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

Here Kitty, with rather hot cheeks,
! broke in Unexpectedly, her eyes fixed
/ steadily and bravely upon her Cousins
| face
THE fact is, Pat, we don't want you to
I dine with US on Tuesday There's no room
! for you"
''Oh, is that all? Why didn't you say so
at first?" replied Pat, placidly.
You see, Pat" resumed aunt Ally,
more gibly, now that the plunge was over
you see how we are circumstanced: you
know the size of our room, and how
| crushed we shall be, although only two of
| the girls intend dining. But we expect a
| few more friends in the evening for music
and that sort of thing: and | shall be only
too delighted if you viii join our little
| party not later than half past nine
O'clock
'sAll right, aunt, I'll GOMEZ Ihope your
| dinner will go off well. Certainly I should
have been rather in the way with my
broad shoulders. Dauber won't take up
| much room, any way"
''Dauber-Dauberr' repeated aunt Ally.
us he dining? Oh, er-yes, to be surel
remember our luggage at Brussels-great
obligations to his IA her; and so we all"
Mrs. Cantwen suddenly stopped, her
head dropped over her book, and a rather
unusual flush stained the fair matron's
cheeks. Her thoughts involuntarily flew
back to the days of twenty years before,
when she, a homeless, helpless, ruined
woman, with three sickly babies, had been
received into the already burdened home
of Phil Cantwell and his gentle wife Rose
the father and mother of the boy before
her, for whom she could not find place
at her table-Where she and her little ones
had been fed, lodged, and soothed with
hopeful comforting words during the two
long years her husband lay in a debtors
prison. 1t was decidedly an unpleasant
reminiscence-so unpleasant that the lady
petulantly threw aside her pen and left
the room, irritated with herself, her sur
roundings, her little dinner-party, and,
above all, with her luckless nephew.
However, honest Pat, not in the least of
Tended or abashed by this rather trying
scene, assumed his favorite attitude
athwart the shakiest chair in the room,
and addressed the industrious group.
by Jove, girls! this is a regular school
of millinery, and no mistake All at work
for the annihilation of mankind, I pre-
sumo? Zeldie, that costume of yours
fetches me mUch-itis what Dauber would
call a subtle bit of coloring, decidedly.
What color do you style it now? The
greenest of things blue, or the bluest of
things green-eh?"
Glow you bother, Patti It's a bronzed
peacock 11erUeiIIeuSe, with plastrons of
old gold Duchesse edged in point d'AIe1l-
CON- Will that do for you? And Maud's
costume is pOrceIajne surah polonaise
with skirt of myrtle gauze, and scarf en-
broidered in chinelle arabesques; and
EthePs is composed of Louis XIV. body of
opal plush with reUeTS of
ooh, thanks, thanks! That will do for
one day." interrupted Pat, wheeling him
self round so as to face the corner where
Kitty sat enshrined in a mass of gay
coIored drapery, flowers, ribbons, lace,
pdssenle1lterte, etc. Don't start fair
cousin-I am not going to catechise you!''
he exclaimed, laughing. ''There is at
least no deception about the details of your
war-panoply, no mystic blending of colors,
no subtle combinations-only an honest
primary glow, friendly blaze that would
be understood and appreciated even in the
bush"
Kitty's eyes sparkled angrily as she re-
piled
Ii l.
to annoy my sisters and insult me, the
sooner you"
Take your departure the better. Is
that the family verdict, eh? Do you de-
sire my withdrawal, fair cousins alp"
asked Pat, with imperturbable good hui
NOR
No answer was made to this appeal; so
Pat accepted the hint and languidly de-
-
the hall, he was striding towards the gate
when a voice recalled him.
"Pat! Pat, [ am going to pick peas tor
dinner. VIII you help me?"
He turned and beheld Kitty standing in
the porch, yellow pie-dish in her hands.
Confess, young lady, / am the best tenn
pered fellow you ever met!' he said, adj
vancing towards her.
Kitty, blushing slightly, led the way to-
wards the garden, where the peas were
picked in peace. Judiciously avoiding
disturbing topics, she led her cousin away
to foreign soil. He told her of strange
scenes and sights of which she had read
only in books and gave her descriptions
of the wild exciting experiences of Colon
ial life in Southern Africa, Australia, and
California, in all of which countries he
had at various times wooed the tickle god
dess Fortune The morning passed so
quickly that Kitty was quite startled by
the church chimes when she and her cousin
were seated in the summer-house shell ng
the peas
1.-TWO o'clock! Just fancy! l thought
it was only twelvep'
81 say, Kitty, suppose, like my hum pie
self, you are invited to partake only OF
'tay and cakes on Tuesday-eh:" said Pat,
making the first allusion to the discussi on
of the morning
''I!'' cried Kitty ''Why should you SIP
pose so. AS it happens, I am not OILY
invited to enjoy the full menu, but am
also partly the origin of the whole festili-
ty."
You the origin? Explain yourself,
please.''
"a rather particular friend of mine has
signified his intention of passing this way
next Tuesday, and So"
'F'riend-proper noun, singular null
Der, masculine gender, subject to Miss
Kitty Cantwell?" asked cousin Pat.
Bravo, Patr' laughed Kitty. "a very
neat bit of parsing indeedl Go to the top
of the class at once"
kitty, Kitty, I'm disappointed in you;
did not think you went in for that SOFT
of thing"
''And why should not, pray? Am l So
very ugly and disagreeable that I cant
even have stray adnnirer, Pat? What
are you about? You're throwing away
the peas and dropping the shells into the
dish. Look out!''
Tell me all about him, Kitty Is b.
young, handsome. rich, of fair renowp,