Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-02-22

III IT. eS. CnaJ girl mas come.
The professor never SWearS. or he
might now perhaps have given way to
reprehensible words.
Instead of that, he pulls himself to-
gether, and determines on immediate ac-
ton. To call upon this ward of his is a
thing that must be done sooner or later,
then why not sooner? Why not at once?
The more unpleasant the duty, the more.
necessity to get it off ones mind with
out delay.
He pulls the bell. The landlady APP
pears again.
Il must go out. says the professor,
staring a little helplessly at her.
An good thing too, says She "A
saints day ye might call it, wild the sun.
An where to. sir, dear? Not to thin
rascally students, | do thrust?'
mo, Mrs Mulcahy. IL am going to
see young lady," says the professor
simply.
.'The divil!' says Mrs. Mulcahy with
beaming smile. ''Faix, that's a turn
the right way anyhow. But have We
thought o yer clothes, my dear?
.Clothes?" repeats the professor vague
| ~.
''Arrah, watt" says she, and runs
away lightly, in spite of her fifty years
and her too, too solid flesh, and presently
returns with the professors best coat
and a clothes brush that from its APP
| pearance, might reasonably be supposed
to have been left behind by Noah when
he stepped out of the ark. With this
latter (having put the coat Oh him) she
proceeds to belabor the professor with
great spirit and presently sends him
forth shining-if not internally, at all
events externally.
In truth the professors mood is not II
happy one. Sitting in the hanson that
is taking him all too swiftly to his des-
tination, he dwells with terror on the
0i11 4bo III hn hos hao
thrust upon him. He has quite made
up his mind about her. An Australian
girl! One knows what to expect there!
Health unlimited; strength tremendous;
and noiSe-much noise.
Yes, she is sure to be big girl. A
girl with branching limbs, and a laugh
you could hear mile off. young
woman with no sense of the fitness of
things, and a settled conviction that
nothing could shake, that '''Stralia is the
finest country on earth! A bouncing
creature who never sits down; to whom
rest or calm is unknown, and whose high
est ambition will be to see the Tower
and the WaxWOrks-
Her hair is sure to be untidy, hanging
probably i'll straight, black locks over her
forehead, and her frock will look as if
it had been pitchforked onto her, and
requires only the characterization of one
pin to leave her without it again..
The professor is looking pale, but has
on him all the air of one prepared for
anything, as the maid shows him into the
drawing room of the house where Miss
Jane Majendie lives.
His thoughts are still full of her niece.
Her niece, poor woman, and his ward
poor man! when the door opens and
someone comes i'll.
Someone!
The professor gets slowly onto his feet,
and stareS at the advancing apparltiOn.
Is it child OF woman, this fair vision?
A hard question to answerl 1t is quite
easy to read, however, that someone
is very lovely!
1T is you, Mr.. Curzon, is it not?" says
the vision.
Her voice is sweet and clear, little
petulant perhaps, but still very sweet.
She is quite small-a little girl-and clad
in deep mourning. There is something
pathetic about the dense black surround
ing such radiant face, and such a
childish figure Her eyes are fixed on
The professor and there is evident ankle
ty in their hazel depths; her soft lips are
parted; she seems hesitating as IT not
knowing whether she shall smile or sigh.
She has raised both her hands as it un-
consciously, and is holding them clasped
against her breast. The pretty fingers
are covered with costly rings. Altogeth
er she makes a picture-thiS little girl,
with her brilliant eyes, and mutinous
mouth, and, soft black clinging gown.
Sweet as is the bramble-fow
Eyes, says the professor in hest
tating way. as if by no means certain OF
the fact He is so vague about 1T, in
deed, that someone's" dark eyes take
miscellaneous CLEAN.
Are you sure?'' says she, and looks
up at him suddenly d little sideways per
haps, as if half-frightened, and gives
way to naughty sort of little laugh.
1t rings through the room, this laugh,
L. ~, h11v al
together this time. She checks herself,
and looks first down at the carpet with
the big roses on it, where one little foot
is wriggling in rather nervous way, and
then up again at the professor, as If to
see if he is thinking bad things of her.
She sighs softly.
"Have you come to see me or Aunt
Jane?' asks she; because Aunt Jane is
out-'Im glad to say'-this last pianis-
simo.
sTo see you says the professor alb
sently He is thinking! He has taken
her hand, and held it, and dropped it
again, all in state of high bewilder-
ment
Is this the big, strong, noisy girl of his
imaginings? The bouncing creature with
untidy hair, and her clothes pitchforked
onto her?
"Well-I hoped so, says she, a little
wistfully as it seems to him, every trace
of late sauciness now gone, and with it
the sudden shyness. After many days
the professor grows accustomed to these
sudden transitions that are sopuzzling yet
so enchanting, these rapid, inconsequent,
but always lovely changes.
From grave to gay, from lively 20 severe.
won't you sit down?' says his small
hostess gently, touching a chair near her
with her slim fingers.
"Thank you," says the professor, and
then stops short. 'You are
Your ward" says she. ever so gently
still, yet emphatically. 1t is plain that
she is now on her very best behavior.
She smiles UP at him in a very encourag-
ing way. and you are my guardian,
aren't your
YES" says the professor, without en-
thusiasm. He has seated himself, not
on the chair she has pointed out to him.
| but on a very distant lounge. He is
conscious of a feeling. of growing ter,
ror. This lovely child has created
| it, yet why, or how? Was ever guardian
mastered by ward before? A desire to
escape is filling him, but he has got to
do his duty to his dead friend, and this
| -, ,oor4 Of If