River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-04-21
THE LOVE OF e.
-. A LONELY LIFE.
By Adelaide D. REYNOLDS.



A PRIM little house, discreetly alooi
~ from the dusty road of a Vermont
ToWn-this was the home of the Widow
Thurber, and it faithfully reflected the
character of its owner The white clap
boards and green blinds of the house
were always as glaringly immaculate
as fresh paint could make them; and
perfect order was the first law of the
garden. profusion of sweet, old
fashioned flowers filed the neat beds,
laid out with careful exactness as to
shape and size beneath the sunny south
windows The fragrance from banks
Of sweet peas mingled deliciously with
the aromatic breath of the pine tree
that stood, tall, dark captive, in the
narrow little front yard, always whis-
Pering softly and yearningly of its far
away forest home.
The Widow Thurber, with her smooth
hair always compactly coiled and her
clean, well-starehed garments scented
with dried lavender, matched her sur
Toundings. She was thrifty and indus
trious, born manager, and she had
paid for the little home by her own toll,
with the help of d small pension and the
occasional days work she could get out
of Elias, her only son.
Elias depended upon his mother, as a
dreamy, careless nature will, upon a
forceful, energetic one. lie liked to
have her boss him" as lie called it, and
fcold him into activity. lie felt that,
in this way. he might do his duty in life
without mental or moral wear and tear.
Elias had a yellow, beaten
look, and listIess, dropping Shoulders;
his gait was lounging and awkward,
and he spoke in a weary, drawing mon
otone; but his ewes were warm and
blue, and his manner SO gentle and kind
that he was liked by all Fathers and
mothers agreed that there was "nothin'
bad about 'Lias Thurber, an he'd make
some girl a mighty good husbun' if he
only had a little more VIM" He had
drifted on in life in an easy, aimless
way, tending his mothers garden, car
ing for her horse, COW. pig and chick
ems, and occasionally working out for
a day or two in laying or the rush of
springs work.
lie attended al the social happen
ings of the place. The young people all
treated him with the familiar conf
dcnce one feels in brother. He made
for the girls a willing and delightful
second fiddle" when favored beaux
failed to come forward to escort them
10 ball or party; and many unwelcome
!
commodating devotion of Elias. Yet
it had always been said that he was Ger
tainly cut out for an old bach. He's a
good, clever fellow, but he amt got no
energy" was the general opinion.
His life, commonplace and seemingly
emotionless as it was, had nevertheless
been full of quiet romance and smoth-
cred heartache. At 20 he had wooed
gentle. dove-eyed girl, who favored
his suit. in spite of her parents warn
ings. "He never'H he nothin' nor no.
body, an you'll al'ays be poor" they
argued; "he's a good Teller enough, but
he's too slack" But she loved him and
promised to marry him. The next sum
mer She faded quickly away with con-
sumption and dropped out of his life,
with all the brigh hopes he had built
about her.
Elias made no sign of grief or disap-
pointment. lie kept up the irregular
and laEguid industry Of his life, and
drawled out slow jokes in his half-mer-
ny, ha.f-weary way, as usual. People
soon forgot that he had ever thought of
''eettin' married.
\ few years later he began to keep
company" with the young daughter of
a prosperous farmer. She was bright,
vivacious and well educated, and She
had ambitious plans for her future.
Everyone wondered that she should
fancy slow, shiftless, obscure Elias
Thurbcr. She would have married him
at once, but her parents, who knew
their willful daughter too well to for
bid the marriage, urged that she was
TOO young and should wait few years
They craftiIy extolled Elias good quail
tiles. lie amt got no bad habits, an
he's got an awful good disposition. Of
course. he'll never set the Connecticut
river atire; but, for all that, he'll make
her a good, kind husbun'." they would
say.
She soon went away TO her studies,
and a ear later she married a rich man
from distant city whom She had met
while visiting a friend.
So Elias had n second disappointment
and he bore il. as he had the first, with
no outward sign Of suffering The
townspeople. who were not used to
thinking of him as a man with desires
and feeling of his own, but as very
pIeasant convenience for themselves.
we're greatly relieved. Lias might
lest as well make up his mind to be an
Old bach they would say, jokingly;
shes Jest cut out for one"
But Elias had not made up his mind
TO that yet. Beneath the lazy indiffer-
ence OF his manner were vague hopes
and desires that he himself scarcely
realized. More than anything else, he
wanted home of his own, with a wife
and children. His mothers trim little
house Mas to him an ideal home, and he
knew he meant il always to be his. So
with the wife and children of his
dreams. life would be perfect-iust a
happy, drifting along the stream of
contentment. He was not ready to
give up this hope yet, although fate had
seemed to work against il.
Several years later city girl came
to pass the summer months with Mrs.
Warner, his nearest neighbor. She
loved conquest and admiration. and she
selected Elias as the most amusing and
convenient material at hand He was
dazzled by her pretty, laughing ways,
and dainty gowns, He thought she
must love him very much when she
promised. not only to marry him, but 10
come and live in this quiet town with
him. He was very happy that sum
mer; but, alas! it was only fools para
disc. Soon after her return to the city
she wrote him that she could not marry
him, as her parents utterly forbade it.
The letter was very sad, and sweet, and