Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-09-07

social life" said Waring, gOOd-humoredly.
at would be but poor philosophy to cry
out against the world | have left because
l played the fool there; OF my head be it
if threw away my fortune. There are as
many good fellows-or as few good fellows
in one state Of lie as another"
Il believe that" said Kenneth. 81
should like well to see your place. Mr..
Waring"
why don't you come out for a bit. 1t
is a sort of life you would like. 1 think"
"Eh, but he has his work cut cot for him
herer' cried Uncle Sandy. Hell find it
best to bide VII me. Moo, tell me how
mony head o. cattle have ye forbye horses'"
And the three men plunged into talk,
from which Mona collected that Waring
| had invested almost all the capital left him
after much wild extravaganza and fool
ish speculatiOn-in a ranch near the fam
! GUS redwO0ds on the Pacific coast, and
that, as yet, he had realized very little,
| though his hopes were high, and he had
evidently thrown himself energetically into
the undertaking.
She kept silence gladly. Waring' 5
| presence-his steady composure, his quiet
submission to the nevitable-touched her
| deeply. She Ionged to cry out
'Have you forgiven me? Can 1 atone
for the pain l inflicted?"
But most probably he had nearly forgot
ten that he once loved her, and hoped to
pass his life with her. She painted 10 be
alone, to disentangle her thoughts-to
master the disturbance of her mind.
As they seemed so absorbed in cOnYersa-
tion, Mona thought she might slip away
unobserved; but her uncle noticed her
movement
"Bide bit, my lassier' he cried. eve
have sat here lang enough; Wen a. come
wiz ye to the drawing You shall
sing Us a sang, and then I'll gang AVA to
my bed. Ny niece sings fine, Mr.. War
ing" he added, as he took Mona's arm.
Il know that, Mr. Craig" returned War
! ing, opening the door for them to pass
through; II remember her songs we'll"
Mona felt that she blushed crimson,
while she said, in Il low tone, to her uncle
q have scarcely any voice to-night-do
not ask me to sing"
"Hoot, foot, my dcarie! you'll please us
weel."
Mona stood a moment irresolute after
! Uncle Sandy had tumbled into the depths
Of his chair. Waring came to herside. and
| looking kindly, and perhaps q little sadly,
| into her eyes, said
! Don't refuse, Miss Craig! You don't
| know what treat the music Of a woman's
voice is to an exile like myself, especially
| as in q few days | shall 60 back to the wilds
| again"
"Thcn I will do my best" returned
| Mona, simply, and she went to the piano.
The song she choose was a pretty, quaint
| German ditty8h had learned while abroad
for she did not wish to revive painful re-
| collections by singing anything that might
! be familiar to Warning. He moved away,
md sat in deepest thought while he listen
cd.
"Aweel, that's not ane O my fayOrites.
! am not much Of n musician-my oppor-
| tunities have been sCant-but I have IN
! uncommon guide ear" said Uncle Sandy.
| Give us n Scotch sang my dearier
IF I am not presuminG too far" said
| Warning, coming over to lean on the piano,
| might | ask for an old fayoritc-'RObin
| Adair2'"
GAY, that will d." from Uncle Sandy.
81 need not have been so careful to spare
his feelings" thought Mona. 81 am max
ing n fool Of myself 1t is an age since
/ attempted it," she said aloud but l viii
| try it If you like"
| 1t was dreadfulIy annoying, but she
| could not steady her voice. She could not
keep a certain trcmulous pathos out of heI
| notes. Men wero so conCeited-they haL
such a high opinion of themselves, thai
| perhaps Leslie Warning would fancy, as
she was so upset at meeting him, that she
| regretted having rejected hiut All, no;
no was too frank and honest, too simple
and unselish to need the guarded treat
ment Isle required. Lslel why, he was
| not comparable to Leslie Waring. What
wonders time and trouble had done for the
! lattCrl
"Thanll you" said Waring, from hi!
chair in n shadOwy corner, where he hat
rctreatCd when she began the song he haC
I asked for That was an immense treat,
"Ay, there's nae music like Scotch music
nor is there any sangs for melody an
| poetry, an spirit, an'-an' historical value
like Scotch sangs," said Uncle Sandy.
| Il believe the Irish claim Robin Adair
as their own" said Mona.
Claim i'll l daur say they do" SAID
| Uncle Sandy, contcmptuously. They'd
| aye claim everything; but if that lit ISM
| Scotch, aweel, am no Scotch. Come, Civ,
! me your arm, Mona, I'll just gang to my
! bed. Pm awfu' weary"
Then may be Mr. Warning would like 6
smoke with me in the kitchen Think WI
! will have it all to ourselves in few min
| utes, said Kenneth.
THANK you, should. One grows n lit
! tie too fond of the weed when one is freed
| from the restraints of society"
| ITS very perneecious practice; but its
| just talking to the winds to protest against
! 1t. Goodnight, sirs. Kenneth there are
| the keys. Mr. Waring will need drappit
| after his pipe"
Goodnight" muunured Mona, rs she
! gave her arm to her uncle.
Waring bowed, but did not attempt tc
shake hands with her
1t was an infinite relief to be alone, and
locked into her own room. For a long
time she thought confusedIy, or rather q
confused mass of mixed memory and
thought thronEcd her brain, without any
effort Of her will.
How wildly Warnings face, pale with
painful emotion, the day they last met,
came back to her. He had quite forgiven
her; she felt that. He was Il really good
fellow. She wished they could be friends
again, as she was with Kenneth: but that
would never be, she feared. She never
could feel ut ease with him. He looked as
II he had suffered n good deal. Was it her
fault' Oh, mol she never could admit that.
She should like to let him know that she
had generally very good opinion of him,
but how should she find time to do so,
when he had said more than once that he
would only stay n couple of dayss What r
curious contradictory tumble life was al
together! Mona felt unaCCountably I'M
happy, and, laying her fair head on the
pillow, she wept long and quietly before
sleep closed her wet eyes.
CHATTER NNIy.-NIAN PROPOSES.
Morning brought removed spirit and
fresh courage
Mona could not help smiling at the sin
Gular combination Of circumstances which
brought her once moro face to face with
the man whose wife she had SO nearly been
Ii was foolish to feel SO uncomfortable
about meeting him. As he was perfectly
uncmbarrasSed, she was resolved to imi
tate his composure, and treat him with
friendly cCrdiahty. lie deserved consider
alton ut her hands, for he had behaved to
her with chivalrous forbearauce.
Still, she did not leave her room quite so
early as she usually did She was detern-
med to run no unnecessary risk of a tete-d-
tctC interview
Uncle Sandy and Kenneth were already
In the dtnlnG-roOm when she entered, and
went through the ceremony of infUsinc
the tea before her uncle began the long.
rambling, eNtemporary prayer with which