Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-09-24

| merry, so full of utterly childish ubGIldo1l
| and enjoyment, thar all the others perforce
! join in it.
! "Oh! fancy ghost standing on his headp
| she says when she can speak.
Il shouldn't fancy it all, says Mr.. K lily,
| gloomily. II ac0n't. And I should advise
| YOU Miss Beresford, to treat with less fri
| vol.ty subject so fraught with terror,-es-
| pec.ally at this time of night. If that grand
| old man We're to appear now" with a Shud-
| dering glance behind him, what lU0,iId be-
! come Of us alI?''
AN unpleasant idea p says Miss Browne.
so unpleasant, indeed, that [ think |
SHOULD Ike to &C for a little walk some
Where,-01,ywhere, away from the scene of
| the late Mr.. o ConnOr's nightly visitations.'
Come to the end of the shrubbery, then"
| says Desmond, ''and look at the sea. 1t
! should be worth the trouble on such a night
| as this. Come you too, olga
! Il should like it, but my head aches s0.n
I says Mrs. BOhun, plaintively. And, indeed,
! she is very pale. III is either the moon
! light which Expresses me, orr don't know
what. No! | shall 90 indoors, [ think.
"Then L shall 90 with you" says Mrs,
| Herrick, regarding her with a certain ankle
! ty. But YOU" turning to Mary Browne,
| must NOT m IS a glimpse of the coast by
| moonlight. Dir. Kelly will show it to you"
| She slips her arm through OIga'S. and
| turns toward the house; Ulic RDuayne ac-
companies them; but Lord Rossmoyne and
Owen Kelly move in the contrary direction
with Miss Browne. Monica and Desmond
| have gone on before; and even when the
others arrive at the point in the shrubbery
from which a glimpse Of the ocean can be
most distinctly seen, these last two people
arc not to be discovered anywhere.
| Yet they are not so distant as they seem.
| Desmond has led Monica to a rather higher
| spot, where the desired scene can be more
wildly beheld, and where too they can be-
oh, blessed thGught!-GlonG.
Through a belt Of dark-green fir-trees,
whose pale tips are touched with silver by
the moon, can be seen the limitcss oc an,
| lying in restless waiting in the bay below.
A sort of enforced tranquility has fallen
upon it,-a troubled ca?m-belied ny the
hoarsc, 8ullen roar that rises now and again
| from its depths, as When some larger death
| wave breaks Its bounds, and, rushing i'll
| land, rolls with angry yi0cnceup the beach.
| Soft white cre-ts lie upon the great seas
| bosom, tossing htther and thither, glinting
| and trembling beneath the moons rays, is
| though reluctantly Subdued by it's cold in
! fuence.
Across the whole eXpanse Of the wafer
bright path is'hung, that has It's birth in
| heaven, yet daigns to accept rcsting-place
on earth, a transitory rest, for there in the
far distaHc" on the horizon, where the dull
grays of sea and sky have mingled, it has
joined them, and seems again TO have laid
hold Of lis earliest home.
IhP birds are asleep in their Sea-bouud
| nests: the wind has died away. There is
! 10 u I,n -; Cf
the night, save the m0notOnous beating of
the waves against the rocks, and the faint
ripping mumur of StreamInt in the ash
grove.
! The whole scenr is 50 rich with beauty
| mystical and ideaIistic that Monica draws
mStlnctlyely nearer to Desmond with that
| desire for sympathy common to the satisfied
| soul, and st Is her hand i'll his. Here. per-
baps, it will be as well to mention, once for
| all, that whenever [ give you to understand
that Desmond is alone with Monica YOU are
also to understand, without the telling that
he has her hand in his. What pleasure
there can be fol- two people in standing or
sitting, or driving, as the case may be, for
hours, palm to palm (this is how the poetic
al one expresses it,, l leave all true lovers
to declare. [ only know for certain that it
| is trick common to everyone OF them,
| there is consolation in the touch,-a sensa-
| ton of nearness. [ knew, indeed, one young
| woman who assured me her principal rea-
| son for marrying Fred in q hurry (Fred was
| her huSband) lay i'll the fact that she feared
| if she didn't she would grow left-handed. as
he was always in possession of the right
during their engagement.
'Ah you like it" says Desmond, looking
down upon her MISUNDERSTANDING to the
charming view spread out before them,-the
| dark frs, the floating moon, the tranquil
stars, the illimitable ocean, "of Almighti-
ness itself the immense and glorious mir
| rOr."
Monica makes no verbal answer, but
| sigh of intensest satisfaction escapes her,
and she turns up to his lovely face full of
youth and heaven and content. Her eyes
| are shining, her lips parted by glad, tremu-
! louS smile. She is altogether so unconscious
| ly sweet that it would be beyond the power
| of even a Sir PerCiyale to resist her.
''Nly heart of hearth says Desmond, in a
low imprisoned tone.
Her smile changes. Without losing beau
ty, it loses something ethereal and gains
touch OF earth. 1t is more pronounced; it
| is, in fact, amused.
| Il wonder where you learned all your
terms of endearment," she says slowly,
| looking at him from under her curling
| lashes.
Il learned them when L saw you. They
had their birth then and there"
! An eloquent silence follows this earnest
| speech The smile dies from Monica's lips;
and a sudden tEoughtfulness replaces it.
You never called any one your heart Of
| hearts before, then?" she asks, somewhat
| wiStfully.
''Never-neUer. You believe me?"
''Yes." Her lids drop Some inward
| thought possesses her, and then-with
| sudden accession of tenderness very rare
with her-she lifts her head, and lays her
soft, cool cheek fondy against his
MY baloved!' says the young man, In
| tone broken by emotion.
For moment he does not take her in his
arms; some fear lest she may change her
mind and withdraw her expression of affec-
| ton deterS him; and when at last he does
| press her to his heart, it is gently and with
a careful suppression of all vehemence.
| Perhaps no man in all the world is so cal
| culated to WOO and win this girl as Desmond.
| Perhaps there is no woman so formed to
| gain and keep him as Monica.
| Holding her now in a light but warm
clasp, he knows he has his heaven in his
arms; and she, though hardly yet awake to
the full sweetness of Loves young dream"
understands at least the sense of perfectrest
ana giad content that OvernllS her wneu
| with him.
what are you thinking OFF" she says,
presently.
'Myn alderlevest ladye deare," quoteshe
softly.
And what of her?"