Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-07-01
Continued.


not seem good enough for her Be
sides, your modern higher education
is rot the thing for a woman,--it is
too heavy and commonplace. Thelma
krows nothing about mathematics or
algebra. She can sing and read and
write,--and, what is more, she can
spin and sew; but even these things
were not the first consideration with
me- ] wanted her disposition trained,
and her bodily health attended to. /
said to those good women at Aries
Look here,-here's a child for YOU.
don't care how much or how little she
knows about accomplishments. l want
Ter to be sound and sweet from heal
to heel-a clean mind in a wholesome
body. Teach her self-respect, and
make her prefer death to a lie. Show
her the curse of a shrewish temper and
the blessing of cheerfulness. That will
satisfy mel | dare say, now | come to
think of it, those nuns thought me an
odd customer; but, at any rate, they
seemed to understand me."-the old
mans eyes twinkled fondly-"she
hasn't turned out so badly"
They laughed and Thelma blushed
as Errington's dreamy eyes rested on
her with look, which, though he was
unconscious of it, spoke passionate
admiration. The day passed too
quickly with them all.--and now. as
they sat at dinner in the richly orna-
mented saloon, there was not one
among them who could contemplate
without reluctance the approaching
breakup of SO pleasant party.
Dessert was served. and as Thelma
toyed with the fruit on her plate and
slipped her glass of champagne, her
face grew serious and absorbed even
sad,-and she scarcely seemed to hear
the merry chatter Of tongues around
her. till Errington's voice asking a
question of her father reused her into
swift attention.
DO you know any one of the name
of Sigurd?" he was saying, "a poor
fellow whose wits are in heaven let
us hcpe,-for they certainly are not
Oh EARTH
Olaf Guldmar's face softened with
pity, and he replied
"Sigurd? Have you met him then?
All, poor boy, his is a sad fate He
has wit enough, but it works wrongly;
the brain is there, but tbs twisted.
Yes, we know Sigurd well enough-his
home is with us in default of a better.
Ay, ay! we snatched him from death
perhaps pnwisely, yet he has a good
heart and finds pleasure in his life.
He is kind of poet in his owa
way" went on Errington, watching
Thelma as she listened intently to
their conversation.
DO you know he actually visited
me on board here last night and beg
ged me to go away from the Altenfjord
altogether? He seemed afraid of me,
as if he thought | meant to do him
some harm"
How strange!" murmured Thelma.
"Slgurd never speaks to VISITORS
he is too shy. l cannot understand
his motiye!"
"Ah, my dear!" sighed her father.
Has he any motive at all? and does
he ever understand himself? His
,ancies change with every shifting
bl eeze! l will tell YOU" he continued,
ADDRESSING himself to Errington, how
he came to be, as it were, bit of
our home. Just before Thelma was
born, was walking with my wife one
1nX = MI
caught sight of something humping
against our little pier, like a large box
or basket. | managed to get hold of
it with boat-hook and drag it in
it was a sort of creel such as is used
to pack fish in, and in is was the naked
body of half-drowned child. 1t was
an ugly little creature-a newly born
infant deformity-and on its chest
there was a horrible scar in the shape
of cross, as though it had been
gasbed deeply with pen-knife. |
thought it was dead, and was for
throwing it back into the Fjord, but
my wife,-a tender-hearted angel
took the poor wretcheG little wet
body in her arms, and found that it
brearhed. she warmed it, and wrap
ped il in her shawl,-and after
while the tiny monster opened its
eyes and stared at her Well. some
how, neither OF US could forget the
took it gave us,-such solemn, warn
ing, pitiful appealing sort OF express
sIon. There was no resisting it,--so we
took the founding and did the best we
could for him. We gave him the name
of Sigurd,-and when Thelma was
born, the two babies used to play to-
gether all day, and we never noticed
anything wrong with the boy, except
his natural deformity, till he was
about ten or twelve years old Then
we saw to our sorrow that the gods
had chosen to play havoc with his
wits. However, we humored him
tenderly. and he was always manage
able. Poor Sigurdl He adored my
wife. | have known him to listen for
hours to catch the sound of her foo
step: he would actually deck the
threshold with flowers in the morning