The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1890-12-25


cent workmanship with her monogram
incrusted on the lid in diamonds SO
bright that they made Grace shade her
eyes lest their light should pierce them.
'He has proposed, girls, and is COM
ing tonight for his answer; now, just
want you to see what dance ! am
going to lead him. He is so awfully
absurd with his straight-faced SINGER.
ity; do you know that think man
very laughable who is so terribly in
carnest9 You shall see his present
carelessly neglected in some odd cor
ner and the place of honor given to
Frank Rand's, yonder Do you know,
| he is positively jealous Of Frank? in
tend to refuse him; it is always better
| to refuse a man at first, you know; he
appreciates one more afterwards. OF
course, intend to marry Walter event
ually; he is so awfully rich and not
half bad-looking."
Grace, feeling indignant at such
sentiments and guilty at having over
heard them. came forward, forming a
sorry contrast to the daintily -attired
| butterflies Of fashion, and startled the
girls, who each gave frightened little
| shrek as though an apparition had APP
| peared among them. Collecting herself
| and commanding her voice as best
she could she explained her bust
| ness, while the wrathful beauty, irri-
tated at the intrusion, hastily tore the
bundle and shook the folds of the skirt
so that the light from the chandelier
Shnnn lu r.
blood stain.
"Why have you dared to present your
self here at such an hour and on such a
| day? came harshly from the mouth
| that looked made only for kisses, land
| why have you returned my work spoiled
utterly and absolutely spoiled? Mon
ey? Did any one ever hear of such in
science! No, indeed, not one penny;
rather do you owe me for my ruined
| linen. And let this be the last time
| that you apply to my maid for work.
Here, Adele. show this person down the
servants stairway"
Grace felt suffocated. She reached
the stairway somehow, and, staggering
forward, would have fallen had not the
prosperous-looking maid Ito whom
Christmas was evidently a gala day, so
far as generous tips were concerned),
detained her with gentle hand, and,
with tear of compassion in her eye,
thrust something into Grace's hand,
which, when she reached her humble
quarters, she found to be money.
| Grace Tremaine was dreamer. All
day long, as she sat and sewed, she
would weave strange fancies and almost
unconsciously form them into verse or
prose. On stray bits of paper, on the
| backs of boxes, on the fly leaves of old
| books, the singings of her soul found
outlet as freely and as easily as bird
| trills it's note simply because the music
is in his soul and must break forth.
When the story of her grief had
passed, she threw open her low window
and leaned far out into the sharp, frosty
air. The streets were ablaze with
lights, distant music and happy voices
reached her ears, and she contrasted
with bitter feelings her own sad fate
with that of the joyous circle assem- led
in the magnificent residence from which
she had been so harshly elected.
AS she thought, she wrote; and when
she had finished her writing, by sud-
| den impulse, she signed her name.
Some strange fatality surely must have
guided her hand; for as her head fell
back, overcome by sleep, unconscious of
the biting air, gust of wind snatched
/ the sheet from her loosened fingers,
and. passing it from one gale to an
other, waited it-who knows whittier?
Almost at the time when Grace
| Tremaine's sorrows were forgotten in
sleep, a young man was to be seen half