Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-03-08
Continued.

had imagined himself alone with he
q thousand times, and in his fancy III
was always pouring out floods Of elo
quent words, she listening with drOop
ing eyes and flushed face. Now the
reality for which he had longed wa;
his, and he stood before her in silence
the words trembling on his lips, hi;
heart beating with an unknown fear
a strange awe upon him, for heI
beauty had completely overpoWered
him, and had left him unable to speak
She was the first to recover herself
IL was new to her TO see a tall, hand
some man disconnected by her. She
raised her frank, proud eyes to his
face, and then he saw the traces of bit
ter tears.
Miss Gordon he cried, hastily,
you have had bad news, | am afraid,
You have been grieving over something
IN your letter"
His voice, so full of sympathy,
seemed to touch her A sudden i'm
pulse OF confidence in this stranger
aeized her
You are right" she said. Il have
been longing for the letter, and now
thak it has come, am disappointed
Her lips quivered, and the strong eff
FORT she was making to control herself
drove the color from her face He sat
down by her side. The sight of that
Il 10 Il;
courage.
How | wish that | were not a
stranger" he said that [ might be
able 20 help you-to say something
THAT might console you"
1 am ashamed of myself" confessed
Ethel, most bitterly ashamed; but my
disappointment has been great
Let me try to help you to forget it, "
ne said This beautiful world is smiI-
ing all around us; there is a bright
sky above; let us enjoy them for a
time, and forget trouble"
With firm, gentle touch, which she
made no attempt to resist, he took the
closely-written sheets from her, folded
them carefully, and then gave them
back to her.
Place the cause of annoyance out of
sight, Miss Gordon, and you will forget
IT,; that is true philosophy, and the
proper method of managing all things
disagreeable"
His peremptOry manner rather
pleased her than otherwise; she looked
no at him with a frank, fearless smile.
DO you think So Mr.. Nugent I do
not quite agree with you. | should
bring all disagreeable things to the
front, look them boldly in the face. do
brave battle with them and vanquish
them one by one-that seems to me
truer philosophy than yours"
It was so, and the remark showed,
as plainly as words could show. the
difference between speaker and lis
Cener.
] will learn any kind of philosophy
YOU may choose to teach me, Miss
Gordon" returned Laurie Nugent;
YOU shall find me the most obed:ent Of
scholars. | would believe all you told
me, do all you bade me, think as You
thought speak as you spoke. in hope
OF but one reward"
What might that reward be-" she
asked, smiling.
One kind look from you. and one
Kind word-all earth could give me no
greater reward than that"
r was pleasant to sit there and hear
such kind words; it was pleasant to
.14ad the admiration so plainly revealed
eleam Of happiness Ethel had known
since Sir Leonard first impaired to hen
the fact of his intended marriage.
The whole scene was so fair that il
lived in her memory long after years Of
suffering had hlnt.ed out other pic.
lures Ethel proud, frank, beautiful
Ethel sat drinking in the first deep
luscious draught Of the cup that was
Q prove but deadly poison. For the
zirsJ time in her young life she listened
0 the unmeasured words OF flatterine
love, and they did not displease her
Laurie Nugent was a clever man
quick of comprehension; he had the
@tft Of understanding character and q
adapting himself to the people into
whose midst he was thrown He mis-
used the gift terribly. even fatally: bu
ne had it. and used it like a charm AL
though he had exchanged but few in
ifferent words with Ethel. he under
~-oOd her perfectly; he did not know
Gov she came TO be associated witt
Miss Digby, or whether they were re
-ated, but he saw plainly enough tina
Ethel did not like her, and never fel
At ease with her. He showed hi
adTo&tness when, after talking to he
Tor some minutes, he asked with
curious smile:
Where is Miss Digby this morning
] have not seen her
She is writing letters" reptile
Ethel; and the remembrance Of the let
1eT she was writing dartend the beau
fiful face, and Swallowed the sweer
fright eyes.
I am glad to hear it," he remarked
With careless laugh Il am gratefr
70 those letters; but for them, Mis-
Digby would be here, l suppose; and
have an idea that she does not Xix
me"
If he had though the matter over fc
months, he could not have said any
Thing more likely to answer his pun
pose than that; all the love, the fla
terry, the eloQuence, was as nothin
compared to those magical words. H