Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-11-01
OCTOBER'S CHILD.
October's child is born for woe,
And life's yicisSitudeS must know


And life's yicissitudes must know
A bright, bewitching, dark-eyed girl
was BeSS; and yet from childhood the
shade and sunshine of her life had
been strangely intermiXed. After the
early death of her parents, she had
been tossed hither and tither upon the
waves of fortune, which had stranded
her from time to time in the dull safe
harbOr Of dreary boarding school.
Suddenly, however, all this was
changed, after many years of absence
in the gold regions of the far west, her
uncle and guardian returned, pos
sessed of enormous wealth.
I Buying magnificent country place,
he and his lovely ward kept open
house there, and royalty entertained
the multitude of friends who sprang
up everywhere around them. So one
fieeting summer passed, and one brief
brilliant winter; and then BeSs aWoke
one morning to find this happy life a
dream, which had ended in stern reali-
ties. Her uncle lay in his study,-dead
by his own hand, his vast fortune gone
as suddenly as it had come
! 1t had been Il frightful awakening
for Bess; but she bravely faced the
world, and saw with startled eyes the
detection of her quondam friends.
But some proved loyal, and with them
she stayed during the first awful
weeks of trouble. Then she obtained
as soon as possible position as nurs-
cry gOverneSS in a quiet, secluded
home. She became very fond of her
little Winsome charge, and when a few
months later the child suddenly fell i'll
with diphtheria, she shared the
mothers anxious vigils day and night,
until the end.
| Her next position was as companion
to a well-preserved maiden lady of con-
siderable means, who was going to
Italy for the winter. But on the
steamer this lady CHANGED to meet a
former lover,-now forlorn neglected
, widOWer, whom she thought it her
duty to console. AS a natural result
BesS had much time to herself during
the long voyage; and, unexpectedly,
prospect of much more than she de-
sired, when the vessel at last reached
| Naples, and her mistress blushingly
Informed her that she was about to be
united to her early love. and, owing to
this sudden change Of circumstances,
she would no longer require the SER
vices Of her young companion. And
so, with a generous present, and am
pie provision for her homeward pass
| t+,r Il h.
self alone in a foreign land.
But not alone for long. On that very
day she met one of her old school
friends in the hotel corridor. Nellie
MarSden was a warm-hearted south
ern girl, who greeted Bess with en-
thuSiasm, and upon hearing of her
strange predicament pronounced it
perfect shame" and begged Bess to
dc nothing until her parents had heard
the entire story and she had consulted
With them.
SO that night Bess sat beside Mr.
MarSden at the crowded table d'hote,
where strangers of many nations were
gathered together. The various types
of English, French and Russians
the grand old Turk,-the handsome
German, whose melancholy eyes
seemed never to leave her face; as well
as the fragile young French girl who
sat upon her right, and who seemed
to be unaccountably drawn toward
her pretty American neighbor.
Bess was perfectly astonished at the
various indiscreet condolences which
uara Showoro5 1Ipon bar i'm 20 mid enc
ceSSion; and long before the dessert
was served she knew the whole his
tory of the little countess, whose noble
lover had proved false to her, and who
was dying of broken heart, Though
her family had brought her to the
south, hoping that it was nothing but
weakness of the lungs.
! On one side, these astonishing rev.
alations, and on the other, Mr.. Mars
den, with his practical question relat-
ing to her present and future plans.
But Bess was equal to both demands
upon her, and administered genuine
sympathy on one side and good COM
mon sense upon the other, with equal
tact.
When dinner was over the little
countess babe her an affectionate
adieu, for she was to sail with her
friends for Alexandria in the early
morning; and she lamented the i'm
probability of their ever meeting
again. Mr.. Marsden gave Bess no
counsel that night, but promised to adj
wise with her on the morrow.
! The next morning as she sat in her
room momentarily expecting a sum-
mons from her friends, there was a
knock upon her door. A servant in
livery handed her little package,
bowed low and went away without a
word.
At the same moment the expected
summons came, and not waiting to see
lowed the servant to the Marsden's
private salon. Nellie sprang forward
and embraced her joyfully, and Mrs
Marsden gave her a motherly kiss
while Mr.. Marsdcns kind words fell
upon her confused ear. At last she
realized that he was telling her that
that his daughter had found it lonely
away from all of her young compan
ions, and so at her desire, they had
decided to invite Bess to travel with
them during the winter, as Nellie's
friend and guest. And when they re
turned to America they would interes-
themselves to find for her some suit