The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-05-21
Subsection of Mrs. Prince.
BY ETHELYN LESLIE HUSTON.

and suggestion of frown. And
there was not much of it, after all.
For all of which l thank you," it
ran. "The gift of nations was here
when I returned from the lake. The
waves ran high after the storm, and l
enjoyed fighting the wind. 1t whipped
the wilderness into a green tempest,
and the song was wild and beautiful
one, but-what is it about thou beside
me- G.. r. P"
On stand near her desk lay a rush
basket of Persian figs, bottle of wine,
some 'foi gras' and a sheaf of flaming
crimson tulips. There was an open
note:
1.-THE figs of the tent maker,
The wine of Tuscany,
The fol gras of France,
The tulips Of America,
"a mixture of romance and indigestion.
humbly lay them on the altar where I
worship fair priestless. II. L."
grave-looking, if diminutive, per-
sonage in buttons, who was waiting,
cap in hand, slowed the note that Mrs
Prince had written in an inside pocket
of the official little coat, and only
thawed his official dignity when a royal
tulip was gently fastened on his small
deity slipped in the pocket.
Perhaps the fruit and flower lent
wings to the sedateiy official feet. Or
the coin that sought the figs in the
small pocket at the other end of the
line may have had something to do
with it.
At any rate, Mrs Prince had held an
open book for "a minutes by the jew
NV
much undressed, but equally self-pos-
sessed gold Cupidon, without turning
a page, when Mercury returned, with
a look of condescending recognition as
he handed her another note in the same
handwriting, with the prosaic but in
exorable book ito sign, please'm," in
the other firm and grimy little fist.
eff you will find the bush and prom
Use to be thou will bring the jug of
wine and book of verses. Selah.
''R. L.
Mrs. Prince flushed little under the
soft hair that waved down over her
small ears, and stared absently at the
Cupidon. He smiled back at her with
distinct irreverence and a suggestion
of sauciness. Mrs. Prince frowned
again, and transferred her gaze to the
window, from which she could see the
green tempest" still tossing wildly in
the park.
Mercury regarded her with a judicial
eye, and the jeweled clock licked on i'm
portantly. Five long minutes passed,
then Mrs. Prince wrote three words
rapidly on a small sheet of notepaper,
thrust it into an envelope and sealed
It. Mercury looked bewildered at the
length of the meditating, and that in
inverse ratio, Of the note, but remarked
afterward, with the resignation of Of
fetal experience: 1T wuz ony der rum
ways of dem swells," and dismissed the
question as one simply of the charac-
teristic idiosyncrasies of certain spe-
cies.
Upside down on the blotter of Mrs.
Princes desk were the words: GAS you
will"
Mrs. Prince picked up a gold pen,
as Mercury disappeared, and slowly
and carefully drew a frame of iop-
sided scrolls around the three words.
To the scrolls she added a wreath Of
impossible roses. Then she inserted
some Brownie feature in the roses, and
suddenly discovered that they were
smiling at her with much the same
expression as the Cupidon. So she
flushed again, and rose with some
haste from the desk, and taking up
the discarded book, settled herself
comfortably among lot Of couch
cushions ~
This time she consctentiousIy read
and turned the pages. She was pol
ishing up on Dickens, and as she fin
ished the death of little Nell" she
raised her eyes and saw, in an opposite
mirror, that she was smiling.
The book was promptly dropped be-
hind the couch, and Mrs. Prince re-
garding her neat Oxford with appro-
val, lay still and day-dreamed. The
"buzzer'' at the door of the fat
hummed suddenly, and she slipped
from the couch to an adjoining room.
Wnen she returned, broad-shOul-
dered and top-coated form was stand
ing at the window The owner Of the
top-coat regarded her critically, then
gravely pulled the collar of her golf
cape up around her ears and opened
the door
She lifted her face with delight as
the wind swept madly down the broad
park avenue and shrieked through the
writhing trees, and the man at her
side caught her arm firmly and shout
dered the blast that was steadily in
creasing in fury.
Halfway to the lake a Bridge arched
over a lagoon, and here the wind.
with free sweep, rose to gale, and
she caught the railing as they stag
gered for moment before it's sudden
strength.
The man looked down at her and
saw her eyes blazing in the shadow
of the golf-hood and long tress OF
dark hair sweeping across her parted
lips. He tucked the hair back against
her warm throat, then took the soft
white chin in his hand
"You were lonesome and wanted me-"
he said, down into the hood
4 didn't" she answered, promptly,
then caught her breath, as the bridge
trembled.
Sensible people had gone home out
of the storm, and the wide park was
deserted, so he put his arm firmly
around the golf-cape and took the two
sides of the hood together in one
hand under her chin.
''You wanted me-" he repeated,
steadily. "And I knew you would if
stayed away from you. AS long as |
MT IN with yOI1r SDread-eagle speeches