Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-02-16
HER BLINDNESS

light. Says u. Melville Upton in Kat
Fields Washington. The dead white .
heavy linen. the opaieScent CLINT q
CLASSY are, and the quiet sleam of silve
trembled together in the swift motion
of the train. Miss Baxter. who had b,l
recently left her berth. dropped into
seat. leaned back a moment. dazed b,
this lavish waste of color Meanwhile
the insistent sunlight took liberties witt
the duh brown of her severely brushed
hair, ran burning fingers through it ant
edged it with coquettish gold. Thel
she fastened to draw the curtain an;
throw the blue square of shade owe
her corner of the table, signing as sh,
settled down again, and all the painful
scene of the evening before came surg
ing back
She felt half a notion to lay her heaC
on the table and cry outright She
glanced down instead and fingered hel
ring-hiS ring-wllile her glasses grew
misty. She wondered whether sh.
should have kept the ring. now that il
no longer meant anything. The aues
ton was still undecided when she pull
ed herself together with a visible ire
NOR and turned to the menu card
to wait on the settlement of subtleties
in ethics, particularly after the steward
has made the 'last call"
In the few minutes Miss Baxter had
been in the car she had not noticed
her companions. AS she raised her
head she was startled to see L familiar
face dimly taking shape across the
table. She had removed her glasses
and was about to press her handker-
chief to her eyes. but she put them
resolutely on again and looked fiXedly
through their misty crystals.
Mr.. WOOdsOn, where did you come
from?' she demanded at length. as his
well known features gradually took def
mite shape before her.
WoOdsOn did not speak at once. III"
was noticing how her hair would tml-
hle down in maynard ringlets ia spite
and how her cheeks persisted in dimpl-
ing, however resolutely she closed her
lips together. Then he said:
"F'rom New York Of course. Docs
my dress suit look as though I'd board
ed the train in these rural precincts?
| thought you knew the cut better
do you mean to say that you've
been on this train all this while-after
after last night?'' Miss Baxter asked
with slightly heightened color.
Guessed it the first tirle," Woodson
frightening. 81 tell you,
Grace, you should have gone into the
aw instead of art. You'd have been
great on cross examination"
'Never mind. Mr.. Woodson; you seem
to forget that L prefer to make my
own career-we've discussed that be-
fore, however. And so you've been on
this train ever since l have?' she con-
,luded reflectively.
"a little longer, in fact I made a
mistake and got here half an hour early
read the time table backward--hence
these clothes. But now, see here,
small girl" Woodson went on with
great deliberateness, shaking out his
napkin into his lap and gazing intently
nto the blurred, blue depths of Miss
Bakers glasses.
"See here, now, do you suppose just
because a girl jilts me'-Miss Baxter
here interposed a deprecating gesture
Eyes, l repeat it, Do you suppose
lust because a girl iilts me, and / have
.eason to believe is going to the ends
If the earth to get where she will never
zee me again, that my sense of RESPONSE
)ility ends till I've seen her safely
where she wants to go? No, I've made
New York uninhabitable for you, and
shall make what amends / can by
you to Colorado or Kan
,hatka or wherever it is you are going.
Now what shall order for breakfast?'
Harry, you're cruel. You know Mr..
Fleming was going out there for the
color. and thought it would be a good
chance to continue my outdoor work"
FLEMING! That prig! Well, I didn't
know before that he was going. l see
here is still more reason why / should
20 now-and stay
"But I forbid you doing any such
foolish thing"
'To tell the truth. Grace, I thought
IF staying all the time-of going into
some other business there"
"Why, you never told me Of it be-
fore"
"Well, l never thought of it till after
[ left you last night Then it occurred
TO me I might go into the sheep or cat
lie or something like that
AT Manitou."
"Why not?'
'Tt's q summer resort"
$50 much the better. I'd only be
there in the summer, anyhow.
'fHarry, you're a trifer."
'WeIl. can peel an orange, anyhow
If you'll allow me-" Woodson ex-
taking from her hand the one
she was making a sad mess of.
Harry, I can never forgive you for
doing this Miss Baxter concluded,
after a moments contemplation Of the
whirling blur of green through the car
window.
"WeIl. T never could have forgiven
myself if I hadn't-and there it was,
he asserted dispassionately, laying the
pulpy, broken sphere of the orange be-
fore her.
It is quite a jaunt from Manhattan
to Manitou, but one morning they ex-
changed the cushioned WEAKNESS Of the
train for that blue hollow of the hills,
with it's gayly colored roofs and gables
here and there up the canyon,
ike a scattered troop of butterflies.