Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-03-21
mission, her words drove me quite beside
my power of self control, and my voice
was full of bitter scorn. Yet it was no

was full of bitter scorn. Yet it was no
match TO the quiet, interse scorn In hers,
as she rose to her full queenly height, her
dark eyes 81 ttering like stars, and the
crimson spots in her cream cheeks glow
ing ike the burning n sart of the richest,
reddest rose.
In all our acquaintance had never ad-
inired her SO much as / did at this mo
ment. But, remembering the wrong she
had done my brother, felt no kindness
toward her.
"Pray explain if you can, Miss Grandi-
son." said in my coolest tone, "why you
entered this house under false charae-
ter, in which you won my brothers heart
only TO break it. What have you TO say
to that ?"
Nothing, except that your brother
knows all have TO tell, and I don't feel
called upon to disclose my troubles 30 the
whole world. If you deem me unfit for
the position I hold in your house, Miss
Percival, will GO elsewhere"
You may" answered colby.
l was ashamed of my uRkindness, even
as l spoke, but believing her just then TO
be designing woman: the calm compos-
Dre of her manner angered me until
neither spoke nor acted like myself.
Very WE'LL" she said, and my heart
smote me at the deathly pallor of her face
as she turned to leave the room.
At that instant servant handed me a
letter from Ralph, and | tore it open
and read it where stood. Such a letter
-ex planning why he had gone away, and
declaring that Miss Grandson, whom
he pronounced the best ana MODEST of
women, was not to blame for his folly.
He ended by begging me to be kind TO
her and not allow her TO leave our home
SO long as she needed such position.
Half penitently, placed the letter in
her hand, remarking that Ralph's wishes
were law to me, and that | hoped she
would forget my words and do what was
best for her happiness.
She hesitated a minute or so, with the
open letter in hand, and I knew that, a
great struggle was going on beneath that
calm, beautiful exterior.
ut is humiliating," she said at length,
with little quivering smile, "to remain
here under the circumstances; but I am
poor, Miss Percival, and / must not think
too much Of my dignity. Besides, was
sure if you shad known the truth,
would not have been so unjust"
And SO she stayed.
Months after, when had grown to love
and esteem her for the ''best and nobIest
of women," az Ralph had called her, she
told her story.
Briefly, she had large fortune willed
to her by an uncle of her husband, whose
other heirs through jealousy and greed,
had blasted her life by cruel ISLANDERS.
In the bitterness of their hatred they had
estranged her husband from her, and
he had deserted her, believing her to be
false.
Her enemies had been successful in all
their plots against her, and she had borne
prosecutions and insslts which, as lis
tened to their pathetic recital, made me
wonder that woman like her could have
endured them and lived.
Abandoned by the husband whom she
still loved better than her own lifo, aud
thrown frien0less upon the world, she had
kept her history to herself, simply drop
ping her married title for the sake of be-
ing less exposed TO curious questioning.
When winter came around again we
were expecting Ralph, who wrote that he
Was heart whole once more, and intended
to bring friend to help him enjoy his
welcome home.
How handsome Ralph looked as he
I walked, smiling and happy, into the midst
of our family circle, and what a splendid
looking man was the stranger who walked
close behind him.
AS Miss Grandison's dark, beautiful
eyes glanced up at them shrek that I
shall never forget rang through the
room, and she fell fam ting into the stran-
gers arms.
What need TO say more. Ralph had
constituted himself modern Don QuIx-
ote, and had secretly pledged himself to
right the wrong of the woman who had
refused him.
He had found Paul Grandson, had told
him where his wife was, and what a true,
pure woman she had proven herself.
And Paul had come with him to kneeI
at Flora's feet (as he afterward told me)
and crave her pardon.
think Ralph was almost as happy
when Flora turned those beautiful brown
eyes Upon him and murmured, "God bless
you, my noble FRIEND" as he would have
been could his own dream of winning her
have been fulfilled.