Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-06-04
fident gesture with which the girl nesues to

she alawys has her house full" says Miss
Priscilla, after slight pause being still
| somewhat ruffled by Terry's remarks. 1.-THE
| fItZgeralds will be there, of course. Bella
Is considered very handsome girl, but |
don't think you will like her much.''
| No, no. she is not at all our Monica's
STYLE" says Miss Penelope, strol1ing the
| pretty cheek near her with her mittened
hand. Yet she has fine skin"
"Ay, and fine temper under it, or I'm
! Dutchman," says Miss Priscilla. "And she
IS more peculiar than handsome; but men
| admire her, so lOe say nothing
us she tall?' asks Monica, anxiously,
who is little thing herself, and looks even
smaller than she really is because of her
slender, girliSh figure. She wonders in
! vague, uncomfortable fashion whether
! whether most men like tall women best.
| Tall? yes, and large in proportion; and
| as for her manners" says Miss Priscilla, in
her seyerest tone, Tin my opinion they are
| simply unhearable. Modesty in my days
was virtue, nowadays it is as fldught. Bella
! Fitzgerald is never content unless she has
| every man in the room at her side, and good
ness alone knows what it is she says to
| them. The way she sets her cap at that
| poor boy ROnayne, just because he has fall
en- in for that property, is quite revolving"
And mere lad, tOO," says Miss Pene-
| lOpe
Monica draws a breath of relief. Perhaps
! if Miss Fitzgerald likes Mr.. ROnayne she
will not care to practice her destinations up
on-any other man.
How old is she?" she asks, feeling deep
ly interested in the conversion.
''She says she is twenty-four," says Miss
! Priscilla, with an eloquent sniff. There is
| nothing easier to say than that. | aUOYl't be
uncharitable, my dear PenelOpe,-yOu
needn't look at me like that-but this l
must say, she looks every hour of eight-and-
twenty
Her mother ought to know" says Miss
! Penelope.
''She ought, indeed grimly. But as
from the way she dresses we may reason
ably conclude she thinks herself nineteen, l
| suppose she has lost her memory on all
| points,"
Her father, Ohio Fitzgerald, was the
| same" says Miss Penelope, rehectively.
HE never could bear the idea Of age He
was one who saw nothing honorable in it.
| Gray hairs with him were a crime
$50 he used to dye tnem,'' says Miss PriS-
| ella, malici0usly: ':and when he got warm
| the dye used to melt, and unknown to him)
run all down his cheek
'Oh, Priscilla, how you remember things!
| Dear, dear, | think [ see him now,n says
| Miss Penelope. And here the two old ladies,
overcome by this cOmcal recollection, laugh
until the tears run down their faces. Mont
| ca joins in from sheer sympathy; but Kit,
who is sitting in the embrasure of distant
window, and who has been strangely silent
| ever since the invitation came from Aghy-
| ohiIlbeg, maintains a stern gravity.
| Poor man, says Miss Penelope, wiping
| her eyes, Il shall never forget the night
your sweet mother, my dear Monica, most
mintentionally offended him about the da-
mond-yOu recOllect, Priscilla? Tell Moni-
ca of it,
| 'He always wore huge diamond ring up
| on his little finger" says Miss Priscilla adj
dressing Monica, "of which he was very
| proud. He was at this time about fifty-three,
| but used to pose as d man of thirty-nine.
| One evening showing the ring to your moth
| er then quite a girl, he said to her, in his
stilted way, This jewel has been in our
family for fifty years.. AN! did you buy it,
Mr. Fitzgerald?' asks your mother in her
sweet innocent way. Ha, ha, hav' laughs
| Miss Priscilla, you should have seen his
face 1t was a picture! and just when he
was trying to make himself agreeable to
your poor mother, and acting as if he was
! youthful beau of twenty-five, or at least as
| young as the best of u.s.
"That was like MOTHER says Monica, in
| low tone. 'She always knew where to
| touch people,"
ooh, no, my dear, not at all like her, says
| Miss Penelope, hastily. "She didn't mean
| it, you must understand; she the very
! soul of sweetness, and would not willingly
affront any one for the world.'
For just an instant Monica lifts her eyes
aud gazes earnestly at her aunt; but the old
! foa &c s,i,, 4l,nr
faint sigh she lowers her eyes again, and
makes no further remark.
after that he married his Cousins wife,
a widow with one child, this girl Bella"
says Miss Priscilla, still full of reminiS-
cences, as old people will be. "a most I'M
| pleasant person I thought her, though she
was considered quite belle in those days"
she always appeared to me such silly
woman says Miss Penelope.
''She is worse than that now" says Miss
| Priscilla, who seems specially hard on the
| Fitzgeralds. ''She is a shocking old woman
with a nose like tlower-pot. [ won't say
she drinks, my dear Penelope, because [
know you would object to it: but | hear she
does, and certainly her nose is her betrayer."
''DO you remember," says Miss Penelope,
'how anxious she once was to marry George
DeSmond?' This she says in very low
tone.
Yes, remember" The bare mention of
her enemy's name has sent flush of GRIM
son into Miss Priscilla's cheeks. ''But he
never bestowed thought upon her,"
''Oh no, never, says Miss Penelope, after
which both the Misses Blake grow silent
and seem to be slowly sinking into the lanG
Of reverie.
But Monica, having heard the ''enemy's
name" mentioned, becomes filled with a de-
termination to sift the mystery connected
with him, now, to the end.
"Aunt Priscilla" she says, softly, looking
at her with grave eyes across Miss Pene-
lope's knees, tell me, now, why Nh. Des-
mond is our enemy"
''Oh, not 9oO1O,' says Miss Penelope, nerv-
ously.
Yes, now, please" says Monica, with
ever-increasing gravity.
1T may all be said in few words, Moni-
ca says Miss Priscilla, slowly. And what
[ have to say affects you, my dear, even
more than u.s."
',Me2'
Yes in that it affects your mother Twen-
ty years ago George Desmond was her af-
fianced husband. Twenty years ago, will
fully and without cause, he deliberately
broke with her his plighted troth.'
He threw her over?' eXclaims Monica,
aghaSt at this revelation.
''Well. nevnr heard ha nSnd actual VIC
lence to her, my dear" says Miss Penelope,
in a distressed tone; ''but he certainly broke
off his engagement with her, and behaved
as no man OF honor could possibly behave"
and mother must have been quite beau
tiful at that time, must she not?' says Moni-
ca, rising to her knees, in her excitement,
and staring with widely-opened eyes of
. from