Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-09-19


ing a heavy trunk before him, and tC
! get out of his way 1 had to pass right
! before the window of masters car
riage; but, bless you, Miss Lefty, be
| never so much as saw me-
The faithful servants eyes were
trimming with tears, and Lefty, he1
face pressed close against the glass
looked out on the leaden sky and the
I leaden sea in silence.
''The last glimpse l had of his face
as the train was tearing past, l shall
never forget, Miss Letty-never, were
l to live a hundred years; a face SO
white, and pinched, and sorrowful,
| hope never to see again"
| A step sounded in the hail. and a
| soft voice giving some directions to a
servant, and Judith got up, and rub
! bling the corner of her shawl briskly
across her eyes, prepared to depart,
! for the voice was that of Mrs. Ather-
ton, who had never looked with a
| friendly eye on Judith.
| Il will go now, Miss Lefty said
the old woman; land I'm sure l thank
you kindly for the cup Of coffee, and
[ hope the next time l see you, you'll
| be looking more like yourself"
THANK you, Judith. Good-morning, -
replied Lefty, absently to this little
speech, and, kissing Jepp once more,
! she left him free to go after her.
On the threshold Judith met Mrs.
AthertOn face to face. She did not
! stop, but with a deep courtesy, which
met with very slight recognition,
| she went on her way, out into the lane.
! and toward her own home, Jepp fol
| lowing her.
My DEAR" asked Mrs. Atherton.
| biandly, as she entered the parlor.
what brought that woman here this
morning?"
judith was passing, and [ called her
in was the reply.
| "Oh, indeedn' said Mrs. Atherton.
That was all, but it meant a great
deal, and Lefty knew it did; but she
would not appear to mind it.
Mrs. Asherton rang the bell sharply,
and when the servant came, babe her
remove the breakfast things. her tone
implying that they should have been
taken away long since.
| You had better write to Misses
Poynton,'' she said to Lefty, as she
was going out of the room. II think
it quite time you told them whether
you are going or not
Il will write this morning. 1t will
do in an hour or so,'' said Lefty, glanc-
ing at her costly little watch, one of
the treasures of her brief heiress-ship.
She went up to her own room as
she spoke, and once there locked her
self in
The room was as small as it was the
first night Lefty lay down to sleep in
it, long before wealth had showered
upon her. In those days the small
! white bed was draped with the sim
plest of white draperies, and on the
tiny dressing-table stood a tiny painted
glass that swung between thin poles
devoid of ornament, and the white
boards were sparely covered with
strips of drugget. Now the small
couch was a tiny nest Of pink and
snowy lace and linen, and on the well
! furnished dressing table a glass, al
| most too large for the room. swung
! between its massive carved pillars.
! There was thick, rich carpet on the
floor. al a-blOom with lilies and roses
! on Il delicate gray ground. and on the
walls hung some excellent water
color sketches. Altogether for it's size
| there was not a prettier cozier room
i'll the kingdom: even the pale. Novem-
/ Der light, coming in through the
sweeping curtains of pink and white
tEat fell over the Old-fashioned, deep
! seated window, seemed to shine clear
er IN that room than in any other in
the house.
Lefty had grown accustomed to all
this luxury, even as she had been ac-
custOmed to the Scanty furniture in
, the days gone by; and it made no i'm
preston on her. She went and flung
herself down on the broad, low win
| dOWseat, and drew the delicate lace
curtain round her as carelessly as she
I
ones that used to hang there. She
gathered herself up in a heap, so tC
| speak, and claSped her arms around
her knees, and rested her face on them
and sat there perfectly still for a lit.
tie time.
There was a great yearning pity in
her heart as Lefty thought of that
! lonely man, sitting with his white
sorrowful face, looking out of Fen.
more, in the chill dusk of a November
evening, gray and murky and miser
able. She saw, in ina gination, thai
pale, SOrrowful face, as plainly as il
she. and not Judith, had stood on the
platform, and watched ii flying past.
She felt. with shrinking pain, tha1
the settled look of sorrow on thai
weary face had its origin in some
thing connected with herself. She
loved him too we'll not to know thai
his heart was not cold to her, ani
again and again she wished that this
Inflated money had never come to he
that she was still plain, poor Lefty
Il should know then" she said, 81.
} he loved me. He would be free tt
come and tell me so. if he did: but, a:
it is, his pride draws him back. ant
we may die, loving each other, ant
never telling our love-"
And then the picture she had draw
, seemed so pitiful to her, that she bur