Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-04-09

che had refused him. In the same way she
had not questioned her own feelings; 1t was
so natural to her now to live alone, so
natural to look upon love thing OF the
past that she had ceased to think of 1t.
Another woman-a young and pretty
onev'
How strangely those words insinuated
themselves into her thoughts! What a ter
rible aching loneliness filled her tonight, in
! her quiet little nome! She had no heart
for music. The old piano stood unopened.
Jane Herring usually so busy and so Sc
rene, paced to and fro between the fire
place and the door. 10 and down, up ana
/ down upon her well scrubbed boards.
Proud! ah, proud OF what?-a lonely,
selfish lfe a little knowledge, and few
! possessions"
She stopped before the mirror that hung
above the mar;el shelf, and stood looking
at the reflection Of her face. melan-
choly face it was--the face Of a woman
who had let life go by without taking the
| best that life offered; the face of woman
whom nominees had wasted: love-hur-
CRY, disappointed face.
Was she jealous of this unknown woman,
| this young and pretty girl for Wnom
Phineas Balm might we'll recall his icv3
| and his youth? Surely not. Yst what vas
| this strange emotion, this paa1 about her
! heart this sick restlessness. such as sne
| had never before known? 1t seemed IN
credible that the idea Of his ing another
woman should rekindle in Ter desire to
have Phneas for herself. Yet she eX-
perienced an intense wish to come again
under his notice. to know his teeiingS' 10
have a part in his interests
Il had come upon her so suddenly in the
midst of her staid contented life. Az the
very mention of this stranger by the COS
sip of the place, there had leaped up Win
in her an emotion which she had with
/
Looking round her home, so perfect IN an
the details of order and thrift, yet Wlthal
so barren and cheerless. she wondered more
and more a. her folly in having thrown
away the one thing needed for her nappi-
ness. She had loved the man after all
had loved him passively for a score Of
years and she loved him still. The PRIDE
that had caused her to refuse him, the
consciousness Of social superinrity-Where
were they now? What did they amount
to under the calm scrutiny or sX-aho-
thirty? An income sufficient for her mum
bic reeds had bred in her soneNha'
selfish Independence and she was bounu 10
confess that this had not been without ITS
| influence in the matter. Ittwas long after
/ her usual early hour for going to bed wnen
she at last put out her lamp, and the con
alusion she had come to When she let
! the loneliness below stairs for the ionell-
,nss above was that Mrs. Freeman was not
=
! the piano"
\ tarr;hIe sense Of uneaSnesS oppressed
| her in the days which followed. In van
she rei TO occupy her thCushts as r5r' T.
and to enjoy the bright influence or the
perfect winter weather. Her heart was
sick within her. and she found the short
January days too long. She was jealous
oh. how bitterly, how increasingly Jealous
Of Miss Letters new prentice. whom she
had never even seen. Her heart ached TO
meet Phineas Balm but as luck would nave
it, he seemed to have disappeared from
the place Seek him she would not. for
get him she could not and all the time she
wa, telling herself over and over again
that she was TO better than a fool to think
! Of such things.
More than one person in the village Won
dered what allied Miss Herring AS she
| went about quiet. unobtrusive as ever,
there was something forlorn about her tall,
spare figure, something pitful in the eX-
preston of her grave face. the lines OF
| which seemed suddenly to have deepened.
She answered all inquiries, however, with
! the invariable assurance that she was per
fectly we'll.
With all her efforts. she had been unable
10 regain her habtual state of mind, when
another event befell of which she had no
premonition.
She had been in spite of her proteSta-
tions very ailng for some days. The I'M
she labored were beginning to tell upon
her and the maintenance Of her little nome
| had become almost trksome.
Coming downstairs after a somewhat rest
| less night, she was fastening to kindle her
fire when knock at her door startled her.
| She was greatly surprised at receiving a
! letter an event which rarely occurred to
her. and the sight of the one the postman
nut into her hand caused her an unaccount-
able uneasiness. She opened it hastily,
standing beside the newly lit fire, and then
she stood with her gaze fixed on the paper,
! and a terrible sense of chill creeping over
her
There had come to her the worst news
| perhaps that can come to a frtendless.
helpless woman. The bank from which
her little income came each quarter as in
terest on invested capital had failed and
| she was left penniless.
The silence Of the little house was broken
by a long wailing cry, as Jane Herring
sank down upon her hearth and hid her
face in her trembling hands.
Penniless! Left suddenly without that
which she had come to look upon as unfail-
ing and unalterable.
No one saw her that day; no one knew
of the terror with which the lonely woman
had come face to fac Kneeling there on
the hearth, where the blow had first fallen
| upon her she remained for hours, combat
ing with this unexpected foe. Poverty
iEIaTVatlOn9 NO, no, she COlQ nSTSell
hat Cor she was strong yet, capable of
! work II she could find it to do. She fought
it out bravely enough, that battle against
inexcrable circumstances, crushing down,
after the first shock OF horror, every
temptation to despair.
There was a meaning in it all, she told
herself-a meaning even in the terrible
| loneliness which doubled all her sorrow.
1t was her fault, and she was justly pun
ished; but she would bear her punishment
as bravely as possible.
She rose at last. and having made UP
the sinking fire, began to look upon the
more practical side of the matter. Hav-
ing but few shillings in hand. 1t was
essential that she should raise some money
on which to live while she sought for work.
, II was not without much thought and many
bitter sigh that she decided in what
, way this II .ght be done. She must sell
the piano.
1t was very grievous, very hard to do, bu.
in the end that would have to go from her
pCSsession-with the rest.
, She YVES too tired, altogether too confused
i, and overcome. to set about the business
, that day She could not face the inevitable
curiosity of her neighbors: she could not,
indeed have dragged her aching limbs as
far as the auctioneer's 20 whom she meant
J 10 go.
, In spite Of her care, however, the village
/ regarded her with curiosity as she set out