Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-09-12

VI course this neWly-fOund cousin was
woefully in the way; his mighty presence
seemed to fill the room and drove away
more welcome guests; he dwarfed the
tennis-ground, and the pretty shrubs that
ornamented the lawn. He was out of
harmony with everyone and everything,
and yet he never seemed to discover this
trying fact Then the off-hand freedom
and the b0nbOmie of his tone and bearing
towards all guests at the LaureIs, ire
spective of age, rank, or moneyed import
. ance, was most exasperatfng to his polite
relatives. Never indeed would the girls
forget the day when a tremendous ''swelI''
in the Guards honored the family with a
call after meeting Miss Ethel at a dance
two nights before, and cousin Pat man
aged to introduce himself into a specially
/ select tennis-set got up for the gentIeman's
entertainment, Immediately addressed
| him as 'fold fellow" and then proceeded
to chaff him good-humoredly on the in
competency of his play The stare with
| which the warrior favored the unconscious
| offender brought the blood rushing to the
! girls faces; and, though Kitty at the time
was quite as annoyed as her sisters, still
! afterwards she could not help laughing at
! the incident.
4 y
was rather a study, for never before had
she come across man of his type His
! supreme good humor, his entire uncon-
ventionality, his wonderful frankness of
manner. combined with a vague sense of
power, both mental as well as physical,
which his presence suggested, puzzled her
greatly at times; while his callousness to
affronts irritated her-flled her with an
unreasonable anger against him, against
herself and her people. At other times
this very forbearance excited in her feel
ing of admiration for which she could not
distinctly account. Certainly she had
plenty of opportunities of studying the
eccentricitieS of his character being less
occupied with suitors and admirers than
her sisters and having generally the office
of leading him off the premises where his
trespassing was too obtrusive and detri-
mental. For instance, one morning, when
young Dauber Browne came to give in
dustrious little Zeldie her weekly coach"
in fine arts, and the exasperating Bush
man volunteered to superintend the les
son and guide their palettes by his ex-
perience of color and shade-the picture
they were jointly copying unfortunately
representing scene in Southern Australia,
in which bold Pat discovered many de-
fects and deficiencies-Ki taking pity
on the discounted artists, challenged the
obtrusive critic forth to game of tennis,
and then, throwing herself sulkily down
upon the grass, refused to play.
''What did you ask me out for then?n
demanded Pat.
Il asked you out because you were in
the way! Didn't you see they were dy-
ing to get rid of your" said Kitty. shortly
Pats blue eyes opened wide with as
constituent.
Dying to get rid of me, Ell? II won
der why! Zeldie can't find Mr.. Dauber a
very amusing companion. He always
strikes me as being d bit of muff'
"Dauber Browne is the only son of his
father and he is great railway contrac-
tor"
''My dear Kitty" said Pat, lighting
cigar and throwing himself upon the grass
by her side, "epigrammatic sentences Of
that kind i'll become those girlish lips.
What should railway contractors or any
of their kind be to you and yours, basking
as you do in the sunshine of a happy,
peaceful, loving home from which you
cannot take wing for some years?" s4..-
"And why not, pray?"
Because your mother won't allow it.
AS soon as Sydney has carried away fair
Maud, she will cage her other birds safe
ly, so that in no circumstances can there
be another flight from the family nest for
ages and ages
''She has told you SOP"
Yes; she told me and two or three other
fellows that hot afternoon we got damned
in between Zeldie's easel and the tea table;
and very fair and reasonable | thought
her arguments were. Why should she
have all the trouble, anxiety, and expense
of bearing with you all during the most
trying era of your lives, of training and
educating you, of bringing you through
the many ills infant flesh is heir to, just
to hand you over for the delectation of the
first conner when you had arrived at a
pleasant companionable age and state of
education to cheer the lonely years of her
widowhood? Unjust confess there is much
in what she says y
"Pat," said Kitty, fixing her gray eyes
with a critical expression upon his placid
countenance, ''do you know you puzzle
me? There is "a prineval denseness
about you that at times [ almost fancy
verges on-on-in fact, to put it in simple
language, [ sometimes think you are either
the stupidest and dullest son of the bush
ever let loose on society or-or-the sharp
est and cleverestl''
''You couldn't fix on jatste n1iIieaL?''
"No-impossible! And so greatly fear
you must belong to the stupid class: for
for-if you were as clever and as cute as I
sometimes imagine, you couldn't possibly
be what you at present are, than which, in
my guileless eyes, acknowledge no OBJ
ject more useless, worthless, and-and-
contemplate"
"And pray what may that attractive OBJ
ject be?" asked Pat, raising himself upon
his elbows to look more attentively at his
polite young relative.
"An able-bodied pauper!"
One morning about week later cousin
Pat burst upon the family circle as they
were severally engaged on various
branches of dressmaking and millinery,
evidently preparing for some festivity of
Importance.
81 say, aunt Ally" he began hastily, af-
ter brief greeting, whats this [ hear
about your coming entertainment? By
the merest fuke [ got wind of it from
Dauber Browne last night-just after [
had promised to dine with IA fellow at the
club, too. 1t was very annoying; you
should have told me in time, and not made
me look such fool before Browne / can't
be expected to guess these things, you
know"
''What do you mean? II don't under
stand I am not giving any entertain
ment," replied aunt Ally, with a slight
quaver in her voice.
Not giving dinner-party next Tues