River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-10-23


steamer trunk with the smile Just
smile. that is all. Life demands smiles
from a woman. even if she must crush
their perfume from her own heart.
and she generally has them ready.
) Oh, Molly. Molly. Is it for this you
came into the WORLDWIDE to give
yourself without love? What differ
ence does it make that your arms are
strong and white if they can't clasp
him to the softness and fragrance OF
your breast? Why are your eyes blue
pools of love if they are not for his
questioning. and what are your rose
lips for if they quench not his thirst?
! Yes. know God is very tender with
a woman. and | think he understands
so if she crept very close to him and
caught at his sleeve to steady herself
he would be kind to her until she
could go on along her own steep way
Please. God. never let him find out. for
| it would hurt him to have hurt me-
| Some days are like the miracle flow
ers that open in the garden from plants
you didn't expect to bloom at all.
might have been born. lived and died
without having this one come into my
| life. and. now that | have had it.
don't know how to write it except in
the crimson of blood. the blue of fame
the gold Of glory. and a tinge of light
green would we'll express the part
| have played. But it is all over at last
and
| Ruth Chester was the unfolding of
the first hour petal and ! got a glimpse
of heart of gold that l feel dumb
| with worship to think of. She's Gods
own good woman, and he made her in
one of his holy hours. l wish | could
| have borne her, so she me, and the
tenderness of her arms was a sacra-
ment. We two women just stood aside
with life'S articles and cOncealmentS
and let our own hearts do the talking.
She said she had come because she
| felt that if she talked with me l might
be better able to understand Alfred
when he came and that she had seen
| that the judge was very determined,
and she thoroughly recognized his
| force of character. We stopped there
while l gave her the document to read
l suppose it was dishonOrable. but |
needed her protection from it. I'm
| glad she had the strength of mind to
walk with head high in the air to
Judy's range and burn it up. Any
thing might have happened if she
| hadn't. And even now feel that only
my marriage vows will close up the
case for the judge, even yet he may
But when Ruth had got done with AL
fred she had wiped Judge Wade's ap-
probation of him completely off my
mind and destroyed it in tender words
| that burned us both worse than Judy's
fire burned the letter. She did me an
aWfully good service.
"And so you see, you lovely woman
you, do you not, that God has made
you for him as a tribute to his great
ness and it is given to you to fulfill
a destiny?' She was so beautiful as
she said it that had to turn my eyes
away but l felt as l did when those
awful 'let not man put asunder"-
Mr.. Carter-words were spoken over
me by Mr.. Raines. the Methodist min
lister 1t made me wild. and before
knew it I had poured out the whole
truth to her in a perfect cataract Of
words. The truth always acts on wom-
en- as some hitherto untried drug, and
you can never tell what the reaction
is going to be- In this case | was
stricken dumb and found it hard to
see.
"Oh, dear heart" she exclaimed as
she reached out and drew me into her
lovely, gracious arms. "then the priv
lege is all the more wonderful for you.
as you make some sacrifice to complete
his life. Having suffered this. you will
be all the greater woman to under
stand him.. accept my own sorrow
at his hands willingly. as it gives me
the larger sympathy for his work,
though he will no longer need my per-
sonal encouragement as he has for
years In the light of his love this
lesser feeling for DR.. Moore will soon
| pass away, and the accord between
you will be complete" This was more
than I could stand, and, feeling less
than a worm, l turned my face into
her breast and walled. Now, who
would have thought that girl could
dance as she did?
By this time l was in such a solu-
ton of grief that / would soon have
had to be sopped up with a sponge if
Pet hadn't run in bubbling over like
a lovely white linen clad glass of
Rhine wine and settler. Happiness has
habit of not even acknowledging the
presence of grief. and Pet didn't seem
to see our red noses. crushed draperies
and generally damp atmosphere.
"Molly," she said with deliciously
young giggle, '"Tom says for you to
send him SO to spend getting the
brass band half drunk before o'clock
train, on which your Mr.. Bennett
comes. He has spent S. paying the
negroes to polish up their instruments
and clean up the uniforms, and it cost
him twenty-five to bail the cornetist
out of Jail for roost robbing, and it
takes a whole gallon of whisky to get
any spirit into the drummer. He says
tell you that as this is your shindig you
ought at least to pay the piper. Hurry
up he's waiting for me, and here's the
kiss he told me to pot on our left ear"
81 suppose you delivered that kiss
straight from where he gave it to you,
Petite, dear?" l had the spirit to say as
l went over to the desk for my pocket
book
'Why, Molly, you know me better