Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-08-29
CHAPTER VIII.
THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE.

was.
ooh, nothing" said he.
Don't tell mel" said she. Mind,
nothing escapes my eye. Come, tell me,
or we are not friends"
"Oh, come, Mary. That is hard"
Not IN the least. l take an interest
in YOU"
"Bless you for saying sol"
And so, if you keep your troubles
from me, we are not friends, nor cous-
ms"
Mary"
Nor anything else"
anything else to you / will tell you, and
yet don't like. Well, then, if l must,
it is that dear old wrong-headed father
of mine. He wants me to marry Julia
Clifford"
Mary turned pale directly. 81 guess
ed as much" said she. well, she is
young and beautiful and rich, and it is
your duty to obey your father"
But / can't"
ooh yes, you can, if you try"
But l can't try"
"Why not?"
Cant you guess?"
"No."
well, then, I love another girl. As
opposite to her as light is to darkness"
Mary blushed and looked down. Com
her opposite, for Julia is a fine, high
minded girl"
"Ah, Mary, you are too clever for me;
IT course | mean the opposite in appear
ance."
"As ugly as she is pretty?"
No; but she is dark girl and don't
like dark girls. 1t was dark girl that
deceived me so heartlessly years ago."
"Ah!"
"And made me hate the whole SEX"
Cor only the brunettes?"
"The whole lot"
Cousin Walter, thank you in the
name of that small company"
Until L saw you, and you converted
me in one day."
"Only to the blondes?"
"Only to one of them. My sweet Mary.
the situation is serious. You, whose
eye nothing escapes-you must have
seen long ago how | love you"
Never mind what have seen, Wal
ter" said Mary, whose bosom was be-
ginning to heave.
Very WELL" said Walter; then will
tell you as if you didn't know it, I adj
mired you at first sight; every time [
was with you | admired you, and loved
you more and more. 1t is my heaven
to see you and to hear you speak.
Whether you are grave or gay, saucy or
tender, it is all one charm, one witch
craft. | want you for my wife, and nv
child, and my friend. Mary, my love,
my darling, how could marry any wo-
man but you? and you, could you mar
ry any man but me, to break the heart
that beats only for your"
This and the voice of love, now ardent.
now broken with emotion, were more
than sweet, Saucy Mary could trife
with; her head dropped slowly upon his
shoulder, and her arm went round his
neck, and the tremOr of her Welding
frame and the tears of tenderness that
flowed slowly from her fair eyes told
Walter Clifford without word thatShe
was won.
He had the sense not to ask her for
words. What words could be so elo-
quent as this? He just held her to his
manly bosom, and trembled with love
and JOY and triumph.
She knew, too, that she had replied,
and treated her own attitude like SEN
tence in rather droll way. But for
oil that" said she, Il don't mean to be a
wicked girl if | can help. This is an age
of wicked young ladies. | soon found
that out in the newspapers: that and
science are the two features. And L
have made solemn VOW not to be one
of them"-(query, a science Oranaughty
girl making mischief between father
and son."
No more you shall, dear" said Wal
ter. Leave it to me- We must be pa
tient, and all will come right"
"Oh, I'll be true to you, dear, if that
is ALL" said Mary.
And if you would not mind justtem-
PORTING little, for my sake, who love
yOu?"
~Temporizel" said Mary, eagerly.
we are all dead and buried"
'Oh, that will be too long for me-"
said Walter"
"Oh, never do things by halves" said
the ready girl.
If his tongue had been as prompt as
hers, he might have said that "tempor-
iZing" was doing things by halves; but
he let her have the last word. And per-
hapS he lost nothing, for she would
have had that whether or no.
So this day was another era in their
love. Girls after a time are not content
to see they are beloved; they must hear
it too; and now Walter had spoken out
like man. and Mary had replied like
woman. They were happy and walked
hand in hand purring to one another,
instead of sparring any more.
On his return home Walter found
Julia marching swiftly and haughtily
up and down upon the terrace of Cliff
ford Hall, and he could not help admir-
ing the naughty magnificence Of her
walk. The reason soon appeared. She
was in a passion. She was always tall,
but now she seemed lofty. and to COM
bine the supple panther with the erect
| peacock in her ireful march. Such a
| fine woman as Julia really aweS a man
with her carriage at such time. The
poor soul thinks he sees before him the
| indignation of the just; when very like
| ~ it is only what in man would be
called petulance.
Anything the matter, Miss Clifford?"
said he, obSequiously.
NO, sir" livery stiff1y).
Can | be of any Service?"
"No you cannot" And then, swifter
than any weather-cock ever turned:
You are a good creature; why should
| be rude to you? l ought to be asham-
| ed of myself. 1t is that little wretch"
| Not our friend Fitzroy?"
why, what other little wretch is
there about? We are all Grenadiers
and May-poles in this house except him.
| Well, let him go. / dare say somebody
elSe-hum-and Uncle Clifford has told
me more than once ought to look high
er. I couldn't well look lower than five
feet nothing. Ha! hal hal 1 told him
So"
| "That was cruel"