Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-08-22
lefty Leigh.
.srhe Little Rift Within the Lutte. y
CHAPTER /.

s'Do you see the carriage, Lizzie!
They should be here by this time.
younger than mine"
The speaker was a cOmely, red
faced dame of fifty years or there
abouts, with white apron reaching
down to the bottom of her stuff dress,
and spotless muslin cap, shading her
thick, gray bands. Altogether she
looked what she Was-a respectable,
confidential servant-one, too, who
either from long service or strong love,
took more than the usual amount OF
interest in the affairs of her master,
the youngest, and Withal the favOrlte
practitioner in Kenmore. The little
town Of Kenmore stands on a small
slope, looking down on the German
ocean. and behind it stretch ferns and
salt marshes, desolute enough to look
upon. At the date of my story it was
a sleepy, out of the way fishing vii
lage, with one struggling narrow
street of poor houses and tiny shops;
that was Kenmore proper, but round
about in the wide tract Of country
that went by that name for lack OF a
better, there were several handsome
mansions.
In the immediate neighborho0d of
the village there was the rector's
house and Mr. Needham'S, the land
agent, and among the rest DR.. Len
nards. 1t stood on the highest Shout
der of the little hill, and it's wide,
pleasant windows looked over corn
fields and shining sands to the sea.
1t was all of one deep mellow brown
shade, and a terrace led from its low
stepped door to sunny Wel-kept
garden, just then in a flush Of bloom,
for it was June, ''the month of roses"
1t was as pretty Il home as any in
the kingdom, and to it, this bright
June day, its master is bringing
home his bride-bringing her home
with such joy and pride, that his dark
eyes are sparkling in liquid gladness,
and his grave, sweet mouth can not
keep from breaking into smiles. An
heiress, a belle, queen of a brilliant
London season, she had read those
signs of power on more faces than
her husbands; but something it its
passionate love, it's entire, it's IN
faltering devotion, touched a new
chord in the heart of the bride, and
her bosom huttered under it's Silken
covering, her pulse beat higher as
she neared her future home, and for
the first time perhaps, the sense Of
her new life dawned. upon her.
Beautiful and an heiress, Paul Len
nard had feared to aspire to the love
of Pauline Grey. The shame of being
looked upon as a fortune-hunter had
held him back; the love he bore ner
urged him forward, till feeling his
heart was getting beyond his control,
he resolved to fly from temptation,
since he could not overcome it in fair
fight. SO resolving, he went that
night to a party where he knew he
should meet her, and lured by the
dangerous fascination of her smile, he
drifted further and further from his
only safeguard-the resolve of the
morning. She was gentler and kinder
than he had ever known her. She
leaned upon his arm; listened with
bent head to his low, almost inco-
herent whispers; and every instant
laid his senses more and more under
the siren spell of her youth and lowell
ness, till all prudence, all fears forgot
ten, he poured out his love, and asked
her to be his wife.
The season had been an unusually
brilliant one. Pauline was weary of
admiration, weary of London life al
together. The real, earnest love in the
eyes of the young country doctor was
ineXpreSSibly sweet to her wOman'S
heart after tinsel and batteries of the
last few months. She longed for
change, and she accepted him.
None of these reasons ever entered
the brain of the happy lover as he
took her in his arms and kissed her
red lips softly, almost reverently,
with a great wonder and joy in his
heart that they should be so yielded
to him. The world was all sunshine
and beauty, and Pauline Grey was the
CeHleI 1IOm WHICH stll LIS
glory flowed out.
They were married at once; and
this bright June cay he was bringing
his treasure home to the house that
in his eyes only needed her presence
TO be little earth Eden" What the
young bride thought Of it he could
hardly tell, for the sunshine was fling
ing 4 dazzling haze round her as he
stood to help her out of the carriage;
and perhaps, too, the happy tears in
his eyes helped to blind him a little.
But Judith, the old servant, standing
back in the shady hall, with no glance
of love and joy to dim her vision, saw
and inwardly fretted at the naughty
curl of the scarlet lips, the Scornful
rise of the arched browS, as the
young bride stood for an instant and
surveyed her new home.
"A proud, tricksy creature! She'll
be as like as not to break his heart"
thought the old woman, as she
courtesied low, and then stood aside
and held back her stuff skirt, that the
sweeping silken train of her mistress
might have ample room to pass.
A CLEAN of the outer sunshine
seemed to follow the fair young crea-
ture as she went through the dim
stone hall smiling now and clinGing