Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-10-20
PLAYED AND LOST.

Z
a handsome young man lay stretched
at her feet. On the lawn another
| young couple were engaged in a game
| of croquet. The suns last CLEAN light
ed UP Grace Mupson's face with
( halo of beauty, and Bernard Norton
| looked at her with undisguised admira-
! ton.
There is nothing so lovely as love
| ~ woman" he said aloud.
| The pale cheek of Clarice Barton
! flushed as she quickly glanced at the
| speaker. 1t was the third time within
; the hour that he had referred to her
: cousin Grace's beauty.
Grace is indeed lovely" she said.
| Il would give half my life to be as
! beautiful
And I would give half my fortune
to have you So
No sooner were the words uttered
than Norton would have given much
to recall them: but he had spoken IN
thindngly. Clarice shrank as though
she had been struck, arose quickly,
and went into the house.
L am in a pretty fix nOW"' Norton
! muttered, as he arose and walked
across tie lawn. THAT was a nice
speech for fellow to make to the
| girl he expects to marry! And Clarice
is as proud as Lucifer, too-high-strung
as she is plain, and that is saying
great deal, by JOye! l never noticed
her lack of beauty so much before
Grace came. A pity one can't lind all
things combined in one WOmanl Won
der if [ ought to apologize! Oh. well,
In going away in ten days, and she'll
forgive and forget. Absence makes the
heart softer" And with this consoling
thought he strOlled on to join Grace
Munson, whose companion was just
! taking his leave.
Grace was like a delicate flower
sparkling with the dew of morning
She had soft blue eyes, an exquisite
complexion. and golden hair Alto
gether she made a picture of rare
! beauty. and it was no wonder that
Bernard Norton found pleasure in
merely looking at her.
That evening Clarice did not appear
| in the drawing-rOom. and Norton was
cousin. Mrs. Barton observed his con-
duct with displeasure; from the first
she had not approved Of her daughters
sutton. and wondered what attraction
the careless. frivolous young man held
for her sensible Clarce.
Next morning a note was handed
Norton. Its contents filled him with
mingled annoyance and relief.
''When you receive this CIarice
wrote, Il shall have gone to my aunt
for a time. You do not love me. Ber-
nard, and it is best for our engage
ment to end. Be happy in your own
way and be very sure l shall be in
mime
That was all. Bernard's self-esteem
was seriously wounded by the epistIe.
But he consoled himself with the
thought that he was now free to WOO
the charming Grace, and at the end of
the month made a formal avowal OF
love to her
Il have loved you ever since we met,
he said. "Clarice saw this and gener-
ously set me free" And Grace, who
had become very much enamOred of
her handsome sutton, gave him the
answer she crayed.
Two weeks later Mrs. Barton and
Clarice were on their way to Europe,
and Bernard was trying to submit to
the stern decree of Grace's father.
Yes, sir, you can marry my daugh-
ter" Mr. NunsOn had said, If you love
her well enough to wait three years.
am opposed to early marriages. No
girl is tit for wedlock before she is y,
and % is still BETTER"
It occurred to Bernard that he was
likely to spend the greater part of his
youth in the capacity of an engaged
man." and he did not improve in humOr
thereby.
Grace was an acknowledged belle,
and for u time he was pleased at her
success. But there was Il secret bitter
ness underlying his pleasure, for he
saw little of his betrOthed, except in
sOciety's whirlpool. There would be
no change in this state of affairs until
their time of probation ended, and
feeling i'll a, false position, he c0nclud-
ed to spend the remaining year in
travel
When he babe Grace goodbye he
was struck with the fact that she look
ed much older than she did at the time
of their engagement Two years of
dissipation lad left their mark upon
her delicate beauty.
BE careful, Grace" he said. keep
some Of your roses for me until [
claim you"
He said nothing Of her fidelity; he
| was only afraid she might lose the
beauty he worshiped.
Grace was sorry to lose her lover;
she felt desOlate for q whole day, and
cried herself to sleep the first night.
But Bernard wrote her charming letters
| of travel, and she soon forgot her
| grief. She sent him in return the brief
est of notes, for the charming Grace
did not excel as a correspondent. But
one glance at the porcelain picture he
carried cOnSOled him for that.
"a fellow can endure weak, insipid
letters" he thought, ''better than the
sight of a plain face across his table
three times a day."
bernard lOitered here and there, then
/ made his way slowly back. He was
/ in no haste to reach Chicago until q
| few weeks before the time appointed
for his marriage, which was to take
place in early autumn. One morning
| in July he rang the bell of the AIunson