Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-12-26
Continued.
By W. HEIMBURG.


well then, she would be responsible
for whatever might happen. No, she
was coming back again. She was
only wandering about in her ex
aggerated anxiety; there was some
thing, then, that could shake her out
Of that intolerable calmness.
CHAPTER XIV.
Hilda was sitting writing in her
costly room-that is, she had been
writing, and now was reading her
letter over. 1t was addressed to her
eldest sister, of whom she had lately
made a confdante
The young artist was greatly
changed; her face had grown smaller,
and her mouth constantly wore that
half-scornful, notwithstanding smile
peculiar to people who feel them
selves immensely superior to all the
fOllies and pettiness of their fellow
men, and are only constrained to keep
heir opinions to themselves by the
force Of circumstances. There was
an air Of watching and waiting for
something in her whole manner; her
moyements had grown supple and cat
like; in short, she was scarcely recog-
nizable for the same person she had
been before. If Ante was quietly
patient, she was absolutely apathetic
in her manner. If Leo asked her if
she would go to walk, she replied
eHrtly: ooh, certainly" and marched
off beside him. Her manner to him
fell Just short Of rudeness. But this
reserve, this GOODNESS, suited her
admirably for fire blazed out of
her dark eyes which formed a
strange contrast to her calm manner
She was perfectly well aware that
this tortured Leo, and delighted AMI
veXed him at the same time, but she
wore an air of such Indifference that
no one would have thought she had
any idea of the storm she had raised.
And she hardly confessed even to her
self the delight which this occasioned
her
When Leo writhed and twisted like
worm trodden under foot, she felt
that even then all his sufferings did
not outweigh what she had endured
on that evening when she learned
that he was married. And all this
time she had not the slightest thought
for Ante. What was this woman to
her? She was quite satisfied if sha
only had the key to the cup-boards
and the linen-press at her girdle, aud
her baby on her arm.
She caught up her letter and read
It over CncC more:
Dearest Tony:
DO not torture me with questions,
for I cannot tell you when | shall
come home-Jussnitz has not vet
finished my picture. And You know
that am in good hands here
4 am delighted to hear that papa
has effectually stopped Aunt Pollys
slanderous tongue. Tony, you know
meas if | would remain here if only
one atom of all she says were true,
There are some people who cannot
look an inch beyond the wall which
their own narrow mindedness and
commonplace natures have built I'D
around them. l do not love Jussnitz;
write it down once more How
should |, Hilda Won Zweidorf, come
to such pass as to be interested in
n married man? Good Heavens. it
is too utterly absurd!
Perhaps l may come home some
day quite unexpectedly-for a short
time. think | shall try Munich by
and by And so | may appear sud
denly in your old attic room, between
the Gathering sewing and the
work basket. Good Heavens, how
can you stand that horrible monotony.
children?
There is little enough variety here.
Heaven knows, except the caprices of
my host. Now he thinks he will
paint; fling on my costume and pose
myself-though, really, what remains
to be done to the picture l do not
know myself it might have been in
RerHn long ago, so far as | can see
and in a quarter of an hour he finds
himself too nervous not in the mood
for it, and he wishes to talk instead.
The next minute he says he will take
walk. If that everlasting night
lamp were not in the house with her
faint but steady glimmer which keeps
the balance against all these whims.
everything would be turned topsv-
turvey' Iut as II ic-good Heavens.
now can any one be so intoIerabIy
stupid as that woman?
DO you remember that poem Of
Annette Won Droste-Hulshoff, The
Silly Woman? | tell you, Tony. that
the HulshOff woman was a perfect
model of sense and intelligence com.
pared with Frau Ante She had
sense enough. at least, not to make
her husbands pecuniary situation
more difficult But this one! And
always with the same cool. friendly
manner! If she would only storm
and scold once in a while by way of
variety, as Durer's amiable spouse
used TO debut no; that never hap
pens. But what nonsense | am writ
ing! Good-by. Love to my father
and mother and my sisters.
Your
"Hilda."
When Hilda wrote the words :.
How could I, Hilda Won Zweidorf
ever come to such a pass as to be
come interested in a married man -
she had only spoken the truth. The
love that she felt for him hat
been destroyed by the great dis
appointment she had endured, but in
the place of that love something else