The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1897-07-06


'There, now,' he cried, 81 was sure
it was stiff.
"Then why write it?''
cit wasn't my own composition"
t.Whose then? Your aunt's?"
ooh, no. 1t was a person of the name
of Slattery.'
Goodness! Who is hep
"I knew it would come out, I felt
that it would. You've heard of Slattery.
the author?
Never
"He is wonderful at expressing him.
self. He wrote a book called The Secret
Solved; or, Letter-w writing Made Easy
1t gives you models of all sorts of let.
ters''
Ida burst out laughing. $50 you actu.
ally copied one"
cit was to invite a young lady to
picnic, but 1 set to work and soon got
it changed so that it would do very
well. Slattery seems never to have
asked any one to ride a tandem. But
when I had written it, it seemed so
dreadfully stiff that I had to put lit
tie beginning and end of my own, which
seemed to brighten it UP good deal"
II thought there was something funny
about the beginning and end"
did you? Fancy your noticing the
difference in style. How quick you are!
I am very slow at things like that. l
ought to have been a woodman, or
gamekeeper, or something. 1 was made
on those lines. But I have found some
thing now"
"What is that, them"
Branching. I have chum in Texas,
and he says it is a rare life. [ am to
buy a share in his business. It is all in
the open air-shooting, and riding, and
sport Would it-would it inconvenience
you much, Ida, to come out there with
me?''
Ida nearly fell off her perch in her
amazement. The only words of which
she could think were "My goodness
mel so she said them.
eff it would not upset your plans,
or change your arrangements in any
way" He had slowed down and let go
of the steering handle, so that the great
machine crawled aimlessly about from
one side of the road to the other. Il
know very well that I am not clever or
anything of that sort, but still would
do all I can to make you very happy.
Don't you think that in time you might
come TO ike me Il llIlIe UIl!
Ida gave cry of fright. Il won't
like you if you run me against brick
WALL" she said, as the machine rasped
against the curb. "Do attend to the
steering
Eyes, I will. But tell me, Ida, whether
you will come with me-"
ooh, [ don't know. It's too absurd!
How can we talk about such things
V,11 Oea1y 10
the nape of my neck, and then / have
to twist my head round to answer"
81 know. That was why I put You in
front upon my letter. [ thought that
it would make it easier. But If you
would prefer it I will stop the machine,
and then you can sit around and talk
about it,
Good gracious!" cried Ida. Fancy
our sitting face to face on a motionless
tricycle. in the middle of the road, and
all the people looking out of their win
dows at us!'
cit would look rather funny, wouldn't
it? Well, then, suppose that we both
get off and push the tandem along in
front of us?''
ooh, no, this is better than that"
cor could carry the thing
be more absurd STILL
'Then we will go quietly, and I will
look out for steering. [ won't talk about
it at all if you would rather not. But
really do love you very much, and you
would make me happy if you came to
Texas with me, and 1 think that per-
haps after a time [ could make you
happy too
fsP1t vO11r amt 2''
''Oh, she would like it very much.
can understand that your father might
not like to lose you. I'm sure 1 wouldn't
either, if I were he. But, after all, Amer
lea is not very far off nowadays, and
is not SO very wild. We would take
grand piano, and-and-a copy of
Browning. And Denver and his wife
would come over to see us. We should
be quite a family party. It would be
jolly
Ida sat listening to the stumbling
words and awkward phrases which were
whispered from the back of her, but
there was something in Charles West
macotts clumsiness of speech which
was more moving than the words of the
most eloquent Of pleaders. He paused,
he stammered, he caught his breath be-
tween the words, and he blurted out
in little blunt phrases all the hopes of
his heart. If love had not come to her
yet, there was at least pity and SYM
pathy, which are nearly akin to it.
Wonder there was also that one so
weak and frail as she should shake this
strong man SO, should have the whole
course of his life Warrington her deci-
sion. Her left hand was on the cushion
at her side. He leaned forward and took
it gently in his own. She did not try to