Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1900-04-05
CHAPTER v.
Father and Daughter.

Father and Daughter.
Mr.. Give, senior sat in his handsome
library, with his pretty daughter on his
| knee. A walnut table stood beside his,
on which, with the magic deftness that
| characterized all the household ar
engagements at Give Towers, an ele-
CANT collation. had appeared, immedi-
ately upon the masters arrival.
But neither the fragrant Mocha.
steaming in the silver urn, nor the deli
| cate slices of ham and chicken, had
| tempted the travellers appetite. And
| even thoughtless Fannie noticed the
| shadow on her fathers brow, the grave
| preCccupation of his manner, that all
her childish prattle and loving caresScS
| could not remove.
For, reserved and dignified, almost to
sternness with all the rest of the world,
Robert Give always unbent to his idol
lied daughter, whose bright beauty
and bewitching grace recalled to him
so forcibly the only love of his life-the
wife whom he had worshiped with the
strong, silent, passionate devotion tbal
only such natures know.
For ten years Robert Give had been
wdower. and until the fair, sweet
face of Agnes Give smiled down upon
him from the carved Oaken frame
above his tireside. still her gentle inn
age remained enthroned within his
HEARTBEAT heart whose dark secrets
she had never sought to read, whose
love she accepted gladly and unques-
tioningly whose life she had brighten
ed, even as the summer sunbeam
brightens and warns the surface Of the
waters, whose cold, silent depths it can
never hope to reach.
"And so you have turned out full
fedged young lady. puss:" said the
father, tenderly, smoothing the long
brown hair that rippled over Fannies
shonlGers-her mothers own dark,
silllen hair "School books thrown
aside forever. eh? Nothing more to be
learned by this wise little head? That
diploma is alarming-chemistry bot
any. meteorology. Why you must be
Il regular epitome of science. my pet.
| wonder if YOU can say tho multiplied
ton table through"
Nov. papa" pouted Fan. 1.-The idea
of your talking that way to me.
Though l was little stupid about frac-
tons: I always got them wrong side
up until Sybil showed ne which num-
Der went on top. Size took the first
prize in mathematics. you know. She
is awfully clever. The masters used to
say she had a head like a mans.
| 'Ah, indeed l doubt if this is Il re-
commentator" said Mr.. Give, absent
ly. AWcma with Il mans head must
be something of Il monstrosity.
"Now. papa. I don't mean that. of
course" said Fannie. in an injured
tone. 81 only mean that her head is so
clear. and steady. and thoughtful-not
full of dressing, and dancing, and tiirt-
ing. like all other girls
(! Like all other girls, chg" said Mr..
Give, laughingly pinching the pretty
cheek. "And who is this young lady
who seems such an alarming exception
to the rule of her sex?"
! why, Sybil. Papa, don't you re-
member wrote you all about my dear
est friend, sybil Wraye:'
'Sybilr' repeated her father. the
shadow deepening upon his face, as if
the name We're musical to him-"Sybil
Wraye! And pray, my pet, who is this
wonderful Sybil Wraye, who can make
such deep emotions in NY little girls
light hearth
''Oh, dear! Papa. don't you remem-
Der wrote you all about her-a great,
long letter, all criss-crossed?'
II remember the letter. think" an
swered Mr.. Give. with a half-smile;
| 'but as for the contents, my dear, the
! criss-crossing you spoke of made them
so much Cbaldee to me-
;'And you couldn't read it?' ex-
claimed Fannie, in dismay. "Well,
well, suppose it don't make much diff
ference, as you can see her tomorrow
, for yourself"
"What!" exclaimed the father with a
start. SIS the young lady here?"
ooh, yes, papa. Don't you know, I
! told you was going to bring her home
= with meg But oh, dear! 1 forgot. you
| couldn't read the letter. She is the
dearest, sweetest, loveliest creature;
and between you and me, papa"
ME nodded her head sagely-"Bcrtie is
more than half in love with her al
ready. It's the most delightful thing
that could have happened to me next"
and the rosy lips parted in an arch
smile-"next to falling in love myself. y
& Nonsense, my dear!' said her father
sharply. ':Don't let me hear you NEIL
ton such ridiculous thing again
you and Herbert are both too young for
too young, to think of such serious sub
jects as matrimony. He has his way
to make in the world, his own way to
make-he must be hampered by no ties
/ as yet"
| "Oh. now. dear papa" said Fannie,
coaxingly. ':there's that ugly line hate
to sec come across your forehead. Let
me kiss it away. 1t makes you look
| just like the picture Of Uncle Basil,
hanging up stairs"
"Uncle Basil! like your Uncle Basil?"
was the hoarse reply. "What do you
know of him, child?"
''Nothing, except that he must have
! been very cross and ugly laughed
Fannie, twining her arm about hcr
fathers neck, "and I don't like my
precious papa to look like him. 'You
] haven't touched your supper, papa, and
Mrs. Wyllis fixed it so nicely for you.
Let me help you to some Of these nice
berries; you don't know how delicious
they are"
"Nothing tonight, my child-nothing
more tO-nightw he answered, shortly