Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-11-14
CHAPTER |.

such as your needy adventurer and shifty
Spectator love to take in hand. For ev-
cry man that has money there are ninety
nine who are anxious to spend it for him.
IF any one asks you for money, Flex-
more" said /, don't refuse him; send
him to me-" And he did so, with this re
sult-he never lost penny by these good
natured friends.
He had a great respect for me-more
than l deserved doubtless. He seemed to
think that whatever l did must be right,
and | believe it was the sheer force of ex-
ample that kept him out of matrimony 50
long; because | did not care to take a
wife, he thought it best to keep single.
But the conditions were different | am
not an easy-going man, and marriage
would have been purgatory for me or my
wife, and the result must have been equal
~ bad for both of US in either case. But
Flexmore had nothing to do from morning
to night that might not very well be set
aside to attend to the wants of some
body else. He saw that he ought to have
some other object in life than to eat and
sleep and kill time-that his life was in
complete in fact. But he still made pre-
tense of being content with a bachelors
existence.
One day 1 caught him singing his old
song, When O mans single he lives at his
ease" but in such a lugubrious strain
that it would have made me laugh if it
had not irritated me.
That's humbug, Flexmore," said l,
"and you know it. A mans happiness
consists in making other people happy
unless he's a lawyer. You're not a law
yer, and you ought to be making some
body happy. You'd be more at your ease
if you had somebody else to think about,
and somebody else to think about you"
do you mean that | ought to marry,
Tony?" he said, blushing like a girl.
THAT is exactly what l do mean,
George There's little Miss Vaughan,
who has been waiting to be asked these
three years; there are dozens of girls to
be chosen from"
do you think she would have me-" he
interrupted eagerly.
well the best way of deciding that
point is to go and ask her this afternoon"
said l.
The result of this advice was that
Flexmore married Miss Vaughan just six
weeks after.
She was much younger than he, as a
wife should be. A happier couple l never
saw. He lived to please her, and she to
please him-that was the chief object of
their lives.
A year after their marriage they had a
child, and a nice fuss they made about it.
She grew up pleasant little thing shy
and timid, with a clinging affection for
lovable persons and things. | never saw
anything like the passionate attachment
that existed between her and her sweet
tempered mother. Poor Mrs. Flexmore
had never been robust person, and
well, to cut short story that is too pain
full to dwell upon, she died when little
Laurie was eleven years old.
Flexmore was then sixty-two, but he
was not too old to suffer The loss I'M
manned him completely. He took on like
a woman and he would have been less a
man if he had not, perhaps.
my poor old friend" said l, lit would
have been better to let you live on an
old bachelor"
No. no. he replied After such hap
piness an eternity of suffering would find
me still a gamer"
You have your child-your little
Laure," said /; and then, to turn his
thoughts from the past, l talked about
the future, and what he should do for
the child's welfare. Indeed the chiId's
grief gave me almost as much concern as
the fathers. 1t was not a passionate out
burst, that spends itself like a summer
shower and gives place to peace and
smiles, but a continued fruitless yearn-
ing for that loved one to come back who
was gone forever.
You must have a woman here to COM
fort her." | said TO Flexmore.
He agreed to this. and sent for his de-
ceased brothers widow. who had married
again and been a second time left q
widow, as being his nearest female rela
tive. and she came readily enough
woman of fifty. hard as nails. and stringv
as an old crow. She looked upon littIe
Laure's distress as unnatural in a child
and her morbid condition as the result of
defective education: and she set about
correcting all this by setting the little
thing to read some instructive and moral
books which no conceivable creature could
find interest or pleasure in.
After she had been there three days
DR.. Audrey had to be sent for. Laure
was feverish and couldn't hold herself
up properly" DIR. Audrey ordered her
to be put to bed AT once. gave directions
respecting treatment. and sent physic TO
be administered every two hours
Mrs. Ieames had studied medicine from
shilling handbook that she carried with
her as if it were an amulet; she diluted
FL
she thought Ar Little Laure was very
much worse when the doctor called the
next day; and it was not long before he
discovered the reason. He came down
into the library where | was sitting with
Flexmore.
Your child is in very dangerous CON
dition," he said firmly.
Heaven have mercy upon mer' ex-
claimed my old friend, cIasping his hands.
What's to be done?"
She must have proper nurse. to be-
gin with said DR.. Awdrey. II can get
you one whom l can rely on implicitly,
and who can do more than all my physic
for the poor child. She is in the hospital
for little children at London, and | be-
lieve she would come at once if l asked
her.
Then for mercy's sake, telegraph for
her at once
When the doctor was gone Flexmore
in some embarrassment turned TO me-
1T will never work, Tony said he de-
spondently. The nurse will never be
| able to put up with Mrs. Yeames."
Yes; she's turned the whole place
| topside turvy in putting things il order,
and left not a bit of comfort anywhere"
Yes, yes; all the things that my darl-
ing loved she has packed away-the lit
tie trihes with which she made these
rooms so bright and pleasant. l can't
bear to see the place altered; and those
rifles, Tony, l miss them-I miss them" "
Well have 'em all back again in TWEEN
tyfour hours
Il asked her to come and live here.
| How can l get rid of herr
Don't bother about that, George. You
| leave her TO me. Give me full authority
to act in your behalf, and stick TO my
| directions