Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-03-22

often asked himself during the next
few days. He had deemed himself well
versed in the ways of women; he
thought, with a half con1emptuous
smile, Of how easily they were under
stood, Of how easily they were man
aged; he wondered at the nonsense men
wrote and uttered about the impossible
Ity OF understanding the fairer half OF
creation. But this young girl puzzled
him. She had met him and talked with
MIN; she had even answered some of
the passionate love-letters he had writ
ten to her; but her proud, serene. calm
face fairly puzzled him.
! Her face never changed its color for
MIN, her eyes never dropped beneath
MS, her hands never trembled when he
held them in warm, loving clasp: she
had none Of the pretty shyness that he
thought belonged naturally to Young
girls IN love; she did not seem to study
MS looks and words as others had
done; she was kind, gracious, gentle,
out she never lost her proud serenity,
her dlgnif1ed calm He thought much
OF 1t, but he could not tell whether she
| loved him.
Nor had Ethel answered a like oues-
Clon satisfactorily. 1t was very pleas
ant to be wooed in so chivalrous a fash
lon-to see tall, strong. handsome
man submissive as child; to know
that ne obeyed her slightest wish. that
he trembted at her frown, that her last
word could raise him to heaven or
ming him into the depths of despair.
Ethel Gordon's love of power was graf
lled by her ascendency over T.aurie
Nugent 1t was flattering to see the
color change on his handsome face the
| strong hands tremble at her apnroacb
But, II all she had read of love in poesy
was true, she did not love him. She
oelleVed she did. The break in the calm
monotony of her life had been more
IMAM pleasant; the stir of gratified van
lty' the love Of rule, the desire of do
ing something that Miss Digby did not
approve, the wish to oppose her, the
deHghted consciousness of her disobep-
ing her-ail these things Ethel Gordon
mistook for love.
And so, mistaking. she was bitterly
disappointed. She had now reached
the shores of that golden land that in
the distance had so completely charmed
her she found them bleak and barren
the bright fairy-land was but drv
waste She sighed deeply as she had
said to herself that she was in love and
that love after all was not what she
mad imagined. She recalled the glow
ing verses Of the poets who had written
OF 1t, the glorious melodies that told of
IL, the books written in eloquent words
with love for theme, and that was all
1t dld not occur to her that she had
mistaken gratified vanity for love: she
was not even conscious how far the de-
sire TO oppose and thwart Miss Digby
lnnuenced her; and she was disap-
pointed that love was not more en-
trancing after ALL She had read some
where that it changed the very aspect
or the world for those who opened their
hearts to it, that the sunhsine became
more golden, that the flowers grew
more fair. She had not found it so. #
was very pleasant to be so tenderIv
cared for, so assiduously worshiped; to
know that one mans thoughts were all
for her, that his life was conferred in
her; to know that her every action was
OF the highest Importance to him. But
there it all ended; she could not under
stand what the poets had meant by
rapture and delight. She owned to her.
self that, now this great, grand dover
OF WomanhOOd had been given to her,
she did not think so very s1uch of it.
The part that she enjoyed the most and
found the greatest pleasure in was re-
membering how completely she had ig-
nored Helen Digby.
What will papa think OF me when he
learns that under her auspices, under
her charge and control, under her pro-
| lection, l have met a lover settled my
whole life, and she knows nothing Of
it? What will papa say to that? What
will he think of her boosted prudence,
her power Of guidance?'
It was neither kind nor a generous
view to take of matters; it was unlike
Ethel Gordon; but her dislike of Miss
Digby had blinded her, and she went
slowly on the road that led to her
DOOM
To Be Continued