Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-05-28

~@O--c 49, $500 OAO NAAANN
led to the rectory and lessons. She
walked in a subdued sort of way by
force of habit: Penelope's stepmother
was possessed Of snerves-a mysteri-
Gus word significant of Penelope OF
seedlings and punishments and calls
for Fielding" So. obedient to the
teachings of the few years of her
existence. Penelope walked softly
along that road straight to temptation.
She was still saving her French verb
over to herself in anxious fear lest
she should forget. All unwilling Of
the bad little calf waiting behind the
hedge in the next field, she went in
n~ocently on. And just as she was
passing the hedge a warm, soft, wet
nose was pushed irresistibly into her
hand. Penelope jumped, for the sun
bonnet hid the calf. Then she Looked
taNund.
ooh" she gave an e~cstatic gasp OF
utter love, "you-dorable."
The little calf performed an absurd
whisk of long legs, and fed into the
field. Penelope could feel the soft
warmth of his damp nose in her hanI.
She looked at him with shining eyes
Of deep longing.
How was she to know that he was
a bad little calf who had roamed away
from his poor mother and was just
seeking for some one to lead into
mischief?
He stood a few yards off and looked
at her with alluring eyes. Perelope's
heart was beating fast. She clam
bered through the gap in the hedge,
and drew softly near, trembling with
e~agerness to touch him. He let her
get quite close, then flung up his heels
and fed a few yards further still.
Penelope followed with earnest pur-
pose.
This is where the white sunbonnet's
responsibility anne in. Penelope was
sideways to the rectory, and the SUM-
bonnet hid the smoke from the rectory
chimneys. Now if Penelope had seen
the smoke she would have remember
ed Mrs. Crigby and lessons. Often
coming along the road, she had eyed
that smoke; it was connected in
separately in her mind with the spare
black figure of the austere teacher.
But the s~unbonnet's huge sides hid 1t
from the eyes within, and Penelope
pursued the calf-pursued with but
one thought, one desire-to touch
him. Her staid legs grew riotous;
they twinkled, and stumbled in the
~eagerness Of their pursuit.
Her small mouth was tightly closed
in determined effort. Forgotten was
the French verb. Forgotten were
Mrs. Crigby and lessons. In the
world just then there was nobody but
the little calf and Penelope. Again
and again her heart beat high with
hope. Again and again the calf flung
up his absurd legs and skipped off
just as the eager little hand, out
stretched to the fullest straining
point, was tingling with joy at the
warmth that ame from his thick, soft
coat.
Earnestly Penelope followed over
three fields. In the third the dis
tracted lowing of the COW became dis
cerni5le. With his legs at acute
angles the calf stood still. Penelope
drew near-nearer-eagerly she
stretched out her hand. The calf
gave a final high kick and raced
awkwardly in the direction whence
the lowing came.
The calf's foolish mother, instead OF
'scolding him as he deserved, hailed
his frisky, unabashed approach with
joy. Penelope, seeing him stop At
his mothers side, had a fresh glim-
mering of hope. She toiled eagerly
on.
But the mother chose to turn nasty.
Perhaps she blamed Penelope for her
sons bad behavior, some mothers
being blind to the truth where their
own children are concerned. Anyhow,
she watched the approach of the gray
cottoned figure with a baleful glare.
And when Penelope, renewed hope
shining in her eyes, drew near. she
put down her head and came forward
in such. a threatening manner that
even P~enelOpe's great longing gave
place to fear, and her legs welt
scurring and stumbling across the
grass till they had landed their small
owner safe in the next field. Then,
as she paused, frightened and breath.
less, a thin spiral of gray, flmy
smoke Ose a~ccusingly to the skies
from the rectory c~himney-and Pene-
lOpe saw it. She gave a gasp and
stood staring, wide-eyed and petriied.
Her world came tumbling in a
threatening chaos about her ears.
She saw Mrs. Crigby, tall and severe,
seated behind the pile of books at the
head Of the dining room table-wait-
ing. She put up her hands to her
eyes and tried to shut the vision out
but it would not go. Momentarily
the long lean face at the head of the
table grew longer and Ieaner. Side
by side with it Penelope saw another,
a pale, peevish face. whose light
eyes pierced her through with their
cold CLEAN.
Penelope's legs gave way, and she
sank down on the grass in overwheIm-
Ing, despair. The little calf never once
glanced her way; he was so busy over
his W concerns that he had for
gotten all about her. Penelope
REALIZED his desertion with an &C.
~quiescent Ihrob Of misery. It was
only in the order Of things that she
should be left utterly alone in the
world. She began to cry subduedly,
drearily, on and on. She knew that
every minute she stayed there she