Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-10-03

the shore out the tiny pass that lie
down to it at that part For secon
or two he seemed scarcely to rec3e
2 niZe her; then he came forward. HI
e grave face all alight. and took he
e hand and held it, while he asked afte
/ herself, and then, with downwar
e glance at her black dress. after he
!. father
e Her heart had throbbed wildly a
sight of him. She had put her FREE
: hand to her side and held it there t.
t keep down the stormy throbs Of he
heart before she could manage t.
: speak. When she did, it was in G
: voice so low, in such broken, falterine
/ words, that the doctor could only
/ catch at their meaning, which he soor
did, assisted not a little by the deer
. mourning which she wore and the
sad, weary, panied look on her face
and you are still in the old house?'
he said.
Yes" she replied; still living in
the same house; but it is little of a
home to me now"
The doctor walked with Lefty as far
as. the gate of her own house, and
there left her with a few parting
words that would be his last. in case
he got through the business that had
brought him to Kenmore, as soon as
he hoped to do that day. If possible
he would then be leaving Kenmore
| that night; if not, on the following
one, so he told her; and if he stayed
so long, he would call and bid her
! goodbye again.
! Lefty heard him like one in
dream, gave her hand passively into
| his, and bent her head when he raised
his hat and turned from her, and
then, still pale and trembling, she
went indoors, and in the quiet of her
own room broke the spell that was
upon her by a stormy burst of tears.
ooh, it is too much, too much" she
cried out, sharply, in her singing pain:
"and I can not bear It, I can not bear
it.'
Meanwhile DR.. Lennard. sitting in
the rectory parlor, was hearing from
Mrs. Wilson the story Of Letty's life,
had last quilted Kenmore, and with
out seeing her too, and that was troub-
ling him not a little now, as he sat
there. It was. taken all in all. a sad
story, and there were tears in the kind
lady's eyes as she told it, and in her
husbands who sat listening, though
he had heard it all before. Not so her
liStnnn,S. Jrir
clear, with altogether a new light in
them, as though he was rather pleased
than not to hear Of poor Letty's mis-
fortunes.
Mrs Wilson was not usually a Cos
sip; today she rather surprised her
husband by entering into the most
minute details of Letty's history
some that would have been better left
untold, he thought
All the little world Of Kenmore had
known of Letty's engagement to
Ernest DevereuX, and had agreed in
calling him a scoundrel for breaking
the engagement when the change
came. Mrs. Wilson alone knew that
the break had come not from him.
but from Lefty herself, and so she
told DR.. Leonard confdentially.
LEFTY told him." she said truth
fully and honestly, as not many girls
in her position would have ventured
or cared to do, that she did not love
him as she would like to love her hus-
band, and that she would rather not
be his wife. He was very much cut
up about it, as far as / can under
stand, for though there's no doubt he
was marrying her for her money,
there IS quite as little but that he
liked her we'll; however, he took her at
her word, and left here for the CONT
nent, | think. And then the very
next spring after that Mr.. Leigh died,
and the poor child was left quite alone
in the world; and how she has borne
her dreary lot since is almost more
than l can understand"
Mr.. Wilson had coughed and fid-
geted more than once during this re-
cital, but his wife took no notice of
him, and DR.. Lennard seemed fully as
eager to listen to, as she was to tell.
every particular relating to Lefty and
her affairs. When lie heard ali that
was 10 hear, he rose 10 go, declining
to stay to luncheon on the plea of
business.
Il have to call at Attorney Sharp's.
and then round by Mr.. Needham's; I
shall have to work very hard indeed
to pull up for this hours gossiping,'
he said, smiling. eff l can possibly
make time, Mrs. Wilson, will call in
again this evening to see you"
He gave that lady's hand a warm
clasp and his face wore pleased
smile as he said it. Apparently he
did not despair of being able to call
again. AS he stepped down the gar
den pathway, his step elastic, his head
up, Mrs. Wilson looked after him, we'll
pleased.
He is another man, George" said
Mrs. Wilson to her husband, 'to what
he was when he came in this morn
ing"
Every likely, my dear, he was tired
then" replied Mr.. Wilson. But don't
you think you spoke little too freely
about Miss Leigh? She might not like
it. I'm afraid"
The tone was heSitat ting. the
speakers mild blue eyes deprecated
any idea of reprOach; but Mrs. Wilson
turned round on him almost sharply.
L think nothing of the kind. |
George" said she; you men are al I