Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-10-17

that every man who reads and thinks
about his own c-country ought to be
able to. say, I have been d-d-down a
coal mine.'"
We'll" said the Colonel, loftily, @and
can't you say you have been down a
coal mine? could say that and sithere.
Well, sir, you have been reading the
newspapers, and learning them off by
heart as if they were the Epistle and
! Gospel: of course y0u must go down a
coal mine; but if you do. have a little
mercy on the fair, and go down byyour-
self. In the mean while, Walter, you
can take your cousin and give her a
walk in the woods, and show her the
| primrOSeS."
Now Julia was surprised and pleased
at Percy's good sense, and she did not
care whether he got it from the news
| papers or where he got it from; it was
there; SO she resisted, and said, coldly
and firmly, THANK you, uncle, but I
don't want the primrOses, and Walter
does not want me. Come, Percy DEAR"
and so she marched off; but she had not
gone many steps before, having a great
respect for old age, she ordered Percy,
| in whisper, to make some apology to
her uncle.
Percy did not much like the commits
! sion. However, he went back. and said,
very civilly, "This is a free country. but
| am afraid | have been a little too free
| IN expressing my opinion; let me hope
you are not annoyed with me-"
Il am never annoyed with a fool"
said the implacable Colonel.
| This was too much for any little man
to stand.
"That is why you are always on such
| good terms with yourself" said Percy,
as red as turkey-cock.
| The Colonel literally stared with
| amazement. Hitherto it had been for
him to deliver bayOnet thrusts, not to
receive them.
| Julia bounced on her bantam-cock.
and with her left hand literally pulled
| him off the premises, and shook her
| right fist at him till she got him out of
sight Of the foe; then she kissed him on
| both cheeks, and burst out laughing:
and, indeed, she was so tickled that she
kept laughing at intervals, whether the
Immediate subject of conversation was
grave or gay. 1t is hard not to laugh
when very little fellow cheeks very
big one. Even Walter, though he adj
mired as well as loved his father, hung
his head, and his shoulders shook with
suppressed visibility. Colonel Clifford
| detected him in this posture, and in his
wrath gave his chair a Whack with his
staff that brought Master Walter to the
position of a private soldier when the
drill-sergeant cries ATTENTION."
Did you hear that, sir?" said he.
Il did," said Walter; Cheeky little
beggar. But you know, father, you
were rather hard upon him before his
sweetheart, and alittle potts soon hot"
There was nothing to be hot about"
said the Colonel, naiyely; but that is
neither here nor there. You are ten
times worse than he is. He is only
pratlng, pedantic puppy, but you are
mulf, sir, most unmitigated muff, to
stand there mum-chance and let such
an article as that carry off the prize"
! "Oh. father" said Walter "why will
you not see that the prize is aliving wo-
man, a woman with will of her own,
and not French eagle, or the figure
head of ship? Now do listen to rea-
| SON."
Not a word, said the Colonel, march
| ing off.
'But excuse me-" said Walter. "I have
! another thing fan more important to
speak to you about; this unhappy law
suit"
That's no business of yours, and I
don't want your opinion of it; there is
no more fight in you than there is in a
hen sparrow. [ decline your company
and your pacific twaddle; [ have no pa
thence with muff;" and the Colonel
marched off, leaving his son planted
there, as the French say.
Walter, however, was not long alone;
the interview had been watched from a
distance by Mary. She now stole noise
leSsly on the scene, and LAID her white
| hand upon her husbands shoulder be-
fore he was aware of her. The sight of
her was heaven to him, but her first
| question clOuded his happy face.
him?"
Walter hung his head sorrowfully,
and said hardly anything.
lie has been clustering at me all the
time, and insists upon my cutting out
Percy whether [ can or not, and marry
ing Julia whether she chooses or not"
Then we must do what / said. In
deed there is no other course. We must
own the truth; concealment and deceit
will not mend our folly"
Forgive me, dear, but it was the
| height of folly. Not that I mean to
throw the blame on you-that would be
ungenerous; but the truth is you had
no business to marry me, and | had no
business to marry you. Only think
me-Mary Bartley-a clandestine mar
riage, and then our going to the Lakes
again, and spending our honeymoon to-
gether just like other couples-the reck-
lessness-the audacity! Oh, what hap
pineSS it WaSl"
Walter very naturally bounced upon
this unguarded and naive conclusion of
Mary'S self-reproaches. Eyes" said he,
eagerly; let us go there again next
week"
Not next week, not next month, not
next year, nor ever again until we have
told all the world.p
We'll, Mary" said Walter, "it's for
you to command and me to obey. I said
so before, and | say so now, if you are
not ashamed of me, how can I be
ashamed of you; you say the word, and
| will tell my father at dinner-time, be-
fore Julia Clifford and John Baker. and
request themtotell everybody they know.
that | am married to woman | adore,
and there is nobody care for on earth
as do for her, and nothing value
compared with her love and her esteem"
Mary put her arm tenderly around
her husbands neck; and now it was
with her as it is often with generous
and tender-hearted women, when all
opposition to their wishes is withdrawn,
they begin to see the other side.
MY dearest" said Mary, Il couldn't
bear you to sacrifice your prospects for
me-"
why, Mary" said Walter, what
would my love be worth if it shrank
from self-sacrifice? 1 really think I
should feel more pleasure than pain if l
gave up friends. kindred. hope every
tnlng tnaU is supposed to make life
pleasant for you"
And so would l for you," said Mary;
"and oh, Walter, women have presenti-