Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-01-09
aSp IN SkSss "a
Continued.
By Y. HETEIBURG.

GU Will soon KNOW WueCQef IL Is
to be good or i'll, gracious lady" said
the old woman Please God, you will
De back home in four weeks time.
can't fancy the house without you,
though | will do my best. 1t will be
like a room from which the lamp has
been carried out, when the carriage
drives away with you and the baby.
But, gracious lady, will you not go and
have your breakfast with the master
He is in the dining-rOom now"
Il have already said good-by to him,
Classen."
Good gracious, ma'am. how pale
you look. But that is all your own
1bstinacy-you would sleep on that
miserable sofa all night"
"Classen, | cried all night, after |
came to myself, till this morning; but
why should | disturb your master?
1t is better to keep ones anxiety and
distress to ones self"
1T ceretainly would be a dreadful
hing if be should lose a nights sleep
or once!" thought Frau Classen,
rimly as she looked at the narrow,
uncomfortable sofa on which her
young mistress had spent the night,
Then she added aloud. with a deep
Sigh: ooh, | will take care of him;
know all his favOrite dishes; you can
be quite easy about him, ma am. |
should like best to be going with you
as nurse"
And she turned sObbing away and
went downstairs into her kitchen with
Antics key-basket There she put it
in the cupboard behind the shining
glass doors, and drying her eyes with
the corner of her apron, she declared
that she felt just as if some great mis-,
fortune were coming to this house.
Antje, quite broken down, had
locked herself into her room; she
had sent the child downstairs with
it's nurse to say good-by to papa. She
was quite crushed and broken, and
she felt a sharp physical pain in the
region of the heart The beating of
the poor, tortured heart was irregular
as the terrified fiutterings of some i'm
prisoned bird. She thought he must
must say: 1T is impossible, Ante,
that you should be going away for
ever; stay here with mel"
But he could not do that! 1t would
De hypocrisy, it would be a lie; he
did not love her. 1t would only have
been a continuation of the same oil
miserable existence. No, he could
OF Il,
It was all over,
Then she suddenly started up; the
child's voice sounded in the corridor
Her head swan in her dread of seeing
him again; she shuddered at the tor
ture of this parting, and yet-ah, it
vas only the nurse.
Can you keep the baby with you
for a few minutes. ma ann" she in
quired. Il would like to pack up my
things" And she put the child down
on the floor in front of it's mother.
Jump me, mammal said the little
one.
Antics trembling hands caught up
the light little creature. Mouse
she stammered out, "did papa give
you a kiss? What did papa say?"
Papa say nothing" replied the
child.
THE master kissed her little hand.
called back the n-crse from the door
way Il think he was in a great
hurry"
Antje fixed her burning eyes on
the child and put the little hand TO
her lips
WAS it SO easy for him, Mousie,
80 very easy?" she murmured
Then she saw a dark spot on the
pale blue bow which adorned the
child's dainty sleeve at the wrist
Perhaps he shed tear over you,
your poor little baby. 1t must be a
fear, he could not be so heartless.
Mamma will keep the bow for you.
Who knows that it may not some day
be the only proof that your father
ever loved you, Mousie!" And she
took off the bow and hid it in her
prayer-book, which lay at the top of
the open trunk
Down in the court the coupe drove
up to the door. Antje heard it from
the window, but she did not stir.
Would he really go away without once
coming to see her?
At length she got up, took the
child in her arms, and went to the
window. She saw Leo standing on
the steps, she saw him look up at
Hildas window, and then get into the
carriage. The carriage drove away
through the open gateway, and she
followed it with her eyes till it dis.
appeared round the corner of the
garden-wall
With tottering steps she carried the
child back to the nursery and fed
into the studio, which she locked be
hind her.
She was still there when the car.
Ttage drove up to take her to the
station
Old Classen knocked vigorously at
the door.
Gracious lady, it is time to go.
The trunks are fastened on the car
riage, and the others have got in"
The door opened, and the youne
mistress came out and walked past
her faithful servant Like a ghost.
said the footman, who was standins
behind the old woman with her ful
T.Cak on his arm.
She came back almost immediateIy
hof oyoI rrIo ,