Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-07-28

A woman perfect as young mans dream,
And breathing beauty and the old sweet air
OF the fair days OF Old. when man was young
And life an epic.
Heavens, how he had forgotten herl
MemOry's colOrs had no more power to
paint her as she lived and breathed than
an echo is able to repeat the tone of a
well-loved voice; and if but a moment
ago he had thought of her as happy,
ness seemed beside this radiant jov that
glowed with color, life, and song! And
he realized then that in her choice she
had done weil-that she might never
have looked rs she lool1al then. if she
had married himself, and il the mans
passionate love leaped up in him at
sight of her, nObler instinct struggled
above, and thrust it down.
Look" she cried, there and here.
and here." and at each word stopped to
pluck coWslip from its stalk, yet found
time between to kiss the little eager
faces SO near her own, and SO for the
first time brought her motherhood
home to Franks mind; for perpetually
as she had dwelt in his mind all these
years, Madcap as mother had never
for second presented herself to his
imagination.
His heart throbbed; inexpressibly
sacred and more dear to him in this
most moving, pathetic situation a wo-
man can fill in the eyes of the man who
loves her, was Madcap then Her voice
came to him like revelation as she
dropped her basket to throw an arm
round each child'S neck and call them
her little loves, her sweethearts-after
all, might not the secret of her happi-
ness lie with them, not with Mr.. Eyre?
And now for the cowslip ball. she
cried, and came all breathless to the
brook, and sat down beside it with her
lapful of gold-"God's gold" as DOune.
who was beginning to understand what
his prayers meant, with some condescen-
sion informed Dody.
But me know sumin' tOO.n said
DOdy, who was watching the fall of
each cowslip's head with absorbed at
tentiOn-
"a wObin and wren
Are God a'm1ghty's cock and hen.
Did 90 know zat, mummy"
NO" said Madcap, laughing: 'Ebut
Dody knows lots and lots of things that
mummy doesn't!"
Nell seep wiz 20 tonight" said
Dody, with royal nod, land then neil
tell 'oo."
Josephine won't let you,n said
DOune, who looked upon such talk as a
frivolous interruption to cOWsliping,
and whose love for his mother was rare
ly shown in outward expression.
Ills fathers son" thought Frank. az
he looked at him with a momentarv
thrOb Of aversion; then away from linn
to DOdy, who in feature and cOloring
equally resembled Mr.. Eyre, but carried
a subtle look Of Madcap in his every
look and gesture that won Franks heart
on the spot, as later On, Frank won his
and kept it. too, to the last. To the
young fellow, the making of that cow
slip ball was an idyl. and never sure
was string more prettily held than by
this little pair of lads, so serious, so in
tent, so fearful lest even by wander
ing glance after butterfly a shake
SHOULD be engendered and a blossom
spilled; while between them knelt Mad
cap in her white gown, swinging those
golden bells as one who WeaveS in with
each hidden joy, a sweet content, that
made the Wreathing OF this child's play
though Frank had followed it, dap by
day, for the past six years.
'E8ity more flowers, mummy" said
Dody, speaking for the first time slnc3
the ball had been commenced.
Yes! there was one more; it was be-
tween Madcap's fingers then. Sac was
looking into it's heart, cinque- spotted
but she saw not the Hover, she had for :
gotten her children; dark beloved face,
seldom an hour absent from her side,
had risen before her, and in spirit she
had leaped to it, and was crying out
YESTERDAY, [ wished you away; but,
to-day, [ wish you here!"
''Me k1o0e0S NELL drop it," said DOdv,
in a voice of grave rebuke; and then
Madcap came to herself with start,
and swung her coWslip, and with much
squeezing of certain little fat hands in
side it, the ball was tied and tossed high
in the air, with the magic invocation
Tisty-tosty, fair and forty,
How many years shall live?
Down slipped the golden ball through
Madcap's fingers, and with shout of
JOY was seized on by the children, who
held it up for her small-velvety, vo-
luptuOus, like a full rich draught of
summer after the hayward sips of
sweetness that Turk in the pale cups of
primrose and anemOnel AS the children
ran away with their treasure, AIadcap
CdSO d lu1Ch lOOh dlOu1u anu uI6W from
her bosom a letter, that she first kissed,
then held moment in her hand, as a
child will delight to abstain for a mo-
ment from its coveted cake: and Frank
wondered what could be on the page to
bring such lovely lights and shadows to
her face as she read. Was it, then, Mr..
Eyre's habit to write his wife a love-
letter every time she took a morning
walk without him? She had found it
on her pillow that morning when she
had awakened to find Mr.. Eyre gone;
and this was his letter,-the first love-
letter Mr.. Eyre had ever written his
wife,
''Madcap," he said, 81 go to my father,
who is dying. This is our first parting, the
first in six long happy years, and l leave
you thus rather than that the word Fare
Well Well s Sd be snofen between US: it is
meaning for you and me. In three days, at
latest, will return, or summon you to my
side. | would take you with me, but such
associations, are not for you Wife-sweet-
heart-joy of my life, write to me the mo-
ment you receive thiS-and every day, do
not let those TOgueS delay you for one mo-
ment. PShaw! [ know thou lowest me in
thy real heart better, | think. than those
pretty boys.I gave thee.
Il am now and always,
Your loving, faithful husband,
EYRE"
81 didn't think it of you, Master
Frank; no, that I didn't" said a re-
proachful voice at Franks elbow; ''let
alone the Bible, l never know'd nc
good as ever come to a Peeping Tom;
they mostly peeps after petticoats, and
petticoats bring misfOrtins"
"What is it," said Frank, whose color
announced him fully alive to the mean
ness of the action in which he had been
caught. WAS that letter from him?''