River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-11-13


refractory pupil, her sympathy with
each trial of patience or temper, her
hint of the way to strengthen weak
| places in the armor of the girls self
| control. And when mother went away
again to set the bread and Madge, re-
| turning to her book, had just resumed
| that first absorbing chapter father
| laid down his paper and polished his
glasses-the usual preliminaries to the
query:
''Who wants a game of chess with
me?''
Madge said nothing. She did not
want a game of chess, and she was
really anxious to read that book, SO
| that she might return it to Anne. But
when the question was repeated in d
slightly disappointed tone, and she
glanced up to see him peering over the
| gold rims at her, since Sarah had gone
upstairs, she put down her book and
went to get the chessboard.
There was silence in the room, bro
! ken bv an occasional cheerful whistle
| from Ted, as another lesson book was
added to the pile of those conquered
| for tomorrow, or by Check, check
| to your sorbed players"
"Checkmate!' cried the father at
last. You fought pretty well, but I've
got you, missy!"
"Never mind" she replied, ''I'll have
my revenge some day. I'd have it now.
if it wasn't too late to play another
| game"
Then the clock was given it's even,
ing winding, the good-nights were
said and the family trooped upstairs
| And as she slowly prepared for bed
Madge wished rebelliously that she
might have read that book; that she
had strength of mind or selfshness TIC
refuse the claims made on her time by
her family; that there were no six
| hours of teaching to dread tomorrow.
II would like to be free" she muir
INJURED, impatiently thinking of the
words passed on the road between
Anne and herself. Then her eyes soft
ened as she looked at Sarah's round,
flushed face on the pillow; and, bend
ing, she kissed her sleeping sister, with
kiss meant for all the family.
mo, DEAR" she murmured, remorse-
fully, 81 DON'T don't. The price
would be too high to pay"
And so the tired bond-slave fell
asleep, with her head close to the tum-
bled yellow curls of her sister.
The free woman, meanwhile, drove
to her boarding house, tied her horses,
ran up the steps, let herself in with the
latchkey, and telephoned to the sta
BILE for a man to come and get the cart.
The dining room was deserted when
she entered. A maid, with disap
proval of such irregular hours written
on every line of her face, and even in
aggressive stiffness of her white cap
and apron, brought in Anne's supper,
and Anne mischievously prolonged her
eating of it to the greatest possible
extent, on account of that very disap-
proval.
But all things must end, even long
drawn-out dinner; and Anne finally
found herself in her room, with the
evening before her. She turned over
the new books on the table. They were
new books, but she had read them all
wish I had brought home some
magazines to-day" she muttered
Wonder why I never feel like studying
any more? used to enjoy it when 1
was in college. Suppose ones mental
powers become atrophied, like physi-
cal ones, when they're not used"
She stood drumming on the window.
''Wish l had somewhere to go, or
some one to see. I'd run in to see the
old lady in the next room, but she's
such a bore; and the two sisters are
each others company; and the college
girls are busy-oh-hum guess I'll go
to the theater." She took up the pa
per. Opera? no, I've heard Carmen
20 times at least" She ran over the list
of plays. They're all old; why can't
they get new ones?" she grumbled
Here's one I've not seen. I'll be too
| late for the first act, but that don't
matter"
She sat through the remaining four
acts, although they bored her, being
but indifferently played; then she
| called cab and went home.
The house was quiet, its inmates
nearly all Ill DSu. one wandered about
her room, mentally reviewing her past
| days. A hour at the club-such non
sense as those women talked-a few
calls, the drive with Madge. tits a
pleasure to take Madge out; she does
enjoy it so-like a child-because she
has so little to enjoy, l suppose"
Anne sighed, without apparent cause.
as she looked from her pretty room
over the lighted streets. "Well, there's
nothing to do but to go to bed" / sup
pose," she said, land I'm not sleepy
yet"
She sat on the edge of the bed and
began to loosen her hair.
II wish,' she said, with her mouth
full of hairpins, Il wish-I don't know
just what 1 do wish"
If her longing could have been trans
lated into words, the free woman
might not have recognized it, or recoe
nizing it,. might have dlsowned it; for
it would have run:
81 wish that l had something to do
something 1 must do; something
worth while. Or that there was some
one who needed me and wanted me
very much. wish / was free from nv
freedom. "-Californi Homeseeker.
ANTI-DYsPEPsIA DIET.