Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-09-03


sleeping daughter, and since he mas
! been away l have done the same. |
am sorry to have disturbed you"
L was awake all the time, but you
frightened me, and just because papas
away you needn't think that you must
come; don't want any one at all but
him."
With gentle hand Mrs. Penrose
! drew the crumpled bedclothes smooth
below the indignant quivering little
chin. Then her quiet voice spoke once
/ again.
If you are wide awake, dear, suppose
we have little talk together. l have
/ wanted it for long, long time; don't
think we understand each other yet
Its coming now" thought Florence,
! breathing fast in excitement and sud
/ den dread. "Oh, but it's mean in her
! to take advantage of me so-in my own
( room, too, and in the dark
L did not wonder at the way you
/ greeted me when your father brought
me home, two months or more ago"
( Mrs. Penrose said in her clear and gem
tie voice. 1T was very natural, be-
cause you distrusted me You thought
had come to take your own dear
mothers place-to blot out all remem-
brance of her, maybe; but such has
! never been my wish. I would not do
that, even if l could Your father has
! told me much about your mother, and
she was a lovely woman. 1t was terri
BILE grief to him when she died. and he
lived lonely life without her for 20
long years 1t was very hard for him
but harder STILL he thought, for his two
dear children who needed a mothers
love and care more than anything that
he had power to give them. And the
older they became, the more fully lie
realized all that they must miss for
lack of that loving care and counsel
for he could not be with them always,
and they were left more and more to
! their own resources and to the care Of
servants. At last your father and I
met and although I loved him, dear,
from the very first, | loved him more
than ever on the night he told me
about you and Tom, his motherless
children, and of his anxiety for YOU
because of the mother-love you had so
sadly missed. And when he asked Inc
to marry him, he also asked me not to
try to take your own dead mothers
place in your hearts, but to show you,
il | could, what that mothers love
would have been like had she been
! spared to you. And | promised, Flor
ence, dear, and | married him and came
! n wit full of
and longing. And when your father
was puzzled and hurt at your greeting
[ begged him not to mind it but to wait
and give me time to win you. Dear, |
! have tried, but you would not under
stand. And still [ waited and hoped in
! silence, but tonight as | stood here be-
! side you it seemed as if the spirit CT
your own dear mother said to me,
/ Speak to my child, tell her not to be
/ angry or jealous for me any longer, for
her father has not forgotten me, even
now; and tell her how you stand ready
! to be her best and most faithful friend
Florence dear, won't you hear her
message and open your heart to me as
mine is open to you, and learn to love
/ and trust me, dear?"
A stifled sob from the little figure in
the bed was the only audible answer,
! but it seemed to be enough, for the
! hated Mrs. Penrose hesitated no longer
I and took the weeping girl in her arms,
hushing her lovingly, until at last be-
! tween smiles and tears Florence fell
! happily asleep.
| Great was Tom S wrath and indigna-
! ton when he found that his sister had
! gone over to the enemy"
| Il might have expected it, you silly
! he exclaimed cOntemptuouSly so
! that's her game, is it! Well, I'd like to
now, so she'll have to knock it in or
/ crawl through the keyhole. And she'll
/ have a hot time of it if she does tackle
/ me, that's all [ can say" And he went
! his way, sullen and angry with his
sister, his father, his step-mother, and
/ all the world.
! Had it not been for Toms obstinacy
and anger Florence would have been
! supremely happy in the wealth of
| love and sympathy which had so sud
! denly overwhelmed her in her new
mothers encircling arms. She had
wanted to tell her father at once of
+ her new-found happiness, Dut the letter
was strangely hard to wrice. She had
/ no idea Of the difficulties of such a
! confession until she tried to write it
! down.
/ Suppose you wait" suggested Mrs
/ Penrose with a charming smile. "Wait,
/ dear, and tell him, or better still, let
/ him See it for himself when he comes
home. 1t will not be long to wait now,
for,' with another happy smile, the
/ days go so much faster with us than
they did at first
But still Florence's heart ached sadly
/ for poor lonely, obstinate Tom. He
/ Stunned her completely now, and shut
] himself up alone more than ever in his
! dull wOrkroom at the top of the house,
dividing his leisure hours betW cen his
carpenters bench, his electric batteries
and the long-coveted little steam engine
which his father had reluctantly con-
sented to let him have shortly before
going away.
Just how it happened Tom never ex-
actly knew, but one day as he was
bending above his engine examining a
valve which wouldn't work, there sud
denly was a stunning noise, a singing
pain all over his face and head, and
then a great stiffness. When he awoke
he found himself lying on the floor and