Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-03-06

the door he stepped back with a chiv-
alrous movement and held the portiere
for her. Anne could not remember
any such polite attention in the whole
course of her life. 1t gave her queer
sensation, and she walked, somehow,
with her head little less bent, up
the two steep flights and along the
winding hall.
The boarders sit down stairs a
good DEAL" she said, still regretbing
that cherries room. "The furnace
don't heat very we'll up here, and it's
warmer in the sitting room on account
Of the fire"
Then she returned to her ashes.
She made the invalids toast with
unusual care that night, and cautioned
Kitty about keeping the soup we'll
covered and hot.
At o'clock, in her fresh white
apron, she stood ready to wait on the
ner bell. Before he came she had
brought in several plates of steaming
soup, and Mr.. Brown had grunted with
disfavor at sight of this and gruff1y
ordered it away, muttering something
about "clam soup every night!'
She was fastening to change his
plate when Mr.. Schwartze entered.
The big German cast his eyes with
friendly interest over the group at the
table, There was something hearty
and genuine about him, though his
gait was awkward and his shoulders
somewhat stopped. But he said "Par-
don, madam" as he withdrew his
Miss Simpkins' plate, and THANK
you'' to Anne when she gave him his
soup. If the hot stuff had not been
safely devosited upon the cloth before
him, it might have showered upon
him in scalding streams, for THANK
you to Anne was so unusual as to be
absolutely startling. 1t made her
duties through that meal seem almost
pleasant, although Miss Simpkins
complained that the tea was slop, and
Mr. Brown said it was pity he could
never get roast beef he could eat.
Anne's cheeks had grown into the
habit of burning through the long
hours when she served at table. Aunt
Holmes was safe out of hearing, and
Gladys declined to eat with the board
ers, so there was only Anne to face the
storming when the cook made mis-
takes or the marketman failed to
bring the best of his stock.
There was only one boarder in the
house who treated Anne as if she
of csi q
dust OF the earth. That one was Baby
Blossom.
Baby Blossom had not Learned in the
two years of his smiling existence that
there are people overworked, under
fed, spiritless creatures-whom it is
ones privilege to tread under foot.
He had friendly fashion of cooling
at Anne whenever he saw her and
holding out his dimpled hands. And
when Anne held him hungrily in her
tired arms, he gave no evidence of
knowing that she was sallow and tat
tered and thin as a rail, and that her
face was often streaked with tears.
Father Blossom was a floor
walker" in downtown store, who
talked pompously of ''my clerks" and
''my establishment" and Mother Bios
som was an overdressed blonde who
loved card parties better than the dim
pied baby.
When, through long evenings, Baby
Blossom stared lomesomely at the
glow-worm light near his table, Anne
used to slip in, away from the cruel
shafts of Aunt Holmes tongue and
Groom lullabies as she rocked the lit
tile chap to slumber.
Now, upon this night Of his arrival,
Mr.. Schwartze, being home loving
man, not particularly drawn to the
beer saloon or the concert hall,
roamed about in Mrs. Holmes would
be fashionable boarding house in quest
of etertainment.
In the parlor Miss Gladys, large and
imposing, was languid1y entertaining
tall-collared beaux. In the sitting
room Mrs. Brown, Miss Simpkins and
Miss Rhodes we're discussing the trials
Of the boarder.
Mr.. Schwartz slipped into a warm
corner with his paper and tried not to
oyerhear. Soon, quiet and sweet
above the sharp fault-fnding of the
ladies, sounded stray bits of a musical
lullaby:
Sleep, little pigeon, and fold your
wings,
Little blue pigeon with velvet eyes.
It was Anne in the second story
back lulling Baby Blossom to sleep.
And it was Anne who stepped into the
sitting-room half an hour later with
something almost like happiness in
her eyes and exclaimed softly: i've
go him to sleep-the little lamb!'
The three ladies stared at her cold4y,
and silence fell upon them.
I'm sorry about your curtains, Miss
Simpkins. I'll get them up tomor-
row.
II think it is time" said Miss Simp-
kinS, dryly, and the gladneSs died out