Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-01-23
expected to return before noon.

1t was a fine sunshiny day: Mrs. Lew.
sons spirits began to improve. 81 have
always held the belief" the worthy old
woman confessed, that bright weather
brings good lucK-of course, provided the
day is not a Friday. This is Wednesday.
Cheer up, miss"
The messenger returned with good news
Mr.. Arthur had been as merry as usual.
He had made fun of another letter of good
advice. re ceived without a signature.
But Mrs. Lewson must have her way"
he said. ''My love to the old dear-I'll
start two hours later and be back to din
ner at five"
"Where did Mr.. Arthur give you that
messenger" Iris inquired.
"At the stables, miss. while was put
ting up the horse. The men about were
all on the broad grin when they heard Mr.
Arthur's message"
Still in morbid state of mind, Iris sill
emily regretted that the message had not
been written, instead of being delivered
by word of mouth. Here, again, she
Qike the wild lord) had been afraid of lis
teners.
The hours wore slowly on until it was
past four O'Clock. Iris could endure the
suspense no longer; Its lovely after
take a walk along the road, and meet Ar
thur" To this proposal the housekeeper
readily agreed.
1t was nearly five o'clock when they
reached place at which by-road branch
ed off, through wood. from the high
way which they had hitherto followed.
Mrs. Lewson found a seat on felled tree.
I'VE had better not go any further" she
said.
Iris asked if there was any reason for
this.
There was an excellent reason A few
yards further on the high road had been
=, 4 s-.l%
tereSt of a large agricultural village) and
was then directed again into it's former
course. The by-road through the wood
served as short cut for horsemen and
pedestrians from one divergent point to
the other. 1t was next to certainty that
Arthur would return by the short cut.
But II accident or caprice led to his prefer
ring the highway it was clearly necessary
to wait for him within view of both the
roads.
Too restless to submit to state of pas
stve expectation, Iris proposed to follow
the bridle-path through the wood for a
little way, and to return if she failed to
see anything of Arthur. "You are tired"
she said kindly to her companion, pray
don't move"
Mrs. Lewson looked needlessly uneasy.
'You might lose yourself, miss. Mind
you keep to the path"
Iris followed the pleasant windingS of
the woodland track. In the hope of meet
ing Arthur she considerably extended the
length of her walk. The white line of the
high road, as it passed the farther end
of the wood, showed itself through the
trees She turned at once to rejoin Mrs.
Lewson.
On her way back she made a discovery.
A ruin which she had not previously no.
ticed showed itself among the trees on her
left hand.
Her curiosity was excited; she strayed
aside to examine it more closely. The
crumbling walls, as she approached them,
looked like the remains of an ordinary
dwellin-hOuse. Age is essential to the pic
turesque effect of decay; modern ruin is
an unnatural and depressing object-and
here the horrid thing was.
AS she turned to retrace her steps to the
road, a man walked out of the inner space
inclosed by all that was left of the dis
mantled house. A cry of alarm escaped
her. Was she the victim of destiny, or
the sport of chance? There was the wild
lord whom she had vowed never to see
again; the master of her heart-perhaps
the master of her fatel
Any other man would have been amazed
to see her, and would nave asked how it
had happened that the English lady pre-
scented herself to him in an Irish wood.
This man enjoyed the delight of seeing her,
and accepted 1t as a blessing that was not
to be questioned. my angel has dropped
from Heaven" he said. May Heaven be
praised!'
He approached her: his arms closed round