Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1900-04-06
COUSIN WILLIE

HOW l 90 WISH we cOul0 nave rip
pie Of incident in our daily life" said
AIillicent More, closing her book with
4 sigh
"Nothing ever happens to u.s." said
Ter cousin Catherine with a smile, as
She bent forward to pick up a dead
leaf OF her pet geranium.
Milliccnt and Catherine More were
girls OF twenty-five and twenty-five
old maids the seventeen-year-olders
called them-who taught school and
supported themselves comfortably by
III, j. own unaided efforts.
Aillitcnt was pretty, with red lips, a
clear. bright complexion and hair
touched with the warm auburn gold
that artists copy and poets rave Of.
aud Milllccnt had not quite given up
| her little dream of love and matri-
! mOIy.
Catherine was small and plain. with
| ordinary gray eyes. hair like every
body elses and not the slightest pre-
tcntions to beauty.
Upon this particular December af-
ternOon. just as the girls were deploring
the nlonotOny of their daily life, the
postnan tapped at the door with a
letter
Uncle George is dead in Australia"
gaspcd MiliCent.
ooh. Milly-and he has left an
orphan hoy" added Catherine, the
tears brlmmlng into her eyes. I'VE
must adopt him, Milly-we must bring
him IN"
Millicent drew back n little.
II don't see why" she said some
what coldly. "Uncle George never did
anything for us"
L.,
than we. At all events, he is dead
now-and the child is left alone in the
world. I'll sit down and write to the
lawyer this minute"
1t was lovely June day, with the
sky blue and clear as a baby's eyes
and the air full of scents from the
blossoming buckwheat fields. Gather
inc More, having, not without diff
Guilty, obtained temporary substitute
in her school. went to New York to
meet her new charge ON the steamer
Harvest Lass, which had been tele-
graphed from Sandy Hook the day be-
fore.
Little Willie will knew me-" she
said to herself. "hecause / sent my
photograph by the last mail. wanted
my face to seem familiar to him, poor
lone lamb"
She stood on the pier eagerly scan
ming the countenance of every child
that landed, her face Frightening once
or twice as she saw n boy whom she
thought might he Willie, when all Of a
sudden a hand was laid lightly on her
arm and she found herself looking up
| into a handsome bronzed face far
! above her
"Sir!" she cried, starting back.
II beg your pardon" said a frank
pleasant voice ~ did not mean to
| alarm you. But is this Miss MoreY
She inclined her head
81 am your cousin William"
! And this time Catherine started back
in more surprise than ever.
"Sir. she said. you are mistaken
William is little boy"
Hardly" returned the tall stranger,
"unless you would call me little boy.
Dear Cousin Kitty, no one ever told
you | was child or poor. 1t was your
own inference. Thank heaven, | am
| independent and wealthy, and, as
/ have come to mans estate, | think 1t
is rather my duty to take care of you
than allow you to take care of me-"
Catherine looked at her handsome
/ cousin in mute amaZement. This
| grand upsetting Of all her theories and
ideas was more than she could com
/ prehend just at once.
But WHIP
But Catherine. Nay, my dear little
| gray-eyed cousin, the lawyers have
told ME how willing you were to adopt
/ and care for the homeless orphan, and
/ how my Cousin Millicent shrank from
| the task. And from the bottom of my
heart l thank you for what your are
| ready to do"
How Dorcas started when she saw
! what a sort of a fellow 'little Willie"
| had proved to be. How Mrs. Hopper
/ giggled behind her bonnet frames when
! she thought of the little .child's crib
/ and the picture books upstairs.
"Of course. such an elegant gentle
man as that viii go to the hotel" said
Mrs. Hopper. But he did not. lie
stayed at the cottage, sleeping ON the
bacl; parlOr sofa until other accommO-
dations could he provided for him.
And when Millieent came over with
her prettiest smile and outstretched
hand the young Australian received
her with an odd, curt coldness that
made her feel excessively uneomfort-
/ able.
"You see, Cousin Milly," said he.
you didn't want to be bothered with
nse: you thought the Australian au-
thOrities ought to be compelled to pro-
vide for me-"
And when Mrs. Hopper heard that
little Catherine More was to marry her
rich cousin she wasn't at all surprised
ITS the most natural thing in the
world" said she, "only it's a pity that
Catherine isn't a little prettier"
But Catherine More was satisfied
with her lovers declaration that to
him her face was the sweetest in all
hI1n a.-nrId Ll.-nhn.narn