Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-12-28
A HAPPY NEW YEAR.


A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Happy New Year, l said cheerfully
to Susan, my sister, as / entered the Ii
brary, where she was sitting by the fire.
| had just got back to town. To my
surprise she looked at me Indignantly
and declined TO return my greeting.
She is very pretty young woman,
full of graces and caprices, but is less
pretty when she adopts her present mode
Of expression. Her gray eyes | noted
when opened with this particular stare
or is it a glOwer?-are not near as
lovely and fascinating as when bright,
pathetic, merry or sad, which are their
usual variations of expression.
And her mouth, which | have always
told Susan is her best feature, if COM
pressed as AZ present to accord with the
general severe tone of disgusted express
sion pervading her face, loses G. least
one-half its charm. Even the waves of
Susan's chestnut brown hair seems to
wear a rebellious air, indicative of sup
pressed Indignation at some one or some
thing.
Happy New | began again. after
had kissed Sue lightly and started to
unfold the morning paper, which picked
up from the center table, not having had
time to read it all day.
Tom Warning, if you say that again |
viii pitch this at YOU" interrupted Su-
sar- holding up Il well-bound book which
she had evidently Just removed frCm
pasteboard box on the table.
| naturally laughed.
Why do women with view TO inspire
fear or trepiddtion ever threaten to
throw" an object, whether book or ball,
knife or scissors? Has it not been rec
ognized and established down all the ages
That not one of them can hit the side of
"a house, much less an individual?
II suppose Your desire would he to dis
locate the very handsome cover of that
booki You might aim at me- but you
would probably hit the bookcase" | re-
marked. drawing up the biggest and most
comfortable chair in the room to the
hearth, and enscOncing myself for an
hour or two Of lazy enjoyment before
dinner time. fol- | was rather tagged by
my hurried journey to and from Chi
chester, a small town sixty-odd miles
away.
Who sent it," | inquired. did it
come with any good wishes attached. or
did you impress on the donor your radi-
cal objection to any polite adherence 10
the good and ancient custom of wishing
a Happy New y
Don't you dare say it, warned SUI
san, holding up the destructive missile
| with gesture SO very determined that
abruptly came TO a halt, not wishing to
see Herbert Cameron's illuminated vol-
ume-for ! had recognized his handwTit-
ing on the cover of the hook--land in the
| fire.
BY the time Susan's eyes had lost some
| thing of their strong aggressiveness and
| a CLINT of puzzled laughter was family
discernible in their warm depths. albeit a
| wistful shade was gathering over her
| bonny face
In the capacity of elder brother and
guardian to a forlorn little mite of an
orphan girl, had watched over Sue with
tenderest care and so',citude for eight
| cen years.
According to my calculation, if a mans
| calculation in such matters is of any ac-
| count, Susan was twenty-one ON the 9TH
of the month. But very likely. by a feml-
nine process of reasoning, it was all dir
| ferent. Maybe she was nineteen, maybe
| twenty-five in the eyes Of herself and
| girl companions.
As Susan is a remarkably bright, not to
say very brilliant girl, and one of de-
cided strength Of character, 1t was clear
to perceive that something had gone radi-
cally wrong With that young woman dur
ing the day.
She had eusconced herself amid lot OF
cushions on big divan near by, and was
looking at me with So queer an express
sion. half-penteut. half-sorrowful and
wholly puzzled, that | felt impelled to
come Ia the rescue. although ON principle
and l0ng-esta bliShed custom | intermed'
died not, having full confidence in the
admiration FOR that handsome Child's ca.
pacity To properly conduct her personal
! affairs.
'May | inquire, Sis. what your objec-
ton is to the good wishes of your friends
and why YOU desire to destroy that gift
a Camcron's|' | inquired, poking mp the
fire.
why. how in the world did YOU find
ont he sent it," asked Sue in wide-eycd
| surprise.
silently took the cover of the box,
which lay on the table, and turned il
toward her. Her name. written in Her
berts hig characteristic scrawl, was a
sufficient explanation.
II am" said Sue in a low and sub
ducd tone, edging close To me on her ii,
van, Il am in an awful quandary
Something positively terrible, | have
been half wild over il all day long; and
you We're So mean Is to stay away W
to this hour--4 o'clock Ia the afternoon -
Now, considering that | mad gone most
reluctantly on an urgent teleglNphic sum
mons from an old invalid client tand a
very wealthy oncl, who desired, ! knew,
some alteration in his will; that / had
done without breakfast So as to catch
the early train; had driven six miles ont
| from the station In the teeth of a bit
ing north wind; had worked hard all
UdNs anu Ndu hurried nack 10 toNN, 10
dine this special evening at home with
my unreasonable young sister, il seemed
| 10 me | hardly deserved her present keen
| reproach. one intensified by the look
But here. as in the matter of age.
women have their own special way of
| looking at things, aud if they tumble up
circumstances" with "volitiou." ''mtent"
with necessity" il is doubtless owing
! 10 their alo0fneSs with the hard prob
/ lens of life those terrible c0nundrums
! of bread-winning which force us 10 be
more cautious in our appreciation and lu-
cid in our differences.
"Ju@l So" / remarked. without at
tempting nm explanation OF the why's and
wherefores of my enforced absence LAS
am here now suppose You tell me
what the trouble is. little one"
It's awful" again calculated Susan
imprcsSively, and | began 10 believe it
suspicion Of Il dimneSS in her bip GRAY