Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1893-06-01

amusements, taught her to elmo trees
and to wade in the water. to know the
names of the trees and flowers, to fish
tor hours with a crooked pin, to build
moss-houses, etc. The country-bred boy
found the greatest amusement in teach
ing this sweet little Cockney all the COM
monest knowledge of country life. Then
the holidays came to an end, and Ed
ward went off to his work, and Dita was
caught up like a wild colt from the grass
to be tanned and broken-in to harness.
A governess arrived-a parcel of lesson
books a piano and some globes; and one
snug little room with windows opening
into the cloister was turned into school
room.
The old life in Edgar street, Soho, had
completely passed away-so completely
that no one but the Lovels and Jacques
knew that Dita was not their child This
was Andrews strong wish, and Mamie
was not experienced enough to see that
it might lead to embarrassment in the
future. When Dita was about twelve
years old. she told her the outline Of her
parents history, suppressing their
names; and she was glad to have done
So as at that age the revelation was
nothing compared to what it might have
see the hereditary peculiarties develop
ing themselves in the girls character;
the enthusiasm and strong powers Of
loving and disliking OF her mothers
race--the chivalrous loyalty from her
father. There was danger that she
might become too romantic, too exalted,
but her faithful Jacques proved the best
educator she could have. He directed her
enthusiasm Alright; he fed her magma
ton with truth; at once encouraging
and restraining it; hours together she
spent with him reading the books he
chose for her. In vain the conventional
governess appealed to Mrs. Lowell against
this; she would not listen. She saw that
there was necessary craving in Dita's
existance for the great and chivalrous
and beautiful things, and the wonderful
tact and sympathy with which nature
had endowed the uncOuth Jaques taught
this also to him; this want must be fed
or Dita would look round her for what
she wanted, and in her nearest and dear
est would learn and mark it's absence
Her character developed slowly; she
was generous and unseliish, full of
sweetness and high religious tone; and
though the time came (and Jacques
alone knew that it must Gomez when she
awolle to the fact that the parents whom
she loved so very dearly were not such
as she was, never by word or gesture,
never even by admitting it to herself
did she betray it. She loved them per-
haps all the more that the feeling reused
up feeling Of protection of them from
the whole world.
Dita grew and shot up; her long golden
hair was woven into piaits, and she wore
cnr J,t II
Norton came home from school, he saw
less or her, and pronounced her quite
spoilt, and no fun; finally he never saw
her at all, and she passed on through
the last stages Of her school-room life.
a still greater change had come over
her gentle mother. AS year passed after
year it took away little more life, a lit.
tie more energy. She was fading, very.
very slowly-impercepti to all but
Jaques, who through life had been her
confident, and who loved her dearly. He
saw the refinement of ill-health stealing
over her; he did not mistake the trans
parency of her hands for the delicacy
produced by the life of fine lady; and
that she was always lying on the sofa
more and more told it's own tale to him.
Andrew was either too absorbed or would
not understand Mamie was fading
early while still in the prime Of life; she
was not clever, she was not strong, and
the transplanting had wounded the ten
der little tiberS, without which the life
of the strongest plant grows faint
Jacques lived with his mother in
pretty cottage just behind the garden;
they lived humblv but very happily. I'm
der his care the Stafford library was be-
coming rare and valuable one, and it
battered Andrews vanity so much that
learned men should write to him and ask
for the favor of seeing his books. that in
this one particular he permitted himself
extravaganza. and Jacques reveled in the
works his carte-banche enabled him to
procure.