Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-08-25
CHAPTER XXI.

At midnight Leighton sat in the old
house in Seminary Square debating the
situation with Rodney Merriam.
What we said to her this afternoon
evidently failed to arouse her. She
either doesn't understand, or she
doesn't care"
she understands perfectly" said
Merriam; but it's quite like her 10
wish to shield him. Her mother did
II before her It's a shame for the
money to have gone so; but it was in
eyitable, and I'm glad it's over now"
Norris was silent Rodney Merriam
was growing old and the thought of 1t
touched him deeply, for Rodney Mer-
Ram was his best friend, a comrade,
an elder brother, who stood to him for
manliness and courage, much as Carr
represented in his eyes scholarship and
professional attainment
You never saw Zelda's mother?"
asked Merriam, presently.
NO"
.cYour father and my sister were
once engaged to be married." said Mer-
Ram Your father was my intimate
friend. Morris. We were boys togeth-
er at college-it's your college and
mine. too. I'm glad you went there.
your father would have liked it So
some of the fellows who taught US,
taught YOU. When you saw them you
saw gentlemen and scholars They
gave I'D the chance of greater things
70 stay there among the elms and ma
piles of the old campus.
Your father moved here. He was
an ambitious man. There was every
likelihood of his taking a high place at
the bar; and he had. too, a taste for
notifies. Then he met my sister. She
WAS the Youngest member of our fam
Dv-only a girl at the end of the war
She was a very beautiful woman, Nor
rIs She and Zee are much alike; but
Zee has marked traits Of her own. 1
don't quite account for them. Her
mother was a quick witted woman.
we'll educated for her day. Zee Is more
woman of the world than her moth
er was and she has more spirit"
Merriam opened a drawer in his ia
,led and drew out miniature paint
ed on porcelain. He put on his spec
tacles and studied it intently for a mo-
ment before handing it to Leighton
1T was understood in the family
that they were to be married, though
there was never any formal announce
ment Your father meanwhile was as-
tablishing himself Then Margaret
went East to visit a friend of hers.
When I got back, a little later, I fou I'd
that 1t was all off between her and
your father. The girl had never been
away from home before, and the peo-
pie she visited put her through lively
PAGES. 1t was easy to admire her. and
the admiration from strangers went
to her head. Mariona wasn't very gay
in those days, and Margaret had miss
ed a good deal of the social life that
she was entitled to-"
The old man paused, lost In thought
and Morris was glad of the silence He
was trying to construct for himself the
past-to see his father as Rodney Mer-
riam had painted him, and to see, too
Margaret Merriam as she had been
when his father knew and loved her.
There's no use going into It She
stopped writing to your father with
out any warning that she had changed.
She was completely carried away with
the excitement of her New York ex-
periences. She was not ready to settle
down yet a while. she told him. 1
supposed it would all come right, for
I had faith in her. She was a true
hearted. gentle woman. but she was
proud and headstrong; and your faith
er had his pride, too. I don't blame
him for taking 1t hard. He closed his
office here and went back to Tippeca-
noe. I don't believe they ever saw
each other again. I'm not afraid but
that you will do what Is right. You
are the son of your father. l don't be-
Iieve you take things as hard as he
did. Don't do it. And don't remember
what l have told you tonight. It's
queer story. And 1t hasn't any moral
at all. Your father missed something
out of his life-the fine ardor of MS
younger manhood, maybe. But he had
rour mother and &c had you It wasn't
ne that was punished"
He was silent moment, and then
alurted out: