Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-03-10


must often have disIiked me intensely,
though all the while | was starving
for love-honest love without the sus-
picion of a mercenary twist.
When I was 81, and free-as much
as a girl can be free-to do as I chose,
Mrs. De Selwyn and l had quarrel.
1t was silly quarrel about an equally
silly young man, my chaperon's
nephew, whom she'd been scheming
for years, it seemed, to have me marry.
I was SO disguised that | threw over
lot of country-house engagements
and rushed off to the only person whose
love had ever been proved to be for
myself and not my money.
She was dear old proud thing who
wrote love stories for magazines, and
had refused to accept penny from
me when she was threatened with con-
sumption and had been sent away to
| Judson, a small Florida coast place,
| to live. She had taken tiny cottage,
| for which she paid no more in year
than l spent for nothing at all IN
week. But she had a spare room, and
wrote that she would love to keep me
, for as long as l 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 l liked a story of hers.
She did me good because she never
fattered, but scolded me instead Of
| being cynical. She said it VISA a
mental dyspepsia" and while l
| lived with her I almost believed it
was.
/ 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 l. ga 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 mild
smile as I related the incident which
had occurred.
me for men were out of season in Jud-
son. 1 had been the only stranger.
| Now, within week of my advent,
there was another-a male stranger,
gentleman to the eye and ear, we'll
dressed (but not too we'll dressed) +,
| staying at hotel which offered no in
ducement at this time of year to his
kind I had seen him come out OF
that inn, and instinct told me that
was the inducement Who the man
was / could not guess, but | was sadly
sure that 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 bow
and a murmured word.
To be sure he had not followed up
his advantage, but I 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.
but l 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 sophisticated 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 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 a certain extent he
succeeded, for it was a novelty 20 be
glared at by 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 I glared,
and, turning round, marched away.
But something seemed to force me to
glance back-just feeting glance,
yet long enough to see that the man
was striding off in the opposite direc-
ton. So far had he gone already that
l 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