Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-08-24

Be quiet | whispered back to her
hacking at the cords with my knife:
and in a few seconds | had her out OF
the chair. and we dashed out of the
chair, and we dashed out of the house
together. Selling her hand to prevent
her from falling. I guided her as fast
as possible from the crew who were
now following after us with curses and
hoWls. Fortunately the demons We're
toe drunk TO run very fast. A couple
of bullets whizZed by us, striking the
tree-stems instead of our heads. In our
desperate haste, we stumbled and fell
mere than once over spreading roots,
but were up again in a moment
! On and on and on until the last tree
was at our back. Then we made for
lane led to JOhnsOn's tavern leaving
the yellS faint in the distances: there
we stopped, and there she told her
tale
News spread quickly at the diggin's
and Judge Lynch is for immediate ac-
ton. Before noon the stolen gold in
Guiding the two big nuggetS-had been
recovered, and a couple of figures
dangled from an oak by the wayside;
whilst the third villain. not guilty of
bloOdshed, shed plenty of his own be-
! meath blows. We had a habit of set
| Ting matters speedily at Green Valley
Greek.
! AS soon as it was possible, Miss
Helen started for Melbourne. whence
she was to set sail for England, where
she would join her mothers relatives
! very heavy swe.ls indeed. | believe.
And | followed her in secret every inch
of the way, though she knew it not
until stood by her on the deck of the
steamer. after / had helped to stow her
boxes safely in the hold. Then | blurt-
| ed out that [ hoped she would not be
offended at my coming, but And
then I shut UP.
"Ned!' She cried, brave Ned! dear,
kind, good, Ned! There are debts which
can never be repaid, and / am your
debtor always-always, Nedr' and hold
ing out her hands to me, she bowed
her lovely head upon my big brown
fists and sobbed.
Don't be COMPOUNDED noodle at the
last, Straightways," I said to myself
OF myself; you've pulled the reinS in
fairly well up to the present; pull tight.
my man, pull Tight and so I did.
You are very welcome, Miss Helen"
I spoke with a quite voice. II wish
I could have been a gentleman for
just little while, so that I might have
served you BETTER
"A gentleman" she cried lifting her
face and looking full at me. and then
she raised these hard fists of mine to
her soft lips and kissed them-and /,
how was I to help it?-the touch of
those soft lips broke me down smash.
Away went all self control, as if the
winds had blown it, and up from my
heart like a pent stream bursting it's
bounds, rushed the strong surge of love
and alteration, withdrawing broken
loose at last would be driven back. T
can't remember clearly what I said,
though I've tried-often: the whirl and
tempest within me were too much. 7
didn't plead plead with her; no, no-I
knew better than that, even in the
midst of my madness. I didn't dare
even to touch her with one of nv rough
fingers, but I think I made her under
stand somehow that my heart and my
life had gone out to her for evermore
Then [ stopped sudden, my chest heav-
ing, my voice choking, my sight blind
ed by mist that didn't come from the
sea. [ stopped because of the great
start of surprise that shook her from
70
color flooding up to the roots of her
hair. Yet she was not angry-nor
offended She put out her little hands
to me again, meaning-I knew it-both
to silence and to comfort me. She did
not speak-fOr what could she have
Said?-what could any stately lady
such as she have said ?-besides the
steamers engines were putting, and
tine was up. She laid her head down
on my arm a moment, and then left
me with rain of plying tears.
When the vessel had passed complet-
ely out Of sight, and its long smoke-line
had died out from the sky, I hurried
back to Green Valley Creek, and took
up my work again-hard work is the
best friend life has for us sometimes.
But I have never forgotten Miss
Helen-I shall never forget her; and
I've trudged to the old spot often and
stood before the empty house. And
when the sun famed down behind the
pines, and the shadows crept longer
and longer across the grass, I've had a
fancy that I still could see her at the
open door watching for her father
| That's my story, old chappie; we've
each our own, of one sort or another.
Fill up your glass, and let's have
pipe Vivian Brooke in Chambers
Journal.