River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-08-13

NY Canoe u wafer anu NdHIO
IS uustrung,
am tired Of living any mere.
Ny eyes shall look downward and my song
shan be unsung.
Farewell"
Miss Elizabeth got up and closed The
shutters; il was song she. had used to
sing for him.
She closed and boIted the doors, nd
looked Under the bed like old maids al
ways do. and began to brush out ner
thin, snowfieclSed hair. She smiled as
she brushed: she was thinking of her
revenge. She always knew il would
come TO her. lie would have 70 meet
her nov. They might move in the same
circle now, who could tell? He wiuld
not be obliged to eros the street now to
keep from seeing that her dress was
shabby. or pretend net to see the hand
extended him when they did meet by
circle now, who could tell? He would
be compelled to show that he saw the
darned ends of the gloves fingers. 1t
would hurt him, her poverty; she felt
that il hurt him, ard she had despised
him at times for il. But now-wcll,
that was all changed; she would go to
the bank in the morning, 10 his bank
he had long ago stepped into the old
cashiers shoes-and she would deposit
her flfty thousand with him, until she
could look about for a lawyer and ad-
just herself to the change of her circum-
stances. But she would enjoy handing
that money over TO the cashier; she
smiled into the little withered face that
~ - old 20 hfnnaA
mirror over her old-fashioned bureau.
She had been living in a very old-fash-
Toned world for 30 years. but she would
brush up little lit now. When one In
not able to keep in line with the process
sion. one cares very little the direction
the procession takes.
Size went 20 bed at last, and TO sleep,
with the fifty thousand running through
her brain like water through the mill
race at the end of the town. She went
to sleep and woke up with the night
mare and screaming; she had dreamed
there was man under the bed.
81 really don't know whatever l shall
do with it," she told herself the next
morning, when eating her solitary
breakfast. IF il is TO disturb my rest
in this way shall wish Cousin John lad
left his money in California"
But she forgot her worry when once
she had donned her old-fashioned gray
bonnet. had draped her lace mantilla
about he shoulders and hidden her lit
tie fire-browned face behind an old
berege veil of a bright-green hue. Her
dress was gray, too. and rather short for
the fashion; the trim, little old maily-
looking feet tripped down the main
street and into the handsome bank
building az the corner of the public
square, as clear of her skirts as ship of
it's sails after a storm off the Florida
reefs.
Miss Elizabeth passed the teller's win
dow and went around TO the cashiers
desk.
We looked up from heap of papers
that lay upon his desk, and saw the lit
tie gray figure of the old maid standing
there. looking at him through thu brass
bars of the railing. There was a queer
something about the little withered
face that carried him back to the night in
June when he had broken faith with her
in the musk-rose summerhouse. She
did not see the old youth in his face.
hOwever; there was pallidness about
il that tended to the very lips, as
though with his teeth he had pinched
the lifeblood out of them. He rose, half
clinging TO the desk to steady himself.
a clerk passing at the moment won
dered what the old maid had said that
Ill Tho bfar Gsnn1 NJ
the opening N the rail waiting for her
o speak.
81 came to make a little-deposit,"
she began, and stopped. Are you
sick. Oscar?'
The word, the calling of his name,
thrilled him through. A warm light
crept into the haggard eyes; light be-
fore which her revenge of 20 years
boarding took flight forever.
She had been loved-she remembered
only that.
NO" said he Il am not sicA, only
tired; very, very tired. did not sleep
last night. What is il you want, Eliza
beth?"
She blushed, ashamed that she had
tanned such a meanly contemplate
trick.
"My cousin. out in California. died
some months ago, and left me a little
money. ! have it to-day by the express,
and would like to leave it until I arrange
my plans. / am going west to make my
home with his wife"
She handed the express package
through the window-bonds, certifi-
Gates. stocks, all. He did not touch ii;
only looked at her in a wondering way,
and said:
How much is il. Elizabeth? How
much did your cousin leave you?"
She faltered. afraid lest he should sus-
pect the triumph that had been in her
heart.
"In all, he left me fifty thousand dol
lars" she replied, in low. uneven voice.
What was ne thinking? of the night
in June? That PARKWAY, dead night.
when he had told her she was too poor
to be his wife? His face had look she
had never seen on mortal face before.
Perhaps mortal man had never beer so
strangely situated.
"Come with me a moment" he said,
when the first surprise was over; come
in here"
He threw open the door of his private
office. and held il wide for her to enter.
closing it behind them again.
Then he placed the package on the
desk between them, and stood off, with
his arms folded upon his breast. and
looked upon her in silence. The little
old figure in rusty gray. the silvered
hair, the small, misunderstanding shoes,
the gloves with their darnsd fingers, the
green veil, the faded face with the time
marks about the eyes that had once
been girlish blue. Circumstances. cir
cumstances. how il rusts out life for us,
dragging the wheels down into the
crenses itself has made. The circum-
stances that had put him into the
cashiers shoes had put her into the
darned fingers.
Elizabeth" said he. looking down at
her. You must not put your money into
this bank Tomorrow il will be closed,
suspended" She gave a queer little
cry and voluntarily pat out her hand
for the package. He stopped, and pick
ing it up from the desk, handed it TO