Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-12-28

of the window that surprised himself
very much when he at length observed
it.
One morning he arose Il couple of
hours earlier than usual, and animated
with the praisewOrthy determination
Of hunting up such an appetite that
he would no longer be obliged to Inorti
fly Mrs. Ford by continual Notary
thing mOre-th.. 1-yOu's," when he had
not eaten enough to keep Il sparrow
alive, as the good woman said, he
went out for Il morning walk. In re-
turning he met Sarah coming from
milking. Il can of strippings" carried
in her right hand.
Good morning. said Sarah.
Good morning. VIII you not allow
me to assist you:"
"Oh, no; thank you
Il am afraid you are takin" too
much upon yourself. You will make
your hand ache-do let me carry it,
| She allowed him to take the pail,
and then walked on erect and straight
as a young poplar before him.
| When they reached the door she took
it from him, and seeing the broad
red mark upon his hand, made by the
| pail-handle, she laughed merrily.
She entered, leaving him standing
there, thinking to himself that the
voices of all the nightingaleS, whose
| tongues had been stolen by the an
clients, had come to her for consolation,
and mingling together produced the
| cleareSt and sweetest one he had ever
| listened to. There he stood for nearly
| five minutes, in very earnest thought,
not only about the nightingale voices,
but something else; finishing up by an
emphatic IN do it," he entered the
| house. and for the first time in Il week
ate a breakfast that almost aston
ished Mrs. Ford.
The very first good opportunity that
! offered he did it., and asked Sarah
to marry him.
! 1t was hard to tell whether she WAS
surprised, but certainly she was not at
al overcome and showed no evidence
of feeling herself particularly honor
ed.
1t was in the evening of the same
day that he had determined to do it."
! They were alone in the kitchen, Sarah
standing upon the hearth, her elbow
leaning on the mantel and her glowing
cheek upon her hand. She listened at
! tentively in grave silence till he finish
ed, and then raising her glorious pur-
plish blue eyes to his, she looked ut
him for some seconds and burst into a
pleasant, musical laugh.
"a pretty wife I would make for
yOu," she said then, and turning away
before he could utter Il single word, she
/, passed from the room. and he heard
her singing "Old Hundred' five min
lIteS later, as she went about her work
up stairs.
The captive-taken bachelor sigh
ed drearily, and wondered what
he would do next, and he could
only keep his courage UP by
repeating Faint heart and fair lady
adage till he wore it to shreds. A
splendid opportunity occurred the next
evening for trying again.
Sarah was standing ont by the gate
in the mellow moonlight, looking UP at
the sky in Il way that she didn't often
do. Mr. Mansfield had heGrd some
I where that the moonlight was Il soften
er of Il woman's heart, so he thought
he would just prove the truth of it.,
but when he came close to Sarah she
darted away like Il frightened fawn,
and hurried into the house by the
| back entrance.
He didn't see her again that night,
and so. being unable to do anything
better. he went to bed and dreamed
Of her-drcamed of her glossy black
hair, Of her glowing cheeks of her
crimson lips, of her milk-white teeth,
of her snowy brow. and her purplish-
blue eyes, with their sillzen lashes
She avoided him Low; she gave him
no opportunity to see her alone, and
only remained in the kitchen when her
father or mother were there. Then she
would sit knitting industriously, her
EneedleS Glancing, her lips sometimes
| compressed, sometimes half apart, and
her checks glowing; her lashes bent
down over her eyes, which she kept
Studiously averted, while her bachelor
lover sat looking at her, trying to
catch her eye that he might tell her
with his how much he loved her, but
failing in that he had to content him
self with merely looking at her and
thinking what a beautiful picture she
| made.
/ Thus matters went on for Il week
He tried every conceivable way of Oh
tanning a private interview with her,
of finding her alone; he waylaid her
when she went out to milk in the
morning. and when she came home
from the same in the evening, but
she escaped him each time.
One evening Mr.. Ford was from
home. Sarah, her mother, and theil
boarder were seated in the kitchen
Sarah, as usual, knitting, and Nj
| Mansfield at some distance watching
her, and comparing her to Rembrandt's
most beautiful pictures. for the glow
from the cracking fire Illuminated one
half of her face, and from the candle
not yet being lit. the rest was in
shade.
| Fortune. as if tired of trying the
lovers patience any longer, sent Mrs
Ford out of the room, and they We're
alone.
No time was to be lost Such an op
portunity might not occur again fol
weeks, and the door was hardly closed
behind the retreating form of the
matrOn ere he crossed the room stood