Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1895-08-22
THE iSTEPFlATHER.

| A little girl, with black, ringletted
hair clustering about fair, open face,
rather sad but sweet in expression,
rose at once from her place in the
class, at Nine. Renters boarding
school, and followed the servant from
| the room.
| Madam met her at the door, saying,
in voice of strange compassion:
MY poor darlingr
Eloise's dark eyes flashed panied
inquiry in madam's solemn face.
You have news?" she cried, dn a
stricken vOice-"you have news of
mamma? Oh, madam, tell mer
Poor baby! poor little one! how can
! 1 tell thee?" madam murmured.
Don't tell me that" she cried;
don't tell me I shall never see
mamma any more-my poor, suffering,
! abused mammal
81 wish / had it not to tell thee
madam said, sadly.
| lis she dead?" the child asked.
/ Eyes, dear
Madam bent presently to look on the
! little girls face.
| Don't, child, don't look like that!''
madam pleaded, shuddering. Cry,
Eloise-cry here on my bosom; it will
! do thee good"
Eloise lifted her great solemn eyes
! to madam's.
HE has done it, / know; l know he
has," she said, in strange, unchildlike
i tones. Mamma said i should not be
| sent away from her; she would teach
me herself. She said it,swouId kill her
, to take me from her, and it has
''Hush, dear, you are crazed now
with grief"
! madam, | am not. Madam, l will
/ tell everyone l see that it was that
bad man who killed her."
Child, you must not speak So
! Eloise, try to bear it-try to be calmer
! He is here; he has come to take you
home with him.
! ''He! the man who married my beau
| tiful mamma, only to torture the life
out of her? / had rather die than go
, with him.
"Child, he may come in at any mo-
: ment.'
Madam, l am not a child. l am
only IA, but | am old enough to re-
member"
''And obey" said a deep voice be-
side her, and, without looking up.
Eloise knew it was her stepfather who
had stolen noiselessly into the room
and heard she knew not how much Of
her passionate talk.
The child trembled like a leaf and
shrank into madam's compassionate
arms with a low cry.
''She has tainted
; Sidney Herbert took her out of
madam's arms and laid her upon a
sofa
'tShe will be better Soon,' he said,
! in a cold voice. land pray prepare her
at once for the Journey"
'@Tonight?" madam asked, aghast.
''She is not fit to travel so SOON
| 81 will attend to that" Mr.. Herbert
said in unanswcrable tones, and
madam. with a smothered sigh, re-
! turned to her task of restoring the
j child.
Poor Eloise had to be carried out of
! the carriage, where she shrank away
| into one corner, for fear Of meeting
! the cold. icy looks of the man who sat
/ opposite and watched her with merci-
less eyes.
| By the time they reached home she
! was in a high fever and moaning with
! delirium.
! Her stepfather carried her into the
house himself. and himself tended her
through the long illness that followed
When the child grew better lie thus
addressed her:
you assured Nine. Renter that you
were not a child. l expect you, there
! fore. to exercise something of the dis
! erection which belongs to more years
than yours, and to let me hear no
more such wild talk as that to which
/ you treated madam. l desire to be to
you an indulgent guardian, but
| whether | am 50 Or not will depend
entirely upon yourself"
; Eloise made no reply. She only
looked at him gravely, with pair of
dark intent eyes that her stepfather
felt vaguely uneasy under, but made
! no effort to avoid while he pressed her
promise to do as he wished.
But Eloise would promise nothing.
He might as we'll have talked to the
doorpost, for all eliciting any re-
spouse.
That night Barbara, who had been
CLOSES nurse in brighter days, crept
stealthily to the child's bedside.
You mustn't brave him, little dear,
she whispered to the child: lit won I
do no good, and he'll make you stuff er
! for it. You won't get out Of this
room till you promise, if you hold on
till you're gray
But l can't promise not to talk
about her. Somebody must tell me-
about it. ] couldn't keep such a
promise if | made it.
I'll tell you, darling, all there is tol
tell; only you agree to anything hel
bids you. It's best; take Nurse
Barby's word for that"