Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-03-27

the afternoons WHen the young uOctOl
came-Antje alone or with Hilda
Hilda was still there While Antje
had been nursing Leo she had de
voted herself to the care of the child
And now, when old Classen nae
taken charge OF her. Ante could not
say to the young girl, without a want
Of courtesy of which she was not
capable: Leave my house," And
Hilda did not seem to think for q
moment that such a thing was pos
sible.
Ante endured the girls presence
with hauteur which could not have
failed to be painful to Hilda if she
/ had ever Weakened out of a certain
dreamy meditation into which she
seemed TO have plunged. Ante
/ looked at ner sometimes with a feel
ing of amazement. She would
smile SO happily to herself, and then
again m expression OF pain would
draw down the little mouth and a
! frown would appear between the dark
| brOws. At such moments Ante sup
posed she was thinking of her future
( happiness, or she was anxious about
his future and her own.
! Sometimes Hilda would wander
about the woods for the whole after
noon, and would not come back till
evening, when she would appear with
glowing cheeks, half-withered
bunch of flowers at her breast, and
both hands full of blossoms, which ;he
would lay silently on Antics work
table The young wife would put the
flowers in fresh water, but she
carried them into another room
where she could not see them She
always felt as if she must ask the
flower: WAS she alone when she
gathered you, or did he help to pluck
your
The doctor, apparently, did not OBJ
serve this rather strained intercourse
between the two, and he had adopted
a fatherly tone toward Hilda, half
tender, half-reproving, but more in,
clined to reproof than to praise
The two ladies were sitting to-
gether thus in the garden hall on the
last of May, Hilda with a book in her
hand from which she was reading
aloud. Antje had requested it, in
order to escape the torture of a CON
versatiOn with her, for she felt that
Hilda was seeking for an opportunity
to talk with her today. and she would
not give it to her What good could
it do? The little one was playing OH
the sunny gravel walk in front of the
veranda, under Classen's care Ante
was holding her work idly in her lap.
and did not hear a word of what
Hilda was reading. 1t was 'L'Arra5-
biata." by Paul Heyes. The young
girl stopped for a moment. Ante,
startled out of her meditations,
looked inquiringly at her, and Hilda
went on reading:
las for my father, no one ever
knew how he treated my mother, for
she would have died a thousand
deaths before she would have uttered
a word Of complaint. And just 1e-
cause she loved him. Now. if that is
the effect of love, that it closes ones
mouth when one ought to shrek for
help, and make a person utterly help
less against fortunes worse than the
bitterest enemy would infiict, then
will never give my heart into the
power of a man"
She dropped the book and looked
at Ante timidly, and with a shy, i'm
pioring glance. The young wife
y
she put it aside, got up. and. opening
her parasol of unbleached linen, she
went out through the sunny garden
along the path by the river. There
she opened little door in the wan
which led into the wood. and began
to walk slowly up the steep path
which wound along the mountain
with its magnificent beeches. Such
a woodland path is delicious in rhe
spring time. She walked on under a
light green, transparent canopy,
through which fell bright golden
rays. and On either side soft moss,
young ferns, and blue flowers. And
crystal. FLASHED and tinkled and
babbled across the path in their
hurry to get down into the valley.
Now and then deer would withdraw
into the thicket slowly, as if it
knew that in this blissful spring-time
no hunter was lying in wait for It.
. It's little fawn looked wonderingly at
| the human figure, and then ran off
after it mother The songs of birds
sounded from the tree-tops: it was
quiet. and yet SO sweet here in the
| forest, so peaceful and yet so full OF
| longing: it was like a sermon on the
joys of eternal youth and bliss, like
song of love and happiness.
Antje felt all this; she took it all
in, but it hurt her She was pos
sessed by but one thought-what will
! he do? How will it end? How could
she help him without humiliating?
She felt weary in body today, and
discouraged in addition. She won
dered how she could ever bear to
live on like this, and the worst was
yet to come. But nothing but ner
pale cheeks and her sad eyes betray
ed how much she was suffering.
What was it Hilda had just read
Love closes the mouth when one
ought to cry out for helpi" But, nh
who was there to help her? She
knew no one in the whole wide
world; the only friend she had was
dead now.
She had slowly mounted highe
and higher. Now she turned aside
from the road and walked along