Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-05-07

y ONE AoGe with me. whispered
John. i h2,yg ven have heard enough
of this sort OF fs:!S. and l want you to
see the uglieSt Nomaa YOU ever laid
eyes on. She's enough 70 give fellow
the lightmara for week Din and
Manning have been trying 10 chaf her.
but they cant get j word ot;t Of her
Look. there she Is now.
George turned his ewes toward the
door. and saw, Coming Slowly toward
him, heavy basket OF towels on her
arm. has SiSt,- SvNen.
All the boy-;.s the Academy knew
that George had 4 sister, and that she
l;ve,. in Beavers Fails. hut We're rot
aware that her occupation WAS that of
4 laundr,>S, He hai never considered
1t necessary to mention that fact.
Could he acknowledge it now Could
he 20 forward and embrace fraternallv
this tIred-lookin%. STOPPING. plainly
dressed woman with the SCARED. dis
toCted face9 What would the boys say
if he did 50? And Prof. EcavcS-
No he coHld no. do it,
Yet he heSitatei 4 moment. his better
feelings, his love for the sister who had
done SO much for him. struggling for
the aScendancy; then, with the thought:
''She will never snow he turned
aside to avoid the meeting.
But he turned too late. Susan had
happened to glance in the direction in
which he stood. and recognized him at
once
She cave slight exclamation. and
was about to put down her basket.
when suddenly she paused and her fa.,a
i,,-h,,l Il, 10.
pr>SSian OF modification and annoy
ange, in his attempt to avoid her. <ha
read the truth-ht ra$ ashamed o. her
For an instant she stood motionleSS:
then with, LONG, GaSpng sigh, which
seemed 10 George to come from the
depths of heE heart. she lifted her
heavy basket higher on her arm, and
with aYerted face passed by him with
out word.
He saw her stop at 4 n>k at the other
emf Of the room. and give the basket To
2 ianitOr, WHO ave hgr some money in
retUra, but saw no more; fer fearing -
meet her eyes again. he turned his face
toward i case Of butterflies and moths.
and pretended to be deeply Interested
in them.
He was startled by an exclamation of
surprise and pleasure from Prof
Reeves. who broke of IN the middle of
d sentence. and started forward toward
the center OF the room with outStretched
.ani.
Susan! Susan ShieldS??" he cried, n
A voice that was distinctly heard by
every one in the room. Il can't De mis-
taken' Have i met You at last, after all
these NGars?'
K seemed to George as if the room
was whirling around him. Could ii be
possible that it was Susan, the sister of
whom he had been ashamed, that the
Professor held by the hand 50 gladly.
and whom he was leading toward the
man Of science with so eager an air?
'Bcaufort,' he heard him say, II
want to introduce You to the braveSt.
nOblest woman it has ever been my lot
to know. But for her | would in all
probability not have been alive now.
She saved me fifteen or sixteen years
ago from frigbtful death. was living
sick in bed. unable to move hand or
foot, when Il sudden breeze. coming
into an open window. blew the curtain.
into the gas-Eght Susan Shields.
waiting in the hail to speak to NJ
mo,hcr, who WIS engaged with COM
panv, Sme!lei the smoke. and rushing
up stairs, made her vay through the
flames, and carried me bodily from the
room
"A brave act.' sa.c Prof Beaufort,
Il am indeed proud to know YOU Miss
Shields"
An act that have never been able
to reward, deeply as | have felt my OBJ
legations to her for it," said Prot
Reeves. when | recovered my health
and | inquired for Miss Shields, | found
that she had moved from the town. and
have never been able to discover
George could endure no more. Pale,
lewildered and coatrite, he hurried
from the building.
When Susan entered her home an
hour later, she found him living on The
sofa in the little sitting-rOom. his face
hurled in the great patchwork cushion.
lie did not move or speak as she APP
preached him.
George" she said, TREMENDOUSLY,
won't you look at me. dear? | have
something Iwant to say to YOU"
Still he did not move.
You must not feel so badly about it,
"NtbL. SoIIliitltNt SuSSll, sui Ill llltl
tremulous voice, and LAYING her hand
tenderly on his shoulder. Il was 4
little hurt at first of course. But it
don't matter, and | don, wonder that
You acted as you did. 1t was only
natural that you should be ashamed of
me. coming in upon you so Unexpectedly
and in this plain, cheap dress-and-
! don't mind it at all, really" But
oven as she spoke she sank down in a
little heap on the floor, and hiding her
face in her hands began TO cry as if her
heart would break.
George was by her side in an instant.
ht' arm around her: and as he kissed
over and over again the poor. SCARED,
tear-wet face. he poured forth words OF
deepest sorrow and contrition. and
pleaded humbly to be pardoned for the
pain he caused her.
20, Susan he said. it is qou who
ought to be ashamed of me. can
never, never forgive myself. If YOU had
only told me how you came by these
scars, dear sister. If | had only
known
OF course Susan returned his kiSsc-
twofold and told him over and over
again that she loved him just as well
as ever Then she began to look for
something nice for him to eat, and
packed little basket full of goodies
for him TO take back to the Academy.
This painful matter must never be
referred to again, dear George she
said as she kissed him goodbye. We
will both forget it
All, that was easier to say than to do.
George knew that the memory of it
chung to his sister as long as she lived,
and made her doubly sensitive to her
unfortunate appearance, and he would
willingly have given all the wealth and
honor he acquired in his later years to
rid her eyes of that mourpful express
sion which reproached him for that one
erto-be-forgotten act.-FIorencc y.
NIli0ueU, in n. 7. Examiner.
The Anamese aristocrat.