Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-03-15
CHAPTER VII.
Take it to thy breast;
Though thorns it's stem invest


Gather them, with the rest!
'She is unbearable. Unbearable!' re-
turns Perpetua vehemently. when
came back from the concert tonight,
She But l won't speak of her. l
won't And, at all events, | have done
with her; have left her. | have come"
with decision-'to stay with you"'
Chip says the professor. It is a mere
sound, but it expresses a great deal.
ITO stay with you. Yes" nodding her
head. ''it has come to that at last. /
warned you it would 1 couldn't stay
with her any longer. hate her! SO l
have come to stay with you-forever!'
She has cuddled herself into an arm
chair, and, indeed, looks as if a lifelong
residence in this room is the plan she
has laid out for herself. -,
Great heavensi What do you mean!
asks the poor professor, who should
have sworn by the heather gods, but in
a weak moment falls back upon the good
cid formula He sinks upon the table
next him, and makes ruin Of the notes
he had been scribbling-the ink is still
wet-even whilst Hardinge was with
him. Could he only have known it, there
are first proofs of them now upon his
trousers. az !,
Il have told YOU" says she. Good
gracious, what a funny room this is!
| told you she was abominable to me
when l came home tonight. She SAID
dreadful things to me, and l don't care
whether she is my aunt or not, l shan {
let her seold me for nothing; and-Im
afraid l wasn't nice to her I'm sorry
for that, but-one isn't a bit of stone,
you know, and she said something
about my MOTHER" her eyes grow very
brilliant here, "and when | walked up
to her she apologized. for tnat,
but afterward she said something
about poor, poor and-well, that
was the end. l told her-amongst other
things-that / thought she was too old
to be alive and she didn't seem to mind
the 'other things half as much as that:
though they were awful. At all events,
with a little wave of her hands, "she' S
See "ef again. 'e 'D' away ~
1t must be acknowledged that the pro-
lessor doesn't see He is still sitting on
the edge Of the table-dumb.
"Oh! I'm so glad I've left her., says
perpetua, with indeed heartfelt delight
in look and tone. "But-do you know
I'm hungry. You-you couldn't let me
make you cup of tea, could you? I'm
dreadfully thirsty! What's that in your
glass|"
Nothing" says the professor hastily.
He removes the half-inished tumbler OF
whisky and soda, and places it IN the
open cupDOdru
at looks like something" says she.
"But what about tea!'
"I'll see what / can do" says he, be-
ginning to busy himself amongst many
small contrivances in the same cup
board 1t has gone to his heart to hear
that she is hungry and thirsty, but even
in the midst of his preparations for her
comfort, feeling of rage takes posses
sion of him.
He pulls his head out of the cupboard
and turns to her.
You must be mad"' says he.
Mad? Why?" asks she.
ITO come here. Here! And at this
hourr
''There was no other place; and |
wasn't going to live under her roof anoth-
er second. l said to myself that she was
my aunt, but you were my guardian.
Both of you have been told to look after
me, and | prefer to be looked after by
you. 1t is so simple" says she,' with a
suspicion of contempt i'll her tone, that
| wonder why you wonder at it. AS l
preferred you-of course | have come to
live with you"
"You can'tv' gasps the professor; 'you
must go back to Miss Majendie at oncep'
'To her! I'm not going back" steadi-
ly. "And even if / would" triumphant
ly, Il couldn't. AS she sleeps at the top
of the house Ito get air, she says,) and SO
does her maid; you might ring until you