit won't hurt
you or me; it is utter nonsense, after non
sense l tell you! a boy and grill Ha! ha!
But don't ask me anything more about
marrying for two years to come at least; !
won't hear of it; and mind I don't con-
slider there is an engagement. Ridiculousp'
''It is not nonsense to us" said the young
man, with all the fervent confidence of
youth. 1--WE can wait, and be faithful to
each other"
''Oh l dare say! Probably, in two years
time you will both have married somebody
else"
''No, indeed! All! Mr. Herbert you don't
know what love is! l have loved Valerie
ever since knew her."
"All the more reason why you should
love somebody else by-and-by. Don't twad-
die. Now, say no more about it, There's
the dinner-bell, and the soup will get cold
if we stop here talking
He turned away as he spoke, and began
walking toward the house, leaving Louis
in anything but an amiable or contented
frame of mind.
The scornful consent was infinitely worse
than refusal. The latter would have lent
romance to the situation; the young lovers
would have been martyrs to the stern op-
position of an unsympathetic uncle; there
would have been stolen trysts and clandes-
tine correspondence; but to treat it all as q
joke-as childish freak-too evanescent