Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-02-15

you there and to watch over Jon. and
10 cherish you for the rest Of my lffel
VIII you 60 TO Italy with me, isabel.
To this STRAIGHTFORWARD demand Mrs
Jack made no Straightforward reply.
She clasped her hands, turned aud
looked Robert Warren earnestly in the
face for a second or So, and Lsen, with
The tears streaming down her face,
she sobbed out: oh, how happy /
ann and dropped into his supporting
arms with the pretty shrinking move
mt ut Of a nesting bird.
And you don't ask where have been
all this time, nor what / have been
doing, nor when I came back to Beach
Grove, and mustere' up courage 10
know my fate and to u yod that ques-
tion." said Mr.. Warren after a minute
or two.
NO; / ask nothing. Ten minutes
ago | wanted a heap Of explanations
Low / am quite content TO have none.
Whatever you have done has been right
and kind That Is enough for Inc. L
am not quite sure, but l think l never
doubted you In my heart Only i
was lonely and fretfui, and
And Ill. my darling! How pale and
thin you have grown"
Il am not I'll now; l am quite well
And Bel glanced up into Dir. warren
face with a bright smile and flush which
made her look for a moment Ike q
Mrs. Jack of six months ago.
But nevertheless Mr.. Warren ordered
her to come at ono into the housS
with a little air Of authority which
was wonderfully sweet TO Bel. she
obeyed with docility, although she pout-
ed a little and nluttered something
about the wood being ~pleasanter than
that "stuffy parlor."
However. in the stuffy parlor they
sat down side by side, and then Robert
Warren told herewith sundry eplsod-
ical interruptions-how he had purpose
ly kept out OF her way. finding that n
was becoming daily dearer and more
precious in his eyes, because he feared
TO make a fool Of himself and risk mis-
taking ingenious. frank good nature
and gratitude for a warmer feeling.
How could I think that you-so
young and pretty and admirable
would care for a white-headed, brown-
skinned old fellow like meT'
You're not old exclaimed Bel. win
a stamp of the foot And II YOU were
ever so old-a hundred years old
that would make no difference"
well, I am not quite a hundred years
cd. certainly. SO IL that be your limit
OF youth L may hope TO continue 1uyen-
lie in your eyes FOR a few years yet.
Then he proceeded 10 tell her how
Mrs. Botidington had declared that she
was tired of Beech Grove, that the
place did not agree with her. that her
presence was Indispensable at her
Tyiekenharn villa, and that as her
governess had suddenly declined TO con-
fine teaching the children. she thought
size should 60 up TO town sooner thar
had been at first intended. and begged
her brother TO accompany her.
And you went away and did not
care whether ron ever saw me again
o. not. and never even said 'good-by! "
when I went to town-which i con-
scented 10 do. being restless and unhap-
py. and finding Beech Grove a strange
iy dreary place without Isabel to bright
en- ii from morning to night intend
ed TO return in a few days. Once in
London, Jane found occupation for tse.
I a help her do this, and advise
her I'm that: my taste was better than
her husbands. Would I not try TO find
a GOOD school for Jimmy? Mr.. Bedding
ton was of M, use in such matters. In
q word, I let myself be busted in her
affairs rather than sit and brood q
my own"
And you cared nothing how unhap-
DIV I might be, all the time"
IF I had thought-if I had dreamt
that NV absence would make yon un-
happy, do you suppose any power would
have kept me away from You for an
hour? But / didn't dare to imagine any
such wonderful piece Of good fortune
for myself"
And pray. why then did you take it
into your head To come out 10 Becks
Heath at allT' asked Bell maliciously.
Since we are on the chapter of expla-
nations, you may as well explain that,
SIR
'Because-because I found my life
intolerable. Because, when / reached
Beech Grove-whither I was obliged TO
come to see to some business-I could
not resist going TO Old street, on the
pretext of calling on your good friend
Miss B~arnasconi. And when / saw her
she gave me the news of your being
here, and Of your being i'll, She told me
that you were ordered TO Italy for the
winter. And all the way along the
road I was beating my brains TO find
some way OF helping you to 20 there.
And I could think of no method of Of
fering assistance without offending you.
And then when I saw you sitting by
yourself In the wood, looking SO pale
and sad and forlorn In a moment the
inspiration came into my head TO end
my suspense once for all. and to ask
ycn 20 let me have the right { take
care OF you from this time forward, till
death US do part"
1T was q very good inspiration"
said Mrs. Jack. with a sob and a smile.
There remains little more 10 add 10
this little narrative of Mrs. Jack: for
she oon relinquishcd that title. and be-
came Mrs. Warren. Of Beech Grove.
Her husband took her away 10 the
south of Europe for a year, and during
that time Beech Grove was shut up.
But one spring an army of painters
and carpenters and upholsterers began
To take the house in hand. 1t was
made smart and bright and fresh from
garnet 10 ground flour. The gardens
were set in order. too. and the whole
wore n look Of modest prosperity and
- 81.