Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-09-07

she might have said things which would
have placed him very awkwardly.
Il had never had but the one fault tC
find with Bessie continued Mrs
Brodie, finally ''She couldn't be Undue
ed to make herself agreeable to Mr.
Green. I'm sure | sat on thorns the
two OF three times | took her there
forgot now what he showed her, but
something she ought to have said she
liked, and she wouldn't admire, and
when | pointed to the portrait of him
when he was young, she said it wasn't
bit like him now. So provoking
no, | couldn't forgive her there-it was
all very fine that talk Of not being
able to toady to him, but if she had
any thought of you it was her duty,
and so l told her.
We'll, I'm sure you'll not have that
complaint to make against Cissy, moth
er. l wonder how we'd best manage
about taking her there
Mrs. Brodie shook her head despond-
ingly. I'm at my wits ends about
Miss Sphinx just now she said; there's
no doubt but she's very unwel, the
old man sees it himself, and asked her
if she didn't think that she was break
ing up, and that the reading was rather
too much for her"
Il say!' exclaimed Sam, Indignantly
And when she spoke Of not going
because of leaving him alone, he told
her not to think of him, he should find
somebody to fill her place; he should
advertise most likely"
Come, [ like that"
well, then, it's more than [ do.
know what many of these people are
who answer what they see in the news
papers-harpies, just on the lookout
for an old fellow like him; if one of
them got a footing inside that house
it might be a very serious matter for
us, [ can tell you, Sam"
Couldn't you manage it with Spinky
mother-eh ?-for her to take holiday,
and you go over there while she's
away"
mo, my dear" said Mrs. Brodie,
! shortly. She did not add that this
proposal had all eady been made to
and rejected by Mr.. Green, who, with
out possessing the energy to alter his
! domestic arrangements and order them
more satisfactorily, was sick and weary
Of the monotony they entailed on him.
Made at a time when he had looked
upon himself as the victim Of a fatal
disease, he now saw that with care
years of life were before him. Why not
make that span of existence enjoyable,
which it could never be while that old
tabby Sphinx sat at his elbow, purring
over his complaints and comparing
them with her own; aided and abetted
as she was by Mrs. Brodie and her in
cessant cackle-cackle about his medi-
cine, and his doctor, and the sermon,
and the rector. He knew what she was
after-thinking of the time when her
pi eciOus son would step in-he could
see her cycling the plate and telling the
maids to take care of the furniture.
And the old man would sigh bitterly.
Wireless, childless, relationleSs, who
else could he leave his money to? 1t
was true Sans name stood foremost
in his will, but he hated him none the
less for that very reason. Oh if heirs
eXpectant only relished how great an
advantage absence gives them. The
SIGHT Of Sam was to Mr.. Green as the
red rag to a bull; to see that sallow,
long drawn face before him was like
contemplating his tombstone. Faugh!
What fool the fellow was-withOut
an idea, without an opinion, % years
old and tied to his mothers apron
string.
Don't tell him you said this-don't
tell him you went here were eau
! tons always being dinned into Sam
by his mother; and the result was that
once in his godfather's presence and
he hadn't a word to say-his cheerful
ness deserted him, the flow Of small
talk natural to him vanished, and he
sat as awkward and about as compan-
! iOrble as a BARRIERS block or 4 WaXen
dummy Who would have recognized
in him the freQuenter of music halls,
the authority on theaters, the gallant
adorer of the Cecilia?
"Oh, isn't it nice,' Cecilia would say,
| clasping her pretty hands with fervor,
''to have a secret only known to us
three-you, me, and your mother? I'm
til everything is quite safe [ would SO
much rather and thought Sam could
not heartily say the same (being, like
! true knight, very anxious to pro-
claim his new found treasure, he had
to give way to a prudence which Mrs.
Brodie was never weary of praising.
AS might be expected just now, Mrs.
Brodie saw a great deal of Miss Den
man. One excuse or another was al
ways bringing them together, and she
was fain to admit to Sam as well as
! to herself that she found in the fair
Cecilia a most sympathetic companion.
Her hopes, her fears, Sans eXpecta-
tons, were dimmed into tears which
seemed never weary of listening, and
though she talked by the hour Of Mr..
Green, Cecilia piled her with questions
which would keep her talking. No
wonder Mrs. Brodie unlocked the secret
tablets of her heart and showed what
she would have done rather than eX-
pose to any one before, namely, the
synonym, Mr.. Green, written there
as mean, selfish old curmudgeon."
Had he not proved himself so, by the
way he had spoken of Miss Sphinx, re-
jecting the proffered help of Mrs.
Brodie, while daring to presume to
think of advertising for a companion