Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1896-01-16

as married to one of the island planters
or some upstart government official
with salary Of e200 a year. degenerat-
ing into languid, drawing voiced ere
ole housewife, worn out with the cares
Of > family, without an idea beyond the
prospect of crops and the enorinities of
negro servants, the idea w2s TOO over
whelming, and a torrent of vexation
seized possession of him Tor having al
lowed the opportunity to pass when it
would have been so easy to bind her
heart TO his forever. even though subse-
quent prudence interposed to prevent
the most fatal consequences of that mo-
ment of delirium.
All, well, perhaps it was best as it
was. In a weeks time or month al
furthest he might be able to regard the
matter philosophically and She There
conjecture as well as hope refused to
come to a determination it was best
not TO think at all about her future. if
only it were possible to refrain from so
doing.
The friends who drove Fanny home
that night considered that nothing could
have been more circumspect than the
farewell between the sailor and his love
and had the coed taste to forbear from
bantering her upon the subject or ap
pearing unduly curious as to the result
Of the evening The other officers at a
hint from their superior had taken leave
short time before him. as he wanted
a few minutes quiet talk with Colonel
Sandilands, and it was arranged that
they should all meet at the Princetown
club, which ON the occasion of any LARGE
entertainment in the neighborhood gen
orally remained open all night. Fame
had nothing that he really wished to
say to the administrator it was merely
a ruse to be alone, to calm his excited
feelings with a solitary walk, instead
of being ratified down to the shore in a
crowded buggy with his spirited and
possibly chatting friends, and after his
lingering handshake and conventional
"Goodby, Miss Crofton, he did not 90
back into the house, but finding his
cap, and conyentionally accepting a
light for a cigar which the administra-
tors black factotum handed to him, he
slowly wendell his way down the wind
ing carriage drive in the wake of the
vehicle that was bearing away from
him the one and only being he could
ever love. MOI time would never efface
her memory from his heart. He was not
selfish enough to wish to make her his
own, but he could never forget her.
The glorious moon had set and the
sky had an even blacker and overcast
appearance than the usual darkness that
precedes the dawn. Suddenly some
large drops of rain which were the pre-
cursors of one of the drenching West In
dian rainfalls and threatening rum
bic of thunder warned the captain that
it would have been better if he and his
companions had fastened to get on
board ship.
Poor little Fanny meanwhile had
crept silently up the gallery stairs into
the room she shared with her cousin.
who in common with the rest was sim
ply devoted to her. She had no light;
in the desolate darkness of her heart
she did not want to see, had not even
energy enough to undress and lie down.
She CROPPED her way to the open window
at one corner of the room, from which
in the daytime glimpse of the sea
was visible, and gave herself up to mis-
cradle repinings and self reproach. Was
she not II despicable, silly creature to
have lost her heart to gay deceiver
who would sail away at daybreak and
never think of her any more?
Her melancholy strivings after a phil
osophical frame of mind Were interrupt
ed by the furious breaking of the storm
that had been for some minutes gather
ing. Deafening peals of thunder seemed
to explode right over her head and the
flashes of lightning became so terribly
vivid that she could 10 longer keep her
place by the window, but drawing down
the blinds crept timorously to the far
Their side of the room, and sinking on
her knees beside her cousins bed hid
her face in her hands, while sobs of
nervous tremor and excitement shook
her whole frame.
Lucy Haslett Was heavy sleeper,
and, occupied as Fanny then was with
her own emotions, scarcely more than a
vague hope that the invalid would not
be disturbed and frightened had found
place IN her thoughts, when-she could
never fully describe afterward what it
was that happened-giant tongues of
hvid fire, like serpents' fangs, seemed