River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-02-23


choicest flowers he was greeted with
yell and clamoring questions. Where
have you been? What have you got?'
i've been hunting he said grayely,
land I've brought back a lot Of pleas
ants"
This remark was loudly applauded;
but to their establishment the young Of
ficer looked annoyed, and he presently
walked away in a dreamy fashion. 1t did
not take them long to discover where he
had been, and most of them felt inclined
to follow in his footsteps. For it was not
to be expected that Lieut.. King would be
the only young soldier aroused by gall
liant desire to crafty this heroine Of now
increasing fame. Agnes had beauty;
she also had wealth, and, too, she was to
be sought while the other girls were
seeking. Under these enticing condi-
tons it was not strange that permits Ito
go hunting became the order of the day;
nor was it strange that the atmosphere
around old Judge Wells residence took
on blush tint; nor that the old man.
being deaf and near-sighted, and long
since insensible to the sound of low
voices and the mystic changes in atmos-
pheric tints, was entirely unconscious
that his castle had been besieged. For
far from being the least amusing fea-
ture Of the comedy as it unrolled was the
fact that the instigator himself was the
only innocent man in town"
But not more quickly do sunbeams
shift into shadows than do comedies
deepen into tragedies; hardly could the
onlOokers cease their laughing ere a
great heart-drama was laid bare before
them. 1t was going on for days before
they knew it, and but for the finale might
have been always unsupported, buried
deep in the lives of the dramatis per-
sOnae, as such dramas often are while
the world goes on laughing.
No one knew how it all came about.
Charles King was sure it had begun with
him or the first day when Agnes gave
him the roses; from that moment with
definite purpose he had gone to work to
shape the end. With Agnes it was differ
ent; she had drifted from the romantic
Utilization of one meeting to the dreaded
but hOpedfor ecstasy of the next, while
in the intervals her conscience lay on the
rack. She had no time for thought of
the future; she could only tremble and
fear, tremble and hope.
1t was not until the day when
Charles first left her under the rose
vine and went into the library to speak
10 her father that she felt this uncer-
tainty diminish; not until then did she
feel diffused through the gentle waver-
ing disposition inherited from her
mother something Of her fathers
strong self-wilI 1t crept over her
slowly at first, -affrighted; but
when she watched her lover walk
about the garden before coming near
her, it suddenly leaped like liquid fire
through her veins, stimulating, cleo
trifying. He read her promise, for bet
ter or for worse, before a word was
spoken.
Heaven bless you, my darling!" he
said, pressing her white hand to his
lips. ut matters not what he says,
you will marry me. 1 see it in your
eyes,
But what did he say, Chares?"
my uncles letter; did not, would not,
even hear who ! am. But it all makes
no difference now; tomorrow we will
be married"
They were wrapped in twilight. and
had no fear of interruption. All at
once Agnes became mOtiOnless, afraid
to stir, afraid to breathe; the tread of
an old man approached the sheltered
nook.
"Doncher git scared, honey; faint
nobody but Uncle Joe, an he done seed
young doves er coon befo'. les go on
wild yer kissin' an huggin'-Uncle Joe
don care, he bin er watchin' yer all
de time. Lord! but Use glad it's you,
Marse Charles; case | bin so daZed by
all dem blue coats er flynn round dis
here chile wat l done raised, dat Tus
feared she'd git fused an take up wild
er Yankee. OATS right, chin; jes
go on wild yer foolishness; Uncle Joe
gwine ter hep yer tie de knott"
And he did But for him one of the
party that gathered on the following
afternoon as # by accident, at the
church, the chile wat he done raised"
would have been absent.
One OF the other servants. however,
had not been so faithful. At the mo-
ment when the young minister began
in a trembling voice 10 read the mar
riage ceremony the father had been
informed, and was walking up and
down his library floor in violent
rage. When the minister warned: IF
any man can show just cause why they
may not lawfully be joined together"
the father had ordered his carriage;
when the minister questioned: Who
giveth this woman to be married to
this man." he was dashing along rap
idly, yet urging his horses to greater
speed; and when the voice of the
young soldier spoke out confident and
strong: with this ring | thee Wed"
he was tearing at the little church,
ward gate AS the noise reached the
expectant ears OF the few friends, all
sprang to their feet.
The old man came hobbling up the
aisle. shaking his fist at the officiating
priest. stop, sir! Stop! You are
overstepping your authority"
But the tremor had gone from the
voice of the young divine; he no lonh>
er hesitated. but said, looking Sternly
into the eyes of the enrased father.
while he held firmly the newly welded
hands: Those whom God oath joined
+ora+har LOT M man MT csnnder''