Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-04-08

!. and as [ stood hesitatlng Phyllis
took the initiative.
"You might trust me little,
Arthur" she said plaintively. Il re-
fuse to let you go the church with me
tomorrow only for your own good
| I'VE got to let him go with me whether
| you're vexed or not, for I've prom
ised to, and don't believe you'd real
ly care to go with us, even if were
willing that you should"
"'Us!' I fairly shouted, almost be-
side myself with rage and mortifica-
| ton. U.s. Phyllis! Go to church
with you and the wretch who has
stolen your affection from me-bought
them with his beastly gold? Well,
think not You must be crazy to
think OF such thing! I'd go to the
| hangman-the gallows-with him
with pleasure, but to church with the
two of you? Why don't you invite me
| to be best man and have done with
it"
''It's rather early in the day for
such talk as that said Phyllis, as
| demurely as if I could not see the
twinkle in her eyes despite the cur
| tanning lashes which she wisely let
down. "And you know / told you /
didn't think you'd want to go with
us. You seem to hate him. And
yet" meditatively, hes one of the
dearest, sweetest, most lovable boys /
ever knew"
This was too much. strobe across
the room again and seized Phyllis by
the arms.
Phyllis" / said in tone which I'm
sure must have scared her-it scared
me, it was SO ferocious and unpleas
! ant-"Phyllis, don't want to commit
either murder or suicide, but if you
don't tell me who that man is some
thing dreadful will happen, feel
sure. Who is the man for whose sake
you have thrown me over?"
/ Ills name" answered Phyllis
shyly, and all bushes and pretty
tremors, his name is Tom
tom WHAT I shouted again, and
Phyllis dropped her voice to a tan
talizing whisper which | had to bend
low to hear
'Tom Percival,' she said sweetly,
and | dropped weakly into a chair OPP
posite her, my knees fairly shaking,
and all but dumb with amazement
| Phyllis lay back against the sofa
pillows and laughed until the tears
ran down her face. After a few mo
ments laughter is always ire
sistible-L joined her and we laughed
until we were nearly exhausted
When it was possible to speak plainly
attempted to take Phyllis to task
| for her deception
Little GIRL began sternly, and
| if | wasn't able to maintain this tone
! the fault lay rather with Phyllis
| sweetness than with my force of will
| or resolution, sdo you mean to tell ms
that it's your little brother Tommie
whom we've been having all this
trouble about?"
Phyllis laughed again, and then
stopped laughing to look penitent.
1T isl she nodded, with great i'm
pressiveness, and | didn't mean tC
tease you in the first place, Arthur ]
just meant to tell you you couldn't
go to church with me tomorrow
knew you wouldn't care to go with {
little 3-year-old boy for company, anG
| really couldn't get out of taking him
The child has been ill lately, you see
and mother has promised him many
times that he should go to church
Easter Sunday-he just loves to go t.
church-if he'd only be good and moi
ret to go outside until he was wei
enough. Today mother sprained he
ankle badly and won't be able to gel
out for a week or two, and father
wants to stay home with her. SO sh
asked me if l wouldn't help her keel
her promise to Tommie and take hii
to church in the morning, and l sai6
[ would. So you and I will go t
5hurch together in the evening, if yot
;are to and will promise to be
better boy in the future; and if you'll
forgive me for teasing you this time
[ really couldn't resist the tempta
Ion, you were SO fierce and solemn
I'll promise never, never to tease you
again-until the next time"
The unprejudiced observer, who
wasn't in the room but might have
been, would have found it difficult to
discover Phyllis the next few seconds
My arms went around her with such
suddenness and fervor she must have
disappeared from sight And know
felt soft kiss on my forehead as
she came into sight again.
$50 you'd just as soon go to church
with me in the evening as in the
morning, would your" she asked me
by and by as l was putting on my
overcoat in the hail. (This was after
| had suggested she ought to retire
soon and she had begun to grow
anxious concerning the danger of the
charming new bonnet proving I'M
Incoming to tired cOmn1AxiOn \