Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-07-11
Continued.

so that they should not lose one word,
and the sweet girlish voice sang on.
"'I know not when the day may be,
know not when our eyes may
meet,
What welcome you may give to me,
Or will your words be sad or sweet.
It may not be till yes.s.v 4z:e passed,
Till eyes are Din thu Cresses gray;
The world is wide, but, love at last
Our hands, our hearts, must meet
some day.
Some day I shall meet you,
Love- know not when or how,
Only this, that once you loved
Only this, love you now.
CT know not ere you far or near,
Or are you dead or do you live;
l know not who the blame should
bear,
Or who should plead, or who for
give.
But, when we meet at length some
day,
Eyes clearer grown the truth may
see,
And ev'ry cloud shall roll away
That darkens, love, 'twixt you and
me.
Some day | shall meet you,
Love- know not when or how:
Only this, that once you loved
me-
Only this, I love you now"
f111
but the words of the song entered
Violet's heart. 1t had needed but this
to fill her whole soul with unutterable
longing for her husband, longing so
great that it was almost pain. Tears
filed her eyes, and Mrs. Carstone
crossed the room to her quietly to kiss
them away.
"You must not agitate yourself" she
whispered.
A strange coincidence happened
that same evening. Although tired,
Violet knew she should not sleep, and
she asked for some books. Amongst
others there was sent to her a volume
of extracts; and the first lines upon
which her eyes fell were these:
Marriage, Tightly uIuSISIOOu,
Gives to the tender and the good
A paradise below"
They struck her with strange force.
Had she voluntarily deserted an earth
ly paradise? All, let her but once
return, let her but once more stand
in the safe shelter of her husbands
arms, and she would be all that he
could wish, she would love him with
her whole heart and soul! Peer or
peasant, noble or plebeian, mattered
little now; she loved him.
CHAPTER LIV.
Two days had passed, and no an
sWer had come to Violet's letter. 1t
was the third day now, and the young
wife's heart misgaye her. Within
three days, she and Mrs Carstone had
argued, letter must reach any part
of England. In the first flush of san
guine hope she had felt quite sure
that the moment Randolph read her
letter he would hasten to her. She
had expected him every hour, every
minute; every footstep on the stairs,
every hand on the handle of the door,
she had believed to be his. She had
started hundred times each day, her
face flushing, her heart beating fast,
faint cry on her lips, which turned
always into wall of disappointment.
1t was the end of the third day He
would not come now; he was not in
such great hurry to see her, after ALL
And no wonder, she owned to herself
in sorroWful honesty-no wonder,
after all her caprices and the scornful
fashion in which she had treated his
love. Once terrible disappointment
happened to her. A hanson dashed
up to the grand entrance, and some
one sprang from it in hot haste-some
one who looked up at the windows of
the hotel as though he expected to see
beloved face there. For one mo-
ment her heart stood still It was
surely he-surely Randolps-come at
last But, as the face and figure drew
nearer, the were strange to her. 1t
was not Randolph. A horrible sense
Of dismay came to her-a horrible
fear. What should she do if he never
possible; he must write. In all their
little misunderstanding he had ever
been the first to yield. A smile. a.
glance. a word from her had ALWAYS
brought him to her feet. Was it.
likely that he could or would with
stand such words as she had written
Let us be friends?"
The dawn of the fourth day found
her trembling between hope and
despair. On the fifth day Mrs. Car
stones kindly heart failed her when
she looked at the white worn face
My DEAR" she said, you must not
look 50. Try to regain some of your
lndl1ference, some of your careless
ness; your face is becoming quite
drawn and haggared."
And Violet, clasping the friendly
hands in her own, cried in a voice
that was pitiful to hear:
I do not think my husband will
answer my letter."
Mrs. Carstone tried to comfort her
with all the gentle soothing women
use to each other in the hour of dis
tress. 1t was possible, she urged
that the letter had not reached him.
There was plenty Of time yet She
must be patient, and, above all, she
must remember how precious her life
was.