Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-08-22
ALICIA'S DILEMMA.
story OF LOVE. A BICYCLE AND A
TRAP.

a SIOh4 Oh Low II. n btC1GLE AND "A
TRAP.
A more discontinued mortal than my
self it would have been difficult TO find
throughout the length and breadth Of
England the morning | got Bayly's let
ter.
Everything had gone. wrong with me.
There was Alicia. l slipped my coffee
gloomily, and reflected that three weeks
ago, only three short weeks, we had
been discussing whether we would have
those very walls l was then looking at
papered green or blue.
Bayly had sent Il note to say he was
coming down for the week END, and
might be expected that afternoon. Bay
~ is a cheerful soul, but not obtrusively
%. and on the whole | thought / should
be pleased TO see him. Ii has always
been a cherisha d idea Of Bayly's that
should get married, and | knew it must
be real disappointment to him that l
had broken off my engagement.
Ii was Alicia's mother that had been
the cause of our rupture. No one would
have thought it within the bounds of
possibility that AnCia and l could be
made TO quarrel, but Alicia's mother
ended by making us break off our en-
gagement.
/ decided to so for a ride The day
was fne--brutally so, | thought-and
had it before me till Bayly's arrival. |
ordered Lady smith to be sadded she
was brought round, and | started.
| went some way, then decided | had
had enough, and turned to- 30 back over
Il field.
Mushrooms! The field was white with
them! There must have been thousands,
| myself have the mania TO an eNtraor-
binary extent l can't pass one, the
thing draws me TO il as if | were en-
Shanted. | don't know why. can buy
them at a cheap enough rate, and | don't
care for eating them; but gather them
must. | no sooner saw this glorious sight
than | tumbled off Ladysmith's back,
went down ON my knees and began till
ing my pockets as fast as | could. ] sim
ply stuffed them into every available
place. and then. when | could carry no
more, rose from my lahorS and looked
round fer Ladysmith.
There she was, careening round the
field. only too glad 10 have me off her
back.
Here was Ladysmith. a fresh young
thoroughbred, az large in field several
acres in extent. Lived the man who
could catch her? doubted il.
However. we had to try. say we
aging il single-handed, | Immediately en-
listed the services of neighboring
farmer to help me out of my dilemma
He grasped the situation at once. smiled
broadly as he touched his hat, and oh
served:
Il suppose it was them mushrooms.
SIR
II was, of course, hut it was mortify,
ing to be told SO. But we had our work
cut out and there was no time to waste
One or two lahorers came 10 assist and
4 tramp also volunteered Already she
saw what we were about and began
gently 70 encourage us; she allowed us
to come quite close, and. just as your
hand touched the bride, she was off like
the wind. We ran and whiStled shouted
and Unanswered under that blazing
August sun till our tempers could bear
no more. The tramp sloped. Ladysmith
herself had hetaken herself into another
teld, quite as large as the first, and here
We had been eXerting ourselves for some
time when the farmar said:
Better leave il TO us, sir, | think,
Wen get her for you in time and I'll
bring her over. I'll see she's all right
knew he would he was one of my
tenants. | accented the offer and set off
to walk home by the road.
What shall l do? What shall do?''