Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-09-20

'N1y name is Randolph" he an
sWered.
Good morning then, Mr.. Randolph.
she said, with bright smile. Now
go to receive the reprimand Of {
justly angered aunt"
! He watched the pale blue dress as il
disappeared amongst the trees.
ITO think that l should meet my fate
here, on a bright June morning." hi
said to himself. yet love and june
:! and roses seem naturally to go To-
gether."
He watched until the last vestige Of
the blue dress vanished, then he begar
to blame himself Why had he not
said more to her? Why had he no
dared tell her the first time he saw hel
how well and how dearly he loved her
And, at least, if he had not gone SO fal
as that, he might have asked her tC
make an appointment with him
What if she had gone out of his life
and he should never see her again
! How foolish he had been to let her go
| The only thing left for him was to be
sure to be here on the morrow. As
! for the future, he did not even care tC
think of it. He would leave the paint
| ing until another day, when he should
! be less haunted by that exquisite face
What was the beauty of sunshine and
| leaf to him, whose mind was filled with
a far loveier vision?
Il have often wondered whom |
| should love, where I should see her
! first, in what guise she would come to
me- and how fair she would be- he
C4-Ought; "and now my questions are
| all answered at once. I have met her
in the grand old woods of st. Byno's
on the brightest day of the year; and
| she has come to ne in the fairest
| guise for she has the LOWEST face
have ever seen. How I wish she could
| have stayed with ne for a few hours"
And then he closed the easel and
walked down the glade, the words of II
quaint old ballad rising to his lips the
while. He trolled them out in a deep,
clear voice, and seemed to derive
wonderful satisfaction from them.
Wrong not, sweet mistress of my
heart.
The merit Of true passion
With thinking that he feels no smart
That sues for no compassion.
Silence in love betrays more woe
Than words, though ne'er so witty;
A beggar that is dumb, you know,
May challenge double pity.
Then wrong not, dearest to my heart,
My love, for secret passion;
He smartest most who hides his smart
And sues for no compassion"
Lord RIVERS said to himself that
some day, when they were alone in
this woodland glade, he would sing
that ballad for her 1t said more than
ne could say, for it told Of the silent
struggle of deep love to make itself
understood. The only cloud that over
Swallowed this the fairest dawn Of love
was that Violet Beaton disliked aristo-
Gratis. He would have to combat that
dislike, and make her own that al
aristOcrat was as good as a cOmmOner.
Meanwhile the object of his dreams
hastened through the woods, crossed
the pretty rustic bridge that spanned
the river, opened the garden gate, and
looked up with laughing eyes at the
tall, erect figure awaiting her there
"Violet," said the stern Miss Ather-
ton, you know that I attend to the
garden every day at twelve o'clock; it
is now half an hour behind the ap-
pointed time. Where have you been?"
The recollection of where she had
been, and with whom, and what her
aunt would say, if she knew it..
frightened the laughing eyes.
Il have been in the woods, Aunt
Alice. I know that am late, and am
sorry for it. l will make up for it by
working doubIy hard now"
Miss Anterior was somewhat molli-
! fed, and she said more gently;
Il will overlook it this once, but il
must not happen again; duties must be
| performed first, pleasure is an after
consideration.
: So Violet Beaton took the basket
obediently, and attended her aunt III
! her gardening operations. Miss Ather-
ton was as scrupulous in her garden as
| in her house; no weeds, no dead leaves.
no dying flowers were permitted there.
She was in an unusually vigorous
mood this morning; the scissors were
in use constantly, and blossom after
blossom fell-for she had a great dis
! like to what she called the UntiuIness
| OF dying flowers.
! ssV-ha rocn wOu1d have lasted aDO+A or
week. aunt" Violet protested, as she
watched Miss Anterior snip off fine
damask rose which was a little faded
''You are here to carry the basket
not to make comments" was Miss
Atherton's curt reply.
Violet's thoughts went back to al
incident in her childhood. Miss Ather-
ton had given orders to have the grass
on the little lawn mown. 1t was stud
ded with white DAISIES that had beer
the very pride and delight of the child'S
heart-wide-ope DAISIES with COLDER
eyes; and. when she saw them GU
: down by the scythe, she cried bitterly
Miss Atherton was exasDerated. I
} was bad enough to have niece; i
was worse still to have niece give
: to sentimentality.
l From that day, when Violet hal
broke her heart over the dead DAISIES
I Miss Atherton had done all in he
, power to repress the girls imagination
S instead Of training it; and the con
: sequence was that it grew under thi
repression, and not in the healthies
IL