Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-07-17

Misses Warrener. artist dresSmakers,
and going back to one other stormy,
snowy night when she had said good nj yht
that meant goodbye, although she had
not known it.
She was leaning her elbow on her hands.
her elbows resting on the slant of her desk.
when with little crushing noise it broke.
revealing shallow aperture, of whose ex-
lstence she had not the slightest knowl-
edge.
She looked in and all the blood in her
body seemed to rush madly to her brain.
tor there. lying in the little secret place,
fresh and clean as though laid there an
hour before, was letter. stamped for
mailing, and directed plainly to herself :
Grace Warrener, The Willows and in
Laurie Marcellus's handwriting
She dared not touch it for a minute.
She feared she was in the midst of some
improbable dream; she wondered if it
were possible she had gone suddenly daft
was 1t letter-to her-from him? But
how-how could it have got there, when
the desk had been locked, in her room. for
years?
Then she touched it, half expecting to
see 1t vanish; it was all true a letter for
her, from him, and it had lain there all
these years, so near. so far!
She sank trembling in the chair and
opened lt-l!aurie Marcellus's proposal of
marriage; his avowal OF love: his manly
sympathy and tenderness because of her
father financial trouble; his caressing
pleading to be allowed to comfort ana pro-
tect her as his wife should be comforted
and protected and cherished. He begged
for an Immediate answer and he would
come to her at once if she loved him and
did not say him nay. But Tiff there
was no such blessed answer for him-if ne
had been presumptuously mistaken-her
greatest kindness would be not to answer
him at all.
And she had just received it after FIVE
years.
Poor little Grace. White and trembling.
amazed and bewildered she sat there long
after. Margaret had gone to her own
room, unconscious of the drama enacted
near by.
He had loved her-he had loved her.
after all; and Grace's heart thrilled at that
thought slender though the consolation
was.
But of what avail was it now? Where
was he? What might have happened in
that long faithful interim?
She thought of it all, keeping vigil
with her thoughts that night. How the
latter had ever come in that desk she
had bought at Dempseys she dared not
imagine. Grace only realized that some
tremendous fate had discovered it to
her.
She kepther strange, sweet, pitiful secret
| in her own heart for days, wondering with
every hour if she could dare take step in
the matter.
And then, one day, the auctioneer who
had sold the desk to Margaret Warrener
went to her and told her that gentleman
who had just returned from Europe de-
sired to regain possession of the desk sold
at Mr.. Dempsey s auction, as it had been
gift to Mr.. Dempsey from himself on the
eve of his departure abroad five years be-
fore. And Grace listened with dilating
eyes and throbbing heart, whose beat al
most choked her utterance.
"Iell the gentleman to call here and he
may have his property
And that evening she went to the door
at the sound of the bell, and opened it with
her face slightly paler that usual. Lauris
Marcellus stood there.
Il expected you-come in she said.
gently, While amused and bewildereG he
could only bow and obey.
Then she explained; when he remem-
bered leaving the letter on the desk. and
understood how, by accident-nay, by
grim fate-the slant was not fastened
and the letter had slipped into its living
grave to be resurrected after all these
years.
do not know that I should tell you
even now, she said braveIy, ''for | do
not know whether you are-are the same
or not. But and she looked up in his
grand face, II want you to know | did
love you
He stepped up to her, quietly enough
for the minute.
"And now?'
81 am Grace Warrener STILL
And then he snatched her in his arms,
held her to his heart, and kissed her sweet.
pale face, saying:
Il never have once thought Oh another
woman, my darling. When no answer
came was crushed to the very earth, and
got myself away as we'll as | could. So
you are my darling yet, Grace?'
And then Margaret came in, half an hour
afterward, in surprise that the gentleman
required so much time to make bargain