Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-01-03

4
him to separate the two. and it hurt
him. Eyes, 1 was nlu:h absorbed in
my work-and my wife, think she
is not very WE'LL
Il am quite Well, dear" she. muir
INJURED.
''Ah, dearest, 1 doubt it l thought
some quinine might be beneficial, Mrs.
FelloWes. In fact, that was the prim-
airy motive of our CALI
'Give her some claret for the pres
emf, and make her eat SOM ething, wine
and meat are as good as quinine any
day.
Mrs. Waring was the most dociie
creature breathing, she swallowed
obediently everything set before her.
when suddenly little tremble ran all
down her and shook her gently and
she let her fork drop with a little
clash
She had caught sight just over the
sidebcard of Brydon's sketches of
Gwen, that she had sent Mrs. Eel
loves.
ure, so he only pressed her hand
gently, and murmured, Nerves.
She went back obedient1y to her
meal, and if they had given bert he
whole of a chicken and a quart of
claret, she would have swallowed both
without a murmur, so long as they
. let her get finished and go close up to
that picture.
Mr.. Warnings meal, on the contrary,
int nrnStinU tn 70
enjoyed it with a zest that set him
playing at a quite new and charming
departure in classified ton. A graceful
pretty house-mother moving on the
, field of vision, and supplying every
unspoken want of his, was a pleasing
variation.
ga charming type, this serving wom-
an he reflected, regarding her with
gentle favor, "charming. Ply no means
unique or even an unusual one, but
really quite charming and pleasant to
observe In that woman the maternal
, instinct will be found in q very adj
vanced state of development-and yet,
:, if l recollect Alright" he started, frown-
ing, and pausing, with a morSel of
meat on his fork, he contemplated her
curiously, Eyes, l believe my recollec-
, tons are accurate, she has never had
any children and probably, after this
!. lapse Of time, will not produce any.
, Very strange indeed, very strange,
another of those most puzzling instan-
, ces of Natures waste"
He sighed and reflected a little on
! Mrs. Feliowes as she helped his wife
to cream, then he went rather sadly
to his tart, feeling a slight tinge of
contempt for Natures inconsistency.
; When Mrs. Warning had consumed
as much nOurishment as her enter
tanners thought fit for her, Mr.. Eel
loves went over to the sideboard, I'M
hooked the sketch, and propped it
gainst the claret jug.
'The coloring is good, isn't it," he
, said. Gwen sent it to us last week. -
, Mrs. Waring threw up her head and
-, looked at the rector's wife, then her
face flooded with pink, and there came
a pain into her heart that she had
never felt before. For the first time in
her seven-and-thirty years this little
woman was jealous. "Gwen gave it!''
she repeated. "Henry, do you think
, Gwen would give us one?"
, There was a perceptible choke in
, her voice, and she put up her little
; hand to her throat with swift move
. ment
a "My loves he said In a rather
< frightened way, five could hardly ask
our daughter for such a very valuable
: present"
II suppose we could not" she said,
:, with sweet humility.
: "My reasonable, my dCcile Oner' he
/, thought, with tender satisfaction, "bet-
ter a thousand times than any other
female type, serving or otherwise"
He might have felt more disturbed
if he had had the merast ghost of a
notion as to the causes of her humil-
. ity, which had less to do with him
, than he would altogether have relish
ed. With all this congestion of novel
emotion the woman was losing her
pristine transparency.
"What are your plans for the after
. noon?" asked the rector. "You know
, that even the ordinary decencies Of
civilization have to be shunted in a
parsons life, I must be off in five min
utes. Are you ON for a walk, War
ing?''
10, thank you, but, we-I-we-"
he caught nervouSly on his wife'S
eyes, "we-we are very much engaged
just now. We just called concerning
this matter of quinine, and we have
already absorbed too much of your
time; untimely visitors are keen
trial-my wife and I have suffered
much from this form of aff1iction."
The rector laughed.
"Visitors are brutal bane ninety
per cent of them, but you two are
most marked exceptions. We can go
as far as the Park, anyway, for that
is on my way, and l know my wife
has designs on yours-you won't get
her back much before dinner time"
/ Mr.. Waring turned round with
start
rs this the case?" he asked blankly.
Il would like to stay said Mrs
Waring softly, but she hung her head
and did not look at ner husband.
He looked at her, however, and his
brows lifted themselves. He turned
with solemnity to Mrs. Fellowes.
''Pray consider this question of quin-
ine," he said, land let us know the re