Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-09-03

amusement you can find in it puzzles
me-"
Amusement" echoed Joan, with
her lips half apart, and her eyes fixed
dreamily on the ugly, ungainly lamp.
NO. there is not much amusement,
bu. there isn't much anywhere"
"A very gracious speech" snap
ped Julia. "At any rate, l shO1l4
think our society, contemptuously as
you regard it, must be better than
your own, alone on the Coombe cliffs"
Il had no idea it was so late" said
Joan, quietly, "or that you wanted me;
and the night is not so bad-there is
a beautiful sea"
Emmeline shuddered.
"Oh. please don't, a beautiful seq
on a night like lhis, am quite mis-
cradle enough without being rendered
wretched by the thought of the sea.
Take some of those things up, will
you; papa will be in directly, and
they must be got out. of the way be-
fore he comes
Joan went down on her knees and
began to gather up the strffs and old
frocks in silence for moment; then
she said. surprised. but absently, as il
her thoughts were elsewhere:
Are You having some new dresses?
Where are you going?"
Julia uttered an exclam alton of ir-
ritable Impotence.
"Just listen to her, EN-; wouldn't
any one think she had just dropped
from the moon, and hadn't heard
word of the ball?"
ooh, the BALI Yes, | remember"
said Joan, as quietly as before. And
which have you chosen?" and, girl
like, she picked up the patterns and
turned them over.
None" snapped Julia, shortly,
1--WE can't decide Perhaps you'd
better give us your opinion" she
added, with affected Indifference.
Joan took up one piece of material
after another. slowly and with the
-apt, dreamy expression habitual with
her. and presently threw a red and
gray nuns yelling over her shoulders.
rs that pretty?" she said, turning
to them.
1t was pretty, decidedly pretty, in
juxtaposition with her clear skin and
lovely hair, but the two girls thought
of their own compilations and faded
hair, and colored angrily. 4.
ut might become a savage" said
Julia, coldly. at certainly would not
suit a civilized being. For Heavens
sake take it off,"
Joan put the cloths aside composed.
ly, and turning to the remaining ones.
picked out several others and draped
them across Julia's shoulders.
Look in the glass" she said, land
tell me which you like. See now, that
is beautiful mixture, That suits
you! Why not have that?"
1T is not bad" admitted Julia,
grugdingly.
Joan has more taste than the both
of us put together" said Emmeline,
but so coldly that the speech was
robbed of all grace.
"Oh, no! But when one looks at
number of colors one gets confused"
remarked Joan, quickly.
Better choose one for me-" said
Emmeline, and let it be as much I'M
like Julia's as possible. If there is
anything | abominate. it is being
dressed to match some other person"
Yes! If had sister" began
Joan.
You would think as | dor in
terrupted Emmeline Never mind all
that, please! What about the greeny
blue?"
Silently and slowly Joan tried
several colors, and at last put her
hand on faint pink.
Il like none SO well as this!" she
said.
Well, perhaps I'll choose it," re-
sponded Emmeline, ungraciously;
and now, for goodness sake, help me
take them out of the way before papa
comes in. Nothing upsets him more
than seeing things of this kind abour,
they remind him too forcibly of our
existence"
AS she spoke the hall door was
heard to open, man was heard to
stumble over the mat, and a VOICE
came from the hall uttering maledic-
tons.
There he is" exclaimed Julia.
BE quick, Joan, or there will be no
peace for the remainder of the even
ing"
Joan slipped through the doorway
with her load, and the next moment
Colonel oliver entered.
At first sight the gallant colonel
might have been taken for the girls
brother instead of their parent, so
carefully was he preserved and arts
tically made up.
1t was not until you were quite close
to him, as he stood in a strong light.
which he never did if he could
avoid it, that you saw that the glossy
blackness of his hair and mustache
was due to the dyer's art, and that the
thin, clean-cut face was full of crows
feet and wrinkles, carefully smoothed
out by set. galvanized smile
The figure roo might have been