Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-04-16
BY ADEL.INE SERGEANT.


. w no would nave tnOuSnL that MISS
Joyce, whom | used to think horrible,
could be so kind to me-" Madeline
! soliloquized in the train, as she was
whirled away to Hertfordshire. How
frightened l used to be of her! And
she certainly can scold sometimes, but
she is very warm hearted after ALL
As she concluded her meditations,
she raised her eyes and glanced at the
other occupants of the carriage. It was
a second-class carriage and not very
full Two old ladies sat in the corner
seat near the window. Madeline and
another passenger occupied the remain
ing corners. She looked at the ladies,
then at the man; he vas young and
apparently good-looking, but as she
found that he Was gazing intently at
herself, she Immediately averted her
eyes. She was not at all prepared to
see him bend forward and to hear him
say:
Madeline! Surely it is Madelinew
She looked at him full in the face
then and was vexed to feel that she
was changing color.
us surely it is not
''Lancelot Vanbrugh. Your old
friend"
There was a touch of reproach in his
tone which she could not understand.
She held out her hand, as he seemed
to expect it, but drew it away again
as soon as his fingers had touched hers.
you have forgotten me?" he said,
looking at her earnestly.
mot quite" she said, smiling easily.
She had recovered her self-possession
by this time. Eve were very good
friends when I was a little girl, I
remember"
''Not so very little, surely"
"Oh, yes, a mere baby" said Made
line, sweetly.
Lancelot pulled his mustache and
looked-as he somewhat discon-
certed.
Are you going to Hurst?" he asked,
after a moments pause.
yes. And you are going to your
home, | suppose?"
Il am going to Hurst, too
Ii was Madeline's turn to feel a. little
disconnected, and perhaps she showed
her feeling more than she knew, for
LancelOt leaned forward and spoke, so
that no one else should hear:
eff you do not mind, l hope If you
object to my coming [ will make an
excuse and stay away will indeed"
rcl,a T 4
lifting her eyebrows with a look of
extreme hauteur at really does not
signify to me whether you go or stay"
She took up paper as she spoke and
began to turn over the pages, while
Lancelot with a sense of mingled col
lapse and injury sank back in his place
and devoured his modification as we'll
as he could.
What a change had come over her.
he said to himself. What a proud, cold.
stately woman she had grown. How
different from the gentle, smiling. low
ing girl of earlier years. Was it Miss
Joyce's school that had worked this
change in her? He wished he had not
meddled in her affairs.
The train slackened and stopped at a
station when the two old ladies got
out and Lancelot and Madeline were
left alone.
She glanced over the top of her paper
at him and saw that he was looking
vexed, gloomy, almost sulky. He had
thrust both hands deep into his pockets
and was staring out of the window with
an air of deep depression.
Don't let us quarrel" said Madeline,
smiling at him. 1--WE are older-and
presume wiser-than we were. so we
might as we'll be good friends still"
The cloud was dispelled from Lance's
face as if by magic. He met her eye
with a quick, answering smile. cit
isn't fair to ask, L suppose" he said,
frankly, "but 1 should like to know.
If you don't mind telling me, why you
did not answer my letters
Il answered all that I received" said
Madeline, coloring in spite of herself.
But why should we talk about that
nonsensical correspondence"
You answered all that you re-
ceived?' Lancelot repeated, in a tone
of unqualified surprise. do you know
that l wrote to you six times without
getting any reply?"
Madeline shook her head 81 wrote
twice, in answer to two of your letters
and then l got no more I did"-hes-
itatingly-"I did write once again, but
no answer came"
THE letters must have been lost"
81 suppose So"
Or" he said, more slowly, "or-in-
tercepted."
Madeline laughed. Our poor little
letters were hardly worth being inter
cepted, 1 think. But it was very silly
for us to begin writing without asking
leave. l have often thought since that
1t would have seemed like a piece of
deception to Miss Joyce if she had
known and l was glad that you gave it
up"
"1?" said Lancelot, hotly. q never
gave it up"
Il wrote last" said Madeline, provok-
ingly
Indeed you didn't 1 wrote at least
six times, l tell you, before 1 gave it
up"
Madeline put on a little air of in
credulity, 1T is so easy to say that.
never had the letters. Of course YOU
forget"
mo, did not forget. Madeline. you
believe me. SureIy?"