Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-03-13

VIZ maui themselves so cDdfmlni
must often have disliked me intensely
though all the while was starvin.
for love-honest love without the sus
plclon of a mercenary twist
When | was 81, and free-as mucl
as girl can be free-to do as chose
Mrs. De Selwyn and l had a quarrel
1t was silly quarrel about an equal!
silly young man. my chaperon'.
nephew, whom she'd been schemins
for years, it seemed, TO have me marry
| was SO disguised that / threw ovel
lot of country-house engagements
and rushed off to the only person whose
love had ever been proved to be fol-
myself and not my money.
She was dear old proud thing who
| wrote love stories for magazines. and
had refused to accept a penny from
me when she was threatened with con
sumption and had been sent away to
Judson, small Florida coast place
to live. She had taken a tiny cottage
for which she paid no more in a year
than ! spent for nothing at all in a
week. But she had spare room, and
wrote that she would love to keep me
Tor as long as liked to stay Her
name was Mrs. Pendennis and we had
got acquainted through my writing,
in care of her editor, TO tell her how
much liked story of hers.
She did me good because she never
battered, but scolded me instead of
being cynical. She said it VISA a
mental dyspepsia" and while I
lived with her l almost believed it
was.
l hadn't been in Judson for week
when one day came in from a walk
and exclaimed, well, it's begun"
What has begun" inquired my
dear old friend, looking up from love
scene which was meant to make the
public shed tears.
The usual thing" said /. "A man
has come. | am not conceited, but
there are signs, and | am sure he is
one of them
She knew what meant without ask
ing, and merely sat still with a mild
smile as I related the incident which
had occurred.
Circumstantial evidence was with
me for men were out of season in Jud-
son. l had been the only stranger
Now, within week of my advent,
there was another male stranger,
a gentleman to the eye and ear, well
dressed (but not too we'll dressed) +,
staying at hotel which offered no in
ducement at this time of year to his
kind. | had seen him come out OF
that inn, and instinct told me that l
was the inducement Who the man
was l could not guess, but was sadly
sure that h emore than guessed who
was. Somehow my secret had been
etrayed, and he-no doubt of the army
of impecunious unattached ones-had
stalked me to my lair. My hat had
blown off, he had run after it, picked
it up and handed it back with a bow
and inurmured word.
To be sure he had not followed up
his advantage, but l was certain that
this was only his cleverness, and that
he would be more pushing next time.
was so hatefully experienced in that
kind of thing-I knew all the phases.
Mrs. Pendennis tried to cheer me up,
but / had seen the speck in my gar.
nered fruit, and it was big speck, at
least six feet tall and broad in pro-
portion. One couldn't forget It, es-
pecially as to less orhisticated mind
it might have appeared exceedingly
good to look upon,
Next day met him again, or rather
he met me. But to my surprise, in
stead of taking off his cap and smil-
ing and making the most of yester-
days acquaintance he glared and
plunged round the first corner. Could
this be a new kind of tactics? / asked
myself. Could it be that he wished to
rouse interest by piquing curiosity?
| smiled with scorn at the thought
and determined to show the man at
the first opportunity how futile were
his subtleties. Still, if it were his OBJ
ject to make me think of him, | must
confess that to certain extent he
succeeded, for it was novelty % be
glared at by a man, and the picture of
the big brown frowning fellow lin
gered in my mind.
That evening my opportunity came.
My afternoon walks had usually to be
taken alone, as Mrs. Pendennis' work
ing days were long. / was .strolling
by the sea at the sweet hour when the
east is misty silver with the rising of
the moon, the west fading pink with
the setting of the sun. There he was,
presumably lying in wait, SO | glared,
and, turning round, marched away.
But something seemed to force me to
glance back-just a fieeting glance,
yet long enough to see that the man
was striding off in the opposite direc-
ton. So far had he gone already that
/ was afraid he must have missed my
protest.
For an entire week we kept it up.
There were not many different walks
TO take. SO it need not have been sur
prising that we almost invariably met.
But as invariably we turned upon our
tracks and-often met again. | could
not help wondering who he was and
about him and whether, after all, ne