Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-10-18
Continued.

awoke into vigorous life. If I haC
known you fifty years | could not love
you better. You are the fairest and
most beautiful woman that ever glad
dened mans eyes, that ever wiled q
mans heart from his breast; and
love you. If had a thousand tongues
they would all cry out, I love you,
love you "
Hush" she said, holding up one lit
tie hand. "You-you brighten met"
4 frighten YOU" exclaimed Lord
RIVERS. "Ah, how unfit I am even to
talk to one so beautiful, so gentle as
you, Forgive me, and I will be as
gentle as yourself | only want to
impress on you the fact that I love
you, that while I live I can never again
be happy away from you, that | would
give my life and all it holds for you.
Oh, sweet, if you could only know how
beautiful you look standing there, you
would not wonder that I love you so.
You have never had an admirer, have
you?"
An admirer!' she repeated, half
trembling, half delighted. Il hardly
know what you mean"
Look at me-" he cried-'I am your
admirer-your lover. 1t means a man
mad for a time, who sees, hear
knows, thinks of nothing but the one
beloved
"'rhat must be tiresome," she an
swered, naiveiy II should not like to
have all my thoughts and ideas con-
centrated on one person"
You would if you loved him; that
makes all the difference, you see"
Love and admiration have been a
sealed book to me-" she said "In-
deed, have never thought of them"
yet love is the very life of a wom-
an" he cried, incredulously.
TT has not been mine" she said.
"Hark! What is that?"-for there
was a sudden commotion in one of the
tall lime-trees near them.
Probably little bird had fallen
from it's nest" Lord RIVERS answered,
smiling, for she was alarmed and
clung to him.
He caught the little white hands in
his own. and held them fast.
Il thought it was my aunt" she said,
half laughing, half trembling,
Never mind il it were, ! would go
to her if you would let me, and would
tell her tAat Ter niece was the love
Mesf Creature l had ever seen, that
loved her with my whole heart and
Ionged to make her my wife"
Il should be locked up in the dark
est cellar the house boasts. and never
allowed to come out again." Violet de-
clared, little Historically.
Il wonder" he said, gently, still
holding the two little white hands in
his own-"1 wonder if you would be
very angry if l called you Violet?"
1T would not be much use to be
angry about anything now" she said.
Then I may Oh, beautiful Violet,
listen to me! I love you with all my
heart; Will you try to love me little
in retNTn?"
she was silent. 1t was all so novel
for her. Then she looked up at him
with frank childlike eyes.
You have taken me so by SURPRISE"
she said.
"Have you not thought of me at
all?" he asked.
Eyes; but only as a nice, pleasant
friend, different from every one else
here in being of my own age"
He was silent for a few minutes;
then he said with thrill of passion in
his voice:
You must do more than that now,
pleasant friend whom you like because
he is of your own age. Think of me,
sweet as a lover who loves YOU with
such passionate devotion that he
would die for you: the lover who has
no JOY, no happiness, but with YOU
1T sounds quite poetical," she said.
1T is true!" he cried. vehemently.
"Oh, yes Violet, how hard it is to make
you understand. My darling, I knew
when you spoke to me in the woods
that day that you were simple as a
child. You reminded me of a beauti-
ful wild bird, so bright and free; and
now want to catch the wild bird and
keep it as my own forever"
q suppose that, really, if the truth
were told. | did wrong in answering
your questions" she said half ruefully
You could not do anything wrong.
am sure" he declared. Tell me,
he continued, after pause, IF had
gone away without seeing you again
without saying good-by, would you
have cared. would you have been I'm
happy, would you have remembered
me?"
She thought over his questions be
fore she answered them.
I should have been very sorry, bu
not unhappy" she replied. I should
not have forgotten you, and am glad
honestly glad, to see you again.
His face frightened as he gazed OF
her fair, shy loneliness.
Thank you for so much" he said
L will teach you the rest; that is tn
~eginning: the rest will come. Yo
are glad to see me. Heaven bles
you"
He bent down and kissed the fai
hands that lay so chill and quiet i
his own. And the first caress eve
given to her stirred the maiden depth
of her heart and soul as a pebbl
thrown into a deep lake disturbs it
surface. If Aunt Alice could but hav
seen that. Violet shuddered as tn
thought passed through her mind, an
he thought that she was vexed at HI
caresS.
.