Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-07-22
aA1most nndonhted case of affinity

almost undoubted case of affinity, ,
the deaconess said, but the devil
tersely called It "love at first sight
| And so matters ran on for half a
year, she growing more winsome. and
loveable under the rays of that silent
but an-prevailing love; he dropping off
his faults and follies as he had his
| foul smelling garments and daily
developing in manliness of soul and
body. Still he did not speak with his
| lips, and the rest of us became i'm
patient for the denouement. It came
in part but not as we had expected.
One Monday morning M. Quod did
not appear, but each time the heavy
street door banged the angel gave a
pretty start and flush, but no step OIL
the stairs could fool her, though his
once tagging pace had changed to all
elastic bound.
The day passed, the next, a week, a
month and then the angel disappeared
and we were scarcely sorry, for as
stealthily as happiness had come to
her so stealthily it went away, and
now she was like a wrath of herself
and laughter and light words in her
presence seemed sin.
The boss alone had been blind to the
whole affair and now he grumbled
nightly because he had lost two sucn
good hands.
Reckon he's gone back to trampen, =
the devil saba tramp once tramp
allers,'' and so we all concluded.
1t was all very disappointing, this
sudden loss of the pretty web OF
romance we had so sympathetically
watched weaving, for, though he had
come in the guise of tramp, we had
settled it that he was born gentle,
man and good enough for anybody
even the angel.
Almost another six months passed
when one morning it, too, CHANGED TO
be on bad Friday ringing step on the
stairs was followed to be M. QuoG's
Ease in the Doorway face wholly
unlike the one of year before. His
glance swept the room, beginning with
the freckled-faced girl occupying the
angels stool and ending there. A
swift spasm of pain and disappoint-
ment contracted his features, but he
pulled himself together to respond in
kind to the cordial greeting of the
boss, passing on little later for a
hand shake and word with each Of us
old hands.
'T say Quod," cried the devil Bit
irritably, what We done with the
angelo"
'oThe very question was about to
ask, my boy"
The tone was meant to be steady
but it was not
And then we told him Of her de-
parture and that all we knew was that
she had complained of headache and
gone to her home in another town.
''Heartache more like" muttered
the devil, but if the man heard he
made no sign. He jotted down the
name of the town and swung off much
to the disgust Of the boss, who had
some difficult job work on hand and
could not see any sense in smart
fellow running off after chit OF
girl like that anyway. The boss was
dyed-in-the-woo bachelor.
Some two months later the real
denouement came when NJ. Quod-or
as we then learned Maurice Quodman
Leigh-and his bride, nee the angel,
walked in handsome and radiant, and
the whole office force was given a holi-
day, and the groom ordered a grand
spread at the best hotel, and in an
after-dinner speech told of his leaving
home of luxury in a fit of anger at
his father, in whose large newspaper
establishment he had served
thorough apprenticeship; of his head
strong bent for ruin until saved 'by
the face of an angel" Unworthy
even to tell her Of his love he said:
81 went home, was reconciled to my
father, became a partner in the bust
ness and then came back to sue for
the love feared might never be mine.
You know the rest
AS he finished he lifted the hand of
his bride to his lips and I saw shining
thereon a gold circlet set with a
maltese cross of pearls.
She toll me afterward that it was
his mothers dying gift to him.