Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-10-24
CHAPTER I.-(Continucd.)

C;ven the chance of the neatest little for
tune in the world, with or without
wife, as he may decide, and he asks
What of thati"
Charlie, hold your tongue! Your con-
versation is generally nasty when it's not
inane-iust now it's both" And with
this cutting remark, and his head held a
little higher than usual, Griff stalked out
Of the room and banged the door
But a moment later he opened it
again, and called cheerfully to know if
those lazy creatures were going to sit at
breakfast all day, and if he was to go
shooting without them.
Once out in the fresh, dewy morning,
With his gun behind him, and the dogs
frisking at his heels, he became his light
hearted self again.
81 am not going to worry any more
about that stupid business for this dav
at least" he told his friends. "The little
lady is safe in the care of her aunt it
seems and until / hear more about it,
shall give no more thought to the affair"
Perhaps it is as WE'LL" remarked one
of the men, "since all your time and en-
cry for the next ten days has been be-
spoken bv that fascinating little tyrant,
you Cousin Bee. You haven't forgotten
the theatricals, l suppose?"
by Jove, had, though" answered
Griif "And that reminds me that she is
coming over with her mother tomorrow
to make final arrangements and re-
hearse," and the talk turned naturally to
the subject of costumes, lines, makeup,
and all the hundred and one details of
the entertainment they were to give at
Barrston, the neighboring town, in con
nection with q big bazaar.
Beatrice Dare and her mother drove
over early the next afternoon to Mundy's
Croft, and in five minutes after their
arrival the girl had thrown her hat on
one sofa, her gloves and jacket on an
other, had the furniture moved out from
the middle of the long drawing room,
and, gathering all the men around her,
was drilling them all in their parts"
with the severe eXactitude of a born
stage manager.
"Griff, you are too Juvenile and ierky,"
she remarked suddenly. "Will you never
remember that you are old and respecta-
bic, and my father, and not behave like
schoolboy?" And Griff, who really
prided himself on his acting, took the re-
buke meekly, as he, in common with the
rest, was wont to take the rebukes-just
or otherwise-of Beatrice Dare.
But he smiled maliciously to see how
the usually irrepressible Charlie was sub
dued and reduced to stammering and
blushing at a single glance from his
Cousins black, elfish eyes.
Charlie, being but a star of small mag
nitude in this little world of drama, was
given a very insignificant part indeed,
and had the pleasure of seeing the role
he would have given his eyes to sustain,
both on and off the stage-the lover of
Beatrice, the heroine-given to a young
undergraduate, who, he told himself
wrathtully, had nothing but his cheek to
recommend him, "and great deal too
much of that!" The consequence was
that Charlie lost his head entirely, and
made such a hopeless hash of the little
he had to do and say, that Bee at last
asked him cuttingly if he would not
rather exchange parts with Capt. Hayes
(who was cast for the "fool of the
riece), as che would find it such a much
easier part, and he would really not need
to act at all"
"8ee! Bee" exclaimed her mother, in
a shocked voice, from her sofa, but
Charlie, casting hurt, reproachful look
at his fair critic, caught CLEAN of mis-
chief in her eyes, that went far to heal
the smart of the scathing words; and
very humbly he begged her to Gust run
through that last scene again, and he
would promise to do better"
well, that was an improvement, GER
tainly," Bee admitted graciously to all,
when the little play had been rehearsed
through to the end. "Mr. Carson is still
rather wooden, and has the strangest OBJ
lection to standing anywhere but with
his back to the people, but perhaps he
will get over that little weakness, and,
of course, we must go through it all
again before the night Apropos, Griff-
i suppose you have decided to stay at
3Barnston for the days of the bazaar,
since we have the tableaux to do in the
afternoons? 1t would be too inconvenient
to go backwards and forwards from here
every day"
"0f course" Griff said. IL have taken
rooms for Charlie and myself at the old
'Haycock,' and we shall stay there till
the bazaar is over"
Very well. You had better rehearse
all your costumes and makeup thorough
~ the night before the play" said the
memorable Bee, "and l will come and in
spect you to see that they are perfect.
i mean my father especially to be a
most convincing and realistic old gentle
man, and l don't believe you have mas
tered the art of making wrinkles yet"
All right; you shall put the final
touches to them yourself" said Griff.
But, in the meantime, here comes tea,
and poor Aunt Helen looks quite tagged
for want of it."
And Bee, released for time from the
arduoas duties of stage manager, merged
INTO very winsome and human little
woman, and dispensed tea and cakes
with such a fascinating smile and man
ner, that even Charlie forgot his sore
ness, forgaye her criticisms, and fell
more deeply in love with her than ever.
CHAPTER II.
1t was the evening before the opening
DAY OF the bazaar. Drowsy little Barn
scon was in a mild futter of excitement.
A .Anl -. i