Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-10-31
A GATHERING TEMPTATION.


When Leander Clarke married Ma
bel Thorpe he had no expectation of
ever being q rich man, but as his
affairs appear at the present time he
is ON the broad highway to future
wealth.. 1t all arose from the fact
that he took time by the forel0ck, the
only way poor mortals have of ever
getting even with him of the scythe
and hour glass.
But it is the very thing that is
causing him such a lot OF mental
anguish now, making his nights sleep
less and threatening to undermine his
domestic peace.
Mabel Thorpe laid no claims to So
clad distinction when Leander met her
first at some entertainment, where she
rendered selections of classic music
in such a mastery manner that he,
being a lover of music, was Instantly
attracted to her side, and stayed there
dm'Ing the evening. FOr the rest she
wore glasses, being near-Sighted and
having been graduated from an east
ern college, was rather stiff and pc
dantic in her manner-a grateful
change from the ordinary frisky
young creatures with whom Leander
had been associated.
1t takes all kinds of people to make
a world-more's the pity-and love
goes where it is sent. Mabel had eX-
pected to become one of that noble
army of martyrs, teachers, but when
Leander proposed she recOnSidered the
matter, and thought she heard the
voice of duty bidding her answer
yes and without more ado she ac
cepted him.
Now Mabel Thorpe did not expect
her hero to swim the Hellespont of
life with all his armOr on, but she
did demand from him-aS she had a
right to do-a high moral standard,
for she had not married him until
she had seen. ais she believed, his
whole past life Laid open before her
as a book. There is no time when a
man lis ais weakly sentimental and as
religious as when he is trying to live
up to the standard of a pure young
- became
most an angel.
There are very few of us capable Of
making human angels of ourselves
Good and evil are us perSiStenly pres
emit i'm our moral MATURE as light and
darkness in our atmosphere, and ONE
serves as Il complement Of the other
To Danish night we use the light of
woke divine help; but so largely is
our worldly nature in excess of our
spiritual powers, that we are CON
Stantly in danger of errin2 to be for
given. in other words. SHINING and re-
penting.
Mabel Thorpe believed in an tntieNi-
bic upri .ylatness. The command to do
evil that good may come. was to her
perverted text. She was not aware
that there are sims of omission, as
we'll rs commission. and that her up
righteous condemnation of sinners,
and her severe judgments, were in
themselves of 4 sinful nature. The
Sclf-righteouS are often harder to live
With than the sinner.
Leander Clarke had been good
SON and he intended to be Il good
husband He was both proud and
fond of his wife. but certainly regret
ted that he could not give her all the
luNurieS that she could appreciate
not even the grand piano that hel
musical talent deserved But he went
to work with viii to make hel
happy, and hoped in a few years t
be able to add all other needfu
things.
Among the wedding presents of tht
young couple was one that far out
Shone all the reSt-a superb set O
diamonds sent by an uncle of Lean
der'S who was near to death, anC
gave the residue of a large eStat
i'm this extravaganza present. Leande
himself was genuinely sorry that Sucl
an undesirable gift had been made
but argued that his wife was a sen
Sible woman. and would turn then
into something more suitable to thei
condition in life-a piano for instance
which was a necessity rather than
a luxury. What was his Surpris,
when his bride said:
Il never was SO pleased in my life
Diamonds represent to me the crysta.
ization of everything beautiful in al
and M ture | never dreamed that
should possess such magnificence."
But these have no assOcia tons,
said her husband, "they are not he'll
looms"
They will he; all diamonds wer
new at some time. And are they nc
associated with the dear old ma
who gave them:"
The dear Old man had been a terrC
in the family, and had only given tn
diamonds to Lenders wife becaus