Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-11-26
aLOVER Of The Day.
The Beginning of 1t.
CHAPTER l.

quickly and emphatically as the calls,
but the elderly, slightly irascible and
impatient gentleman who uttered the
latter did not wait to hear if there
was any response to them or not.
''Patrice-where is the girl? Why
the duece doesn't she answer? Mary,
where is Miss Patrice? Here, one of
you servants; where are you? Never
in the way when you're wanted. Where
is Miss Patrice? /"
Here at your elbow" said a laugh
ing voice, and Capt. Kelly looked
around from a standing desk upon
which a heterogeneous mass of letters
and papers were lying, to see the bright
young face of his stepchild, Patrice
Laugherne, smiling up at him.
Il only wanted to tell you that |
have asked young Sholto Graham to
dine here tonight, and to-a Where on
earth has that receipted bill Of Jones
gone? Oh, yes-and to tell you that
I've ordered brace of teal to supple
ment the Welsh mutton, and if cook
makes a mess of them, as she did last
week, out of the house she goes to-
I'll remember, and here's Jones bill
on the floor at your feet" Patrice said,
unconcernedly. For fifteen years of
her life she had been accustomed to
Capt. Kelly, his impatient bursts of
fussy fury, his inveterate habit of mis-
laying everything in his possession,
his threats to instantly discharge any
nj hn ioht thn
sible offense which at the moment
seemed most grevious in his sight, and
his genuine kindness of feeling toward
all created things
That's right; thought I should put
my hand on it presently. That's what
comes of having a place for everything
and everything in its place, isn't it,
Patrice, my darling?"
Eyes, papa, you always like me to
be orderly, don't you? Shall shut the
window? I'm afraid you're in a
draught"
"A draught, my dear child! There's
not breath of-confound it, what have
I done with-where is my a-Look
about, Patrice, | pat some rough notes
| made on that meteor we saw last
night out of my hands a moment ago,
and now where in the dickens it can
have gone | can't conceive"
Here it is, blown out on the win
dowsill; | saw it fiutter out. That's
why | said there was draught."
Not the ghost of a draught, not a
breath of wind stirring. I want to
show these notes to young Graham. I
was telling him of the extraordinary
appearance we observed in the sky last
night and he was very much interested,
very much interested indeed. A very
able and intelligent young fellow that.
! told him you saw it, too, and he re-
marked that your corroborative evil
dence would be invaluable if he works
it up for a paper in a scientific journ-
al"
You know, dear dad, that what we
saw was in the direction of the Crystal
palace"
Exactly so, Patrice; exactly so. In
northeasterly direction, looked at
from the terrace.
And there were fireworks at the
Crystal palace last night" Patrice
cried, opening the door as she spoke
and vanishing from the reluctantly
cleared sight of her stepfather in a
burst of hearty, unrestrained laughter
that spoke we'll for the free and
friendly relations that existed between
them.
What a shame of Mr.. Graham to
pretend to believe in dear old fathers
meteor! He must have known all the
time that it was the Crystal palace
fireworks that we saw" the girl said
to herself, as she walked up to her
own room to look out the prettiest
home diner dress in her possession. Il
consider he has gained his invitation
to dine here tonight under false pre-
lenses" she went on smilingly to her
reflection in the looking glass, as she
commenced combing out and rearrang-
ing her pretty, curly, nut-brOwn
fringe
There was not much anger in her
heart against the deceiver who had
iplomatiticaly swallowed Capt. Kelly's
meteor and refrained from all refer
ence to the fireworks. There are very
few girls whose sense Of moral recti-
tude is too strong to allow them to
look leniently upon the perpetrator of
harmless fraud when that fraud has
been perpetrated for the sake of seeing
more of themselves. Patrice was not
of these rare ones. She quite condoned
Sholto Graham's mendacious attitude
toward her stepfather in regard to the
meteor long before the hour which
found him seated at the faultless little
pink and yellow dining table, whereat
she presided with the gay JOY in her
own happiness which it is not the por-
ton Of one woman in a thousand tC
revel in for long.
Sholto Graham was observant, anG
something in the arrangement of the
table told him that it was the well.
thought-out work of the graceful. grey
eyed young lady on his left. There wa!
nothing slurred or unfinished about tn,
training lengths of palest yellow ant
pink soft silk which were twined rounC
the silver candlesticks and the loos
touches of Marechal Mel and Ii
France roses. There was not a singh
neglected detail in her dress, whicl
matched the two shades of roses il
color, or-as he found as the Dime
went on-in the dainty little banQue
1;f+Jo Sarn op6 6y