Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-08-19

/ morse, and which it was imperdtiyely nee
esSary to remove. Her mother would under
| stand that she alluded to the shameful false
! hood which had led the child to suppose that
her father was dead.
Strongly disappearing Of the language in
which her daughter had done justice to the
| conduct Of the divorced husband, Mrs.
! Presty merely replied: You are Kitty's
| mother; leave it to y0u"-and returned to
| her reading.
! Catherine could not feel that she had de-
! served such an answer as this. Did plan
! the deception" she asked. Did I tell the
| Iie?''
| Mrs. Presty was not in the least offended.
''You are comparatively innocent, my DEAR"
| she admitted, with an air of satlrical indulg-
| ence. You only consented to the decep-
ton, and profted by the Iie Suppose we
| own the truth. You are afraid"
| Catherine owned the truth in the pIainest
terms: Eyes, am afraid"
| 'And you leave it to me?''
| Il leave it to YOU"
| Mrs. PreSty complacently closed her book.
II was quite prepared to hear it," she said;
| ''all the unpleasant complications since your
| divorce-and heaven only knows how many
| OF them have presented themselveS-have
| been left for me to unraYel. 1t so happens
! though | was too modest to mention it pre-
| maturely-that have unraveled this COM
| plication. If you only have eyes to see it,
there is way out OF every difficulty that
| can possibly happen" She pushed the book
| that she had been reading (acr0sS the table,
| to Catherine. Turn to page 240," she said.
| 'There is the way out"
| The title of the book was 'tDisaSters at
| Sea" and the page contained the narrative
| Of shipWreck. On evidence apparently il
reSistible, the drowning of every soul on
| board the lost vessel had been taken for
| granted-When q remnant of the passengers
and crew had been discovered on a desert
| island, and had been safely restored to their
| friends. Having read this record of suffer
ing and suspense, Catherine looked at her
mother and waited for an explanation.
Don't you see it?' Mrs. Presty asked.
Il can't say that L do
The old ladyS excellent temper was not IN
| the least ruff1ed, even by this.
"Quite ineXcusable Oh my part" she ac-
| acknowledged; Il ought to have remem-
| bered that you don't inherit your mothers
vivid Imagination. Age has left me in full
| possession of those powers of invention
which used to amaze your poor father. He
wondered how it was that never wrote a
AIOfCIs AAis L 1SOCJ . Gipp1CSlClllOh VI lily
| tellect was equally sincere; but he took a
| different view. Beware, my dear he said,
| of trifing with the distinction which you
! now enjoy; you are one of the most remark
| able women in England-you have never
written novel; Pardon me; am wander
| ing into the region Of literary anecdOte,
| when L ought to explain myself. Now pray
| attend to this: l propose to tell Kitty that l
| have found a book which is sure to interest
! her; and L shall direct her attention to the
| Iamentable story which you have just read.
She is quite sharp enough (theTe are sparks
of my intellectual fire in Kitty to ask if the
friends Of the poor shipWrecked people were
not very much surprised to see them again.
To this l shall answer: Very much, indeed,
for their friends thought they were dead
All, you dear, dull child, you see it noW!'
! Catherine saw it so plainly that she was
eager to put the first part Of the experiment
! to an immediate trial.
| Kitty was sent for, and made her appear
ance with a tishing-rod over her shoulder
''Pm going to tho brook" she announced:
''eXpect some fish for dinner to-day"
4 wary old hand stopped Catherine in the
act Of presenting the Disasters at Sea" to
Kitty'S notice, and voice, distinguished by
insnuating kindness, said to the child:
when you have done fishing, my dear,
come to me; l have got nice book for you
to read"
''How very absurd of you, Catherine"
Mrs. PreSty continued, when they were to-
gether again, ito expect the child to read
and draw her own conclusions while her
head is full of fishing! If there are any fish
in the brook, she won't catch them. When
she comes back disappointed, and says:
ENNh1t am T to rio lOyU9' EDicaStprS at
Sea- will have q chance [ make it a rule
| never to boast, but il there is thing that I
| understand, it's the management Of children.
| Why didn't | have a large famiy"'
Attended by the faithful Susan, Kitty
| baited her hook and began to fish where the
waters Of the brook were OyershadoWed by
| trees
A little arbor covered by a matched roof,
and having walls Of wooden lattice-work
hidden by creepers climbing over them in
| side and out, offered an attractive place Of
rest on this sheltered side of the garden.
| Having brought her work with her, the
nurSemaid retired to the summer house and
diligently piled her needle, looking at Kitty
| from time to time through the open door.
| The air was delightfully."- cool, the pleasant
ripping of the brook fell sOOthingly on the
ear, the seat in the summer house received
sitter with the softly yielding submission of
| elastic wires Susan had just finished her
early dinner; in mind and body alike this
| good girl was entirely and deServedly at her
ease. BY finely succeeding degrees her eye
| lids began to show a tendency downward;
| her truant needlework escaped from her fin
gers and lay Iazily on her lap. She snatched
it up with a start and sewed with severe res0-
! luton until her thread was exhausted. The
reel was ready at her side she took it up for
a fresh supply, and innocently rested her
head against the leafy- and f1owery wall Of
the arbor. Was it thought that gradually
closed her eyes again, Or was it sleep? In
| either case Susan was lost to all sense of
| passing events; and Susans breathing be-
came unsteady regular, emulous of the mus
| zeal regularity of the brook.
AS lesson in patience the art of angling
| pursued III a shallow brook has its moral
uses. Kitty fshed and waited, and renewed
the bait, and tried again with command of
temper which would have been a novelty in
| Susan's experience, if Susan had been
awake. But the end which comes to all