Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-12-15
Continued.

Gaspard he said, holding out his
hand.
Gaspard made his grave and rather
formal greeting; he could not bring
himself to speak very warmly. The
old man was for a moment repulsed.
but he had grown strangely humble.
and he said nothing, only a grieVed
look passed over his face. Then at
once Gaspard's better self returned,
he spoke courteOusly and gratefully.
81 have a great deal to thank you
for" he said; sit was very consider
ate of you to send for me, and the
tourney" He was interrupted. Noel
unaccustomed to his voice, was De
ginning to kick with all his might,
and to hold out his arms TO the dean.
"Ah! you do not know your uncle.
mon enfant," said Gaspard.
The dean received this new charge
apprehensively. 1t was many years
since he had held baby, and Noel
was at the most springy and trouble
some age Of eleven months. He was
pleased, however, at being looked
upon as a friend, and allowed the tiny
fingers to play with his long white
beard. It was a pretty picture, the
hoary-headed old man, and the little
bright-eyed baby Gaspard looked
and wondered. What would his
mothers feelings have been could she
have foreseen that her grandchild
would have been so caressed by her
brother? The dean, looking up, saw
the expression of his face and guessed
his thoughts.
you think it strange, Gaspard, that
should love Esperance's child, but
this boy has been more of a comfort to
me than / can tell you; | hope | may
be spared to be Of some use to him
You have probably been told the rea-
son of my dislike to your father. He
crossed my plans, he was poor, he was
a foreigner, he unknOwingly thWarted
my schemes for self-advancement. /
see it plainly enough now, though al
the time | should have said otherwise
but | was blinded and self-deceiVed.
You are young man-you can hardly
realize what a terrible thing it is to
look back on years of self-lOve and
self-indulgence, to see all the harm
you have done, to think of the good
left undone. Yet | don't think you are
unmerciful-yOu have been through
too much trouble to be harsh in your
Judgments; and | ask you now not to
Judge but to forgive me-to forgive
the injustice and hardness l showed
to your father and mother, and the
cold uncharitableness | showed to
you"
The color glowed in Gaspard's
cheeks, his eyes shone with a bright
light, and his face expressed at once
surprise, admiration and relief For
moment there was silence, then he
spoke warmly.
I'm the name Of my father and
mother, l do forgive you, uncle AS
for my own pardon, / do not feel
that | have a right to use such term
to one so much my senior. You dis
liked mel was aware of it, and re-
turned the dislike; necessarily there
was GOODNESS between us. I have to
thank you now for first breaking the
iee."
The dean held out his hand, and
Gaspard grasped it in silence while
Noel kicked and crowed Justify evil
IDENTIFY finding the family reconcilia-
ton very amusing.
Afte this Dean CollinsOn seemed
really happier; though of course the
long, wearing anxiety about Claude
still weighed heavily on his spirits.
1t was wonderful, however, how much
comfort he met with from the least
likely quarters; people who a short
time before would only have bowed to
him with cold respect, now Ventured
to stop him in the street, and actually
TO sympathize with him-the sensa-
ton was novel and pleasing. His OBJ
servatory and his telescope were shat
tered to a thousand fragments. Ri
chester felt real pity for one thus
rudely deprived of his hobby. and
people tried to interest him in other
matters instead. He meekly con-
scented to be pleased with almost any
thing; he allowed the precentor to
persecute him with Wagner, he gave
his consent to several long-desired i'm
provements in the cathedral, he made
schemes for helping the parochial
clergy, and took a leading part in all
the winter charities. Even his SER
mons shared in the general change;
they were o longer the dry, learned
discourses of former years, but clever,
earnest, powerful sermons, which peo-
pie fiocked to hear; the oean was rap
idly gaining the respect and affection
which, in the days Of his exclusiveness
I and self-indulgence, had never been
accorded to him
The short December days passed
quickly by. The long nights sue
ceeded each other one by one in need
less monotony, and still Claude lin
gered on almost miraculously; the long
Inconsistencies still remained I'M
broken
The last evening of the year came
a still. cold, frosty night. Esperance
found it hard then not to fear. almost
impossible not to glance on trembling
ly at the future. She listened to the
cathedral bells as they rang out clear
ly in the frosty air, and tried to take
courage, but never before had it seem
ed so hard to trust patiently. She ad
little sleep that night-at last, VIII IN
her restlessness grew unbearable, lie
rose and dressed herself, and went %
her husbands room, where Gaspard
had been keeping watch to relieve the
sick-nurse
He gave her his New-year's greet
ing sadly. What a Jour de Tan was