Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-03-12

III his NlctlUlS impulses OF rage ludI were
often hard to repress. The girls some
times could scarcely keep from crying,
but if they had wept. Mr.. Parsons would
not have minded it in the least. Sever
ity was, from his point of view, neces-
sary means to the end in which all had
a common interest, and, after his verbal
lash had ceased singing, even the vic
TINS conceded that he was right.
Old folks and young, married and sim
gle, maids and bachelors, all took the
floor, spelled as long as they could with
out error, and one by one went down in
the struggle for survival of the ortho-
graphically fttest. Even the most en-
thusiastic advocate of spelling matches
as an improving sort of amusement could
hardly have conscientiously pronounced
the exercise altogether free from flavor
of mOnotony. Old Cyrus Ramsey made
welcome variation, when he was igno-
miniously thrown by "psilophyton," and
talked hack, ayowing his convictions that
the word was wrongly spelled in the die
tionary and that it was an estray from
some Outlandish foreign language, which
had no place properly in an English die
tionary, anyway.
OhhSI cover VI the SeHeEdl HIldFIly over
that episode, John Cameron, finding the
gradual reduction of the class had
brought him and Hetty Mulveil side by
side, seized the opportunity to whisper
to her:
MAY I take you home tonight"
With such a thrill of gladness in her
heart as made it hard for her to look I'M
conscious and whisper low, she answered:
Yes"
Only one word, and uttered in a tone
not louder than a gentle sigh, but it pro-
longed itself in waves of delicious music
in Johns brain and dulled his sense of
meaner sounds and things, so that he
was promptly tloored by a word that he
knew as well as his own name, and had
to sit down. But he didn't mind the tenn
porary defeat. He was certain of being
one of the elect, anyway. Parsons knew
he could be depended upon in Il serious
emergency. But he did wish the school
master would not look so confoundedly
knowing as if he understood how that
word came to be missed.
Rufus Goldie, who had come to grief
early in the game, having had more than
an hour of nothing else to do than sit
still and look at the girls. had made up
his mind that Hetty Mulveil was the
flower of the collection and that he would
escort her home. 1t made him smile to
think how cunningly he would maneuver
to secure her company in advance of 9TH
ers less ingenious, who might have the
same idea. Quietly he slipped out, when
he saw that the exercises were drawing
to close, got his borrowed horse and
cutter ready, returned and stood waiting
The instant the class was dismissed. he
stepped quickly up to Hetty and, with
what he deemed his most fascinating
combination smirk and bow, proffered the
customary formal invitation:
May l have the pleasure of escorting
you Miss Mulveil?
Thanks" she replied, coolly. "Iy ar
rangements are already made"
Already! Rufus was not simply sur
prised; he was astonished. The possibii-
ity that his attentions might not be well
coined, even eagerly, had not occurred to
him: and his egotism suffered a rude
shock. a couple of girls, who had heard
both proposition and decination. giggled
mischievously, and he knew that his hav-
ing got the mitten' would be a popu-
a
expense. Worse yet, other girls, not
wishing to have it said they would ac-
cept what Hetty Mulveil rejected, would
also give him the mitten'' if he made ad-
vances to them. Confused and red with
anger, he stood aside, sullenly determin-
ed TO see what her arrangements" were.
In a minute more, he was satisfed-bit-
terly.
John Cameron, having unblanketed hi, \
horse and seen that the robes in the cut
ter were all right returned to the school
room, with his big driving coat on and
his fur cap in his hand Exultant happi-
ness lighted up his handsome face, and
he walked straight to Hetty, seeming to
be conscious of nobody else, as if she
had been alone among trees, instead of
surrounded by other young persons. And
Hetty, meeting him with a smile, resign
ed herself to his assistance and care. He
helped to put on her heavy cloak; aided
in wrapping about her head the great.
fieecywhte comforter, that was to keep
her shapely ears !. ~ freezing; buttoned
her gloves and tied the strings of the red
wooden mitts that covered them. Then
he put her hand on his arm and led her
warmly among the robes.
Rufus Goldie watched the proceedings.
and, metaphorically speaking, CRASHED
the teeth of his soul. To have been "cut
out" 10y any other man would have been
bad enough, but that John Cameron
should be his successful rival seemed to
him an especial aggravation by malignant
fate. Rolling the subject around in his
mind it soon began TO assume a strange
form and color. He actually succeeded
in making himself believe that he was in
love with Hetty Muveii. He was not
really so; his feeling was wounded van
ity, not jealousy; nevertheless the hallu-
cination took an ineradicable hold upon
him and. by persistent cherishing, event
udlly achieved a very strong stimulation
Of reality. sufficient. in his estimation, to
justify the intensified hate with which he
regarded John Cameron.
But there was no such false analysis
Of impulses in the mind of the big con-
stable Simeon Mulveil. He was really
and thoroughly in love with his pretty
cousin Hetty, and had only been restrain
cd by bashfuluess from plainly setting
forth that fact TO her long ago. Being at
least a dozen years her senior. he had
made the mistake of too long continuing
TO look upon her as child. During AZ
least a year past he had been saying to
himself very enormously thar which he
had been quite correct in. TWO or three
years before:
SHE is TOO Young 10 marry yet. and it
would only scare her TO say anything
about il; but, when the time comes, I'll
be there"
Well, the time had come and he was
not there; 4 fact thar he was instantly
and painfully conscious OF when be met
John and Hetty together coming out OF
the schoo! house door. What he saw in
their faces and attitudes in that moment
made him know that he had waited too
long. Perhaps. for aught he then knew,
oaly day; but that was enough for all
the mischief possible TO his cherished
hopes. And that very evening his cam