Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1900-10-03
"FLOTSAM."

AO ~ ZGVE%
The day before, as ] walked down the
street, / had seen the doctor turn from
his surgery door into the stable ward
and. following hlm inside the green gates
had heard The Gews from him.
Yes, lis all over" he SAID; THE poor
little mad died 'arIy this morning; went
CAT with the tide
I'm sorry" / said, for The child had
been friend Of mine. How does her
father take liz"
Badly" answered the doctor. very
badly; there will he trouble there. ex-
pect. VIII you come Win mey I'm go
ing into the vale. Lovely drive. No?
Then goodty. Come in some evening
soon and play chess, and with a CHEEKY
nod he got into the dogCart and drove
rapidly away.
i stopped to light my pipe, and then
went through the doctors yard, meaning
10 take short cut through the fields inio
the lane that led down to the beach. \
rough wood IN fence screened the barton
from the tennis lawn, and the doctors
wife was attending 10 a large spray of
Jaekmanii clematic which had been
blown down in the night.
Monica Goilops dead, she said as
passed; isn't ii sad?'
Very sad" answered; very sad
There will be trouble there. I ex-
pect,' she said, unconSciousiy echoing
her husbands words; hes all alone
now
It's an awful thing 10 ne alone"
said, fer l knew. and the doctors wife
asscnted sympa;hetically. Then | went
on for my walk.
That was the day before. and today
WAS the great annual festival OF the
Burial club. Already the church bells
were ringing. and the men folk Were
strolIing up the hill to the big field from
which the procession was to start. The
green Sashes they wore across their
Paul krugers presidential scarf. but
they made a brave show and their wear
ers displayed them proudly.
The children were streaming up the hill
in noisy companies, the little girls by
themselves IN the stitfcst Of white, froeks,
with elaborate hats instead of their pref
Nv everyday sunbounets, and with pre-
posterous parasols; the little boys by
themselves in their Sunday suits, with
enormous collars, and Well-greaScd boots.
The atmosphere OF huStling animation
was not cUngcnlal to me. for | was pict-
uring Aaron Gollol sitting modify 10y
the bed on which his dead child was ~
~. ji8s hItNA MN an his IKE. II
harsh stern man, who, since the death of
his wife in childbirth had ceutcred his
affection in his little Monica: quarrel
some man. whose moods could only be
controlled hy the prattlc Of baby lips;
undertaking man. who vet would all
stain for weeks and spend long days in
the stone kitchen alone with his daugh-
ter, netting ha2hmocks fer her to swing
iii. or carving rude dolls fer her 10 play
with; an ignorant man, WaoSc reading
was confined 10 the Bible and whose
conversation was q strange mixture Of
coarse h!aSphcmy and almost Pharisaicai
p!e,ism.
| could imagine him with dry eyes and
rebellous heart sitting alone in the cot
tag" Mp the hill, listening sullenly to the
sounds of the festival outside to which
the child looked forward SO eagerly: I
could imagine the grim expression on his
ragged face as he remembered that it
was the feast of the Sick and Burial
club, and | could imagine him turning
away from the placid figure on the white
bed, and resolving 10 take the advice
S.ven to job by his Wife and curse God
and die.
The vision put me out Of concejt with
mcrry-lnaking, So left the happy village
and walked down Sea Lane past thu
>yhoulhuuse toward the beach. At the
end OF the lane, upon the right hand, is
Il deserted factory. where once cement
was made and on the left hand the river
Gl@zagS into the sea, a narrow fouthridgr
across Il giving access To a battery Of
guns. | had intended to lie down on thu
grass grown carthworkS and smoke an
idle pipe in the sun, but figure ON the
beach attracted me and | went ON.
1t was Aaron Golop in his thick blue
Jersey, hIrCfou.cd and bare armed. cut
ting bait. could tell from his boat that
he had nos beon long ashore, and ! wcgt