River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-07-10

comes when 1t need lie a secret no ionoe
But though she has never guessed min,
| have OWNED hers long ago. | kno,
that the pearl ring which Neil treasure
so fondly is the gift of young DIR. Castor
and | know that Nell's eyes are brlghte
and her smiles shyer aud sweeter = he
he is here. He does not GENE very often
for the town where he is striving to built
up practice is ten miles away, and
young doctor must be always upon tn
spot The prospect before Nell and hin
is vague-indeed, as vague as my own
| There is just one possible spot OF light h
in our future. Aunt Jane-Aunt Jan
Rumsev-le an old, a very old lady
She is infirm. she IS irritable. she is ca
precious. but she is rich. We scarcel,
know her, for she has never manifested
any affection for us, hardly betraying
consciousness of our existence, and Mel
and are no toadies. We are her onl1
living relations, though, and every body
says that sooner or later her money mus
come to us. We never talk about it, neve
| build upon it, never mention the posi-
bllity to any one. Why should we tall
of what may come to nothing2 ONLY
/ it ever does
| lapse into thoughts of the little cir
who is waiting patiently up among tho
| Ne8 England hills, in the old college tow
W. ere / studied-tbe little girl at ost
existence Nell las never guessed. Nell
at home, is dreaming of Miles CASTOR
" ON she is to meet at the picnic t is
afternoon. / must not be late for the
picnic by-the-way, so | rouse myself
5 axe off my dreaming, and go to work
with will.
When 1 reached home again. tired in
mind and body from the effect of crowd
ing long days work into less than a
half day, Neil is not watching for me,
as | fully expect to find her. Vainly do
search every room of our tiny dOmi-
cIlc, vainIv do shout Nell's name from
tie top to the bottom of the house. 1t is
very strange, for made sure that Nell
= ould be ready and waiting for me, wor
rving persclf, after her habit, with vain
fears t at | had missed tram. We
are to start for the picnic at half past
three O'Clock, and 1t is now lacks only
quarter of three. | am just about to start
out ON wild search through the neigh
borhood when, from the window, see
her hurrying up to the door She has
come, evidently, from one of the neigh
bors' houses, and her face has flushed,
frightened look, witch for the moment
alarms me.
"Oh. Cyrilr' she cries, at sight of me,
Il had no idea that it was so late, but |
couldn't help it. Oh, Cyril! After all,
it was the luckiest thing. Those poor
children If Bridget had not made that
mistake, we should have eaten them, and
there would have been no picnic nor any
thing else for us
"Children! Bridget" exclaim. in ut
ter bewilderment. as Bridget one of
the children you are talking aboutl And
why on earth should we eat her!'
| laughed as the vision of that sturdy,
red-faced Milesian rises before me. What
a dainty meal the "poor child" would
make, to be sure! But Nell is half cry
ing with vexation at my stupidity and
her own inability to explain
Not Bridget-Mrs. Lounsbury's chill
dren. They have been so sick! And just
think, only for Bridget's blunder we
should have taken them, and then"
My dear Nell, do consider what you
are saying | cry, aghast. l never eat
babies-never. | do assure you. And if
you are in the habit of doing so privately,
pray don't expose yourself in this way.
Public opInOn will never sustain you.
You have evidently been reading Swift,
but pray remember that he is long since
dead and his advice upon the subject
was never adopted; indeed it was never
meant for anything but canard. l am
sorry to learn that you took the whole
thing in good faith"
Are you mad, Cyril?" asked Nell,
looking up at me in round-eyed amaze
ment What do you mean by your
'swifts' and your 'canordSH Swifts are
Swallows, | believe, and cndrds is the
French for duck | know, bur what of
that? Did YOU have duck for lunch? But
you couldn't have had swallows. May
be you swallowed the duck, thought
''What horrible pun, Nelln | say,
severely: land not even fresh" but Nell
laughs, and went on:
Now let me tell you straight ahead,
and without any more nonsense, what |
mean. and then | must run up and dress.
About eleven o'clock | saE the doctor go
ing into Mrs. Lounsbury's, and of course
ran over to see what was the matter. |
found that Teddy and Mamie had both
been taken suddenly and violently Ill.
When the doctor came he asked what
they had been eating. 1t seems that Mrs.
Lounsbury bought all that left of the
lot of mushrooms which man brought
to our doors yesterday. You know how
delighted / was to get EN-, and how
vexed we both were that Bridget spoiled
the STEAK by her stupid blunder.'
Nells face is quite white as she ends;
and for Newell, there are pleasanter
ways Of departing is life, even if you
are ready to do so, tban by means of
toad-stools.
How are the chlldren!' | ask, after
rejecting for few minutes upon our
escape.
"Oh, they are out of danger now, says
Nell. Il left Bridget oyer there to help
them, for they have all been more or less
sick Now l must 90 up and dress. I'm
going to dazzle You when come down;
but vsu need not be alarmed. My cos
tune combines economy and splendnr.
You will be dazzlcd, but not ruined"
perhaps some one else may be
more dazzlcd than |, | say; and ,,.
laughs and runs away, blushlng very
prcttily.
Ten minutes afterward there Is a crash
and a Shrek overhead. / fly up, four
steps at at a time, to find Neil lying on
the floor beneath the ruins of ward
robe, which she has somehow managed
to pull over on herself The wardrobe Is
in such state of universal smash that it
is very easy to clear away the wreck and
raise Nell in my arms. She opens her
ewes as lay her upon her bed and asks,
family: "What is it! Has t1e world
come to an endl''
Not just yet" l reply; "but what
have you been doingl'
Then her senses come back to her, and
she raises herself upon her right elbow.
1T was the wardrobe" she says. Il re-
member now. The door stuck, and
was in a hurry, and tried to jerk it open.
Then the whole thing seemed TO jump at
me, and | was so frightened that |
screamed, and, | suppose, tainted. I'm
all right now, though, and there's moth
ing to hinder our starting"
Look at your dress is my only re-
ply.
Nell looks, and nearly faints again
Tor the lovely dress Is solled and torn be-
yond all hope ofrestoration.
at is better for your dress 10 be torn
than for your bones to be broken, | say,
consolingly; but Nell shakes her head
in dubious dissent.