Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1900-04-21
AN AWFUL HOLE.

| twice, arranged his tie three times. and
| looked longingly back at the deserted
staircase. But at last he set his teeth
hard, held his breath and opened the
| door
There was only one other in the room
corpulent parsonage, with a shiny pate
and a quick, jerky action. He glared in
| quiringly at the newcomer.
What do you want?'' he said, with an
air that spoke OF something in store for
the visitor, behind it.
We'll, I-you-we-that is, Rose, you
know-ask- | might
"Ha." barked the old man savage
EN-" Q" want TO become my S0n-in,iaw'
The young man stood first on one leg
| and then on the other.
| Well he returned, fateringly, 81
| suppose I'll have to be if | marry Rose -
Tho old man regarded him with curl
| Gus smile.
"lUcomeF' snapped he.
'Er-One hundred year" trembled
| the incomer.
"One hundred year. What on earth's
the good of that? You know very well
Rose has been brought up in a style that
SIX times that amount wouldn't support !"
He was rude old man, and rather
| purse-proud.
Reggie considered carefully before
speaking this time.
1T seems to me-" he said. confidently.
that if you were to advance the other
800 yearly, till had it for myself, you
know, matters might"
Leave the room," said the old man,
quietly.
Rose bruce was very pretty, and
worth a much more tactful effort than
Reggie had made before her father
After all. he had done his best, and
though he had made a decided mess of it,
| he hadn't hoped for any alng much bet
ter. One hundred year was not much
to offer.
Rose left the window as he came into
the drawing room and looked her in
quiries. She was brown-eyed, slim and
rather hopeful in disposition; but the re.
suit of the forlorn hope did not disap-
point her, for she had not expected any
thing else
Poor boy!' she said. soothingly.
lie wouldn't love me at all" conf
planned Reggie I'm manage it some
how, though"
How" inquired Rose, simply.
Reggie laid five wiry fingers ON hissIgft
bieeps, and worked his foreurrnr~sxz ~
fro half q. dozen times, staring pensively
| at the wall. He was powerfully built
Would you mind if | damaged him a
bit?'' he inquired cautiously; mot ire
parably, you know, but
oh oh. no, no; not that pleaded Rose,
after all. Besides, il wouldn't mend
matters at all-rather the contrary.'
Perhaps so" unused Reggie.
| He had exhausted the resources OF his
mind, and fell into abstract silence. He
| was lovely boy, but not brain-brilliant
| Reggie had read good many stories of
what fellows do under such circum-
stances; but his ideas were thrown out
| by the fact that Mr. bruce kept no
! bulldog. All the stubborn fathers in the
tales he had read kept bulldogs, and he
felt that given the usual material. he
would know what to do. But the alb
sence of bulldog puzzled him, and
threw out his train OF thought. There
was terrier. certainly: but it was
rather fond of him than otherwise, and
never bit his trousers. When he wished
TO climb over the back wall there Was
nothing To prevent him. He explained
this difficulty to Rose.
| DO you think you could persuade the
old man To buy bulldog?" he sug-
| gested tentatively. II should know how
! 10 proceed then. | could either make
friends with him by giving him steak
with aniseed oil on it, or else poison him
out OF the way, to begin with. All he
roes III books do that. 1t would give
me q sort of start, don't you know"
III try, said Rose, doubtfuly: "hut
| should have thought ii saved Won
trouble not to have TO do all that. BE.
sides, he might take a fancy TO you at
once, and spoil everything. Can't you
think OF something else?''
! We'll" said Reggie. after mature con-
Sireration. II think I'll go by way of the
back garden wall when | depart. inst as
sort OF beginning, Ell? Practice is
what | want"
And when Reggie's time came to go he
I a s.nrS~
/ wall. II was dark by that time. and no
parked his Shns good deal. A neigh
bors dog charged him as he dropped into
| the next garden. He avoided IN with
diihcuity. and presently made the street.
As he jumped down on to the pavement.
atter carefully chipping away some brok-
| en- glass from the barriers top n police-
man made rude inquiries. and he was
obliged Ia give his name and address he
| fore ne was allowed to go This unset
| his calculations somewhat. for none Of
the books he had read said ANYTHING
about policemen in such connection.
! However. he felt the attack by the dog
was step in the right direction. II
( was only a neighbours dog. certainly. hut
he felt more in his element with dogs
than with policemen.
He made his trousers particularly mud
| dy in the escape for Mr.. Druce's spacious
| garden was upheaved in every direction
were innumerable holes. to say nothing
| of forhidding mountains Of smooth vel
/ low clay. He narrowly escaped falling
into the biggest pit Of all, Shiny hole.
| fifteen feet deep, with an inch or two of
water ut the bottom. Ii lay about 400
! yards from the house and was concealed
thercfrom by strawberries The sides
| were steep and unscalahle The hole inn
pressed itself on ReCgie'S memory. and
he dreamt Of il all night. The next even
ing, impressed by his experiences. Reggie
started 10 call on his fiancee by way of
the back gardens again, Ii was a chill.
raw autumn night, and a thick drizzle
I fen rCaSeleSSly.
With the aid Of convenient plum tree.
I trained against the bricks Reggie clam
bered M paused for breath ON the sum
NIT and dropped ON To the dead leaves
/ and sticky clay beyond As be arrived
there woeful shuttle arose from the
1 ground beneath his feet. He jumped
I back pace or TWO.
Rose has got him 10 buy that bulldog
after all he thought dOletully.