The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1878-01-19
From the Chicago Ledge
INLAH.
hree Scenes in a Life History.
BY LIZZIE L. SHAW.

= Louie! Louie!"
Two children sitting in the play-room
,of fine old country house, absorbed in
the high-colored engravings Of Il new
picture book, start as the words come
lleaping up the stairway. The boy raises
his handsome head .impatiently, shaking
back She blonde silken curls that have
fallen over his broad forehead, turns his
sparkling, piercing blue eyes on the
plain face of the dark-eyed girl sitting on
the floor beside him, and mutters:
' Your aunt, Lou"
. Yes, auntie," calls the little girl,
rising, and moving towards the stairway.
''Come here, dear"
The child looks backward, with a
smile, to her playmate, who answers
with slight frown, and then she disap-
pears.
81 heard you talking to some one,
Louie" says the aunt; who is in your
playground"
"Only Imlah, and Louie's innocent
dark eyes look questioningly into the
rather sharp face OF the questioner.
And who is Imlah!"
Mrs. Jacobs boy. He lives right
over there
The child runs to window to point
out the place-a low, Economically vine
wreathed and shaded cottage, Just on
the outskirts of the Wilhelm farm
q Is he that big-headed boy whom
saw in the yard yesterday"
Yes, auntie. | never thought his
head too large"
Did your poor mamma let you play
with him."
" Yes, always"
Louie's eyes began to show signs of
angry tears She had been dutifully
submissive to this new sovereign, since
her installment in the place of the lately
lost wife and mother; she was a proud
child, and strong to bear in silence any
wrong inflicted on herself, but she could
mot endure that evil should be done her
friend.
Well, / do not consider him asuitabe
playmate for you, my dear. No one
knows his mother, | am told. | think
you had better tell him not to come here
30 often"
The child walked with queen,y step
back to the door leading to the stairway,
and there faced her aunt, with eyes and
lips that might we'll have been those of
insulted womanhood
will ask papa first" she said slowly,
and again turning, assembled TO the play
room.
She took up the picture book, but her
enthusiasm was gone, and her companion
was more eager to know why she had
been called below than to discuss the
merits of the new book. Some womanly
instinct in the saddened child-heart, kept
Louie from repeating her aunt's words,
but she said:
Imlah, would YOU care much if you
could not come to play with me any
more?"
g don't have any one else to play
with, > answered the boy. partly pereciv-
ing the drift of the question. "Whyw
80, never mind. J might die, as
mamma did, you know"
q don't think you will, Louie.
Doesn't your aunt wantme to come here?"
She wanted to ask me if mamma used
TO let you come. Papa doesn't care, |
know"
The boys beautiful eyes grew full
of puzzled and troubled wonder.
| don't see why people don't like
me" ne nurmured; they don't want me
10 go over to Riverside TO PLAY with
Jackie any more, either. | try to be
good"
You are good, Imlah. | like YOU.
anyway"
The sympathetic child flung her arms
about her little friend, as he spoke. He
did not return the embrace, but strug-
gled TO his feet, and soon made his wav
moodily toward home,-that home was
never visited by any of the inmates of
the surrounding houses, W lere lived be-
side the child Imlah, only Il mute, faded,
grief bowed woman, aged before her
time, who had come there q few years
before, bringing only that strange child,
with the quaint Bible name, whose mag
niticent blonde head, and dwarfed, insig-
nifcant figure soon became well known
in the vicinity, though his mother re-
manned stranger even to her nearest
neighbors. The woman seemed to have
means to support herself comfortably,
and was devoted TO fer boy-this was all
that close scrutiny was able to discover
Little Louise Wilhelm had wandered in
side the cottage door, one day, in the in
nocence of childhood, and from that
time lmlah was her fayorite play-fell0w,
until her aunts unWelcome interference.