Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-02-10
CHAPTER III

there lay a tress of soft brown hair,
which he had severed from thac mothers
head. He was the son of my mothers
only sister, who, ON her death bed, had
committed him to the guardianship of
my father, asking him to deal gently with
her hayward boy. for beneath his faulty
exterior there lay mine of excellence
which naught save words of love could
fathom.
1t was night when he reached Sunny
Bank, and l was in bed, but through the
closed doors | caught the sound of his
voice, and i'll an instant l experienced
sensation of delight, as if in him /
should find a kindred spirit. l could not
wait until morning before l saw him,
and, rising softly. CROPPED my way dowa
the dark stairway to q knot hole, which
had more than once done me service
when sent from the room while my moth
er and her company told something |
was not to hear: he was sitting so that
the light of the lamp fell full upon his
face, which, With its high, white brow,
hazel eyes and mass of wavy hair, seem
ed to me the most beautiful l had ever
seen. Involuntariiy thought of my own
plain features, and saying to myself,
He'll never like me, never" l crept
back to bed, wondering if it were true
that homely little girls made sometimes
handsome women.
r The next morning, wishing to produce
as favorable an impression as possible,
was an unusually long time making my
toilet-trying on one dress after anoth-
er, and finally deciding upon white cam
brio, which l never wore except to
church, or or some similar occasion, Civ
ing an extra brush to my hair, which had
grown out darker and so very curly that
Charlie called me ''Snarly pate" | start
ed for the breakfast room.
What upon earth has the child got
ONT" was grandma's exclamation, while
mother bade me ''go straight back and
change my dress" asking why l had
put on my very best"
''Settin' her cap for Bill, guess" sug
gested Charlie, who. boylike, was already
on terms of great intimacy with his
cousin.
More angry than grieved, l went Back
TO my room, where | pouted for half an
hour or more. Then. selecting the worst
looking dress l had, / again descended
to the dining room, where Charlie pre-
scented me to Win. telling him at the
same time ito spare all comments ON my
appearance. as it made me madden than
a March hare TO be called ugly"
Il don't think she's ugly. Anyway. l
Ike her looks" said Will, smiling down
upon me with those eyes which have
since made many a heart beat as mine
did then.
viii had always lived in the city, and
now, anxious to see the lions of the coun-
try at once, he proposed to Charlie a
ramble over the farm, inviting me to ac-
company them, which did willingly, not
withstanding thai Charlie muttered some
thing about mot wanting a gal stuck
along"
In The pasture we came across old
Sorrel, whom VIII said he would ride
as they did in a circus, if Charlie would
only catch him. This was an easy task,
for SOrrel. suspecting no evil, came up
to us quite readily, when Will, leaping
upon his back, commenced whooping and
hallooing so loudly that SorrePs mettle
was up, and for nearly an hour he ran
quite as fast as his rider could wish. This
was his first days adventure: the next
one was a little different. Finding a COW
In the lane, he tried the experiment of
milking, succeeding so well that when
at night Sally came in with her half-filled
pan. she Fecldfeu tndI ASlue-Dack was
drying up, for shed only given n drop or
So" For this and numerous other mis-
demeanors, VIII also received absolntion;
but when, ON the second Sabbath after
his arrival he and Charlie both were
yaissed from church. whittier they had
started a full half hour before the rest
of our family, father grew 6dgety, hold
ing his hymn book wrong side up, and sit
ting instead of standing durinO tho rrav-
era thing he was never known to do
before. He was very strict in the OBJ
servance of the fourth commandment. MS
indeed were most of the citizens of Sun
ny Bank, it being an almost State prison
offense to stay away from church ON the
Sabbath, or speak above whisper until
after sunset.
For long time the coming of circus
had been heralded by flaming handbills
in red and yellow, one of which VIII
plastered on to our great barn door, from
which conspicuous post it was removed
by my father, who cOnscientiously turned
his back upon men and women riding on
their heads, declaring it an outrage upon
all rules of propriety, and denouncing cir
cuses and circus-going people as utterly
low and vulgar. Thus from my earliest
remembrance had l been taught. and still
ny heart would throb faster, whenever,
with the beat of the drum and the sound
of the bugle. the long procession swept
past our door, and more than once | had
stolen to the top of the hill, whence could
be seen the floating banner and swaying
canvas, watching from afar the evil /
dared not approach.
Great then, was my surprise, when,
on the morning of the eventful day, viii
suggested that Charlie. John. Lizzie and
| should run away in the evening and
visit the ''doings." as he called it. was
shocked that he should propose my going
TO such a place. 1T was low aud vul-
gar" told him. land no one went there
but loafers and rowdies."
But ne assured me that l was mistak-
en-. saying that 'some of our most respec-
table people attended," and then he won
dered how l was ever to know anything
unless once in a while went to a circus,
or a theater. or something. 1t was per-
fectly ridiculous" he said for father to
keep us cooped up at home. Nobody else
did so. There was Lawyer Smiths
daughter, and Judge Browns niece who
always went. and if it didn't hurt them
Ii wouldn't hurt me"
Thus Will reasoned. persusding me ut
last, and Just at dark, l4l1zie ana 1, ON
pretense of going to bed early, went 10
cur room, dressed ourselves in our best,
and then when we were ready, got out
upon the roof of the woodshed, descend
ing thence by means Of a ladder which
VIII and Charlie brought from the barn.
I had the utmost confidence in VIII, aud
yet rs l drew near the tent and saw
the rabble whose appearance fully equal
ed my fathers description. l wished my
self away. Just then the band inside
struck up. and giving my fears TO the
wind. pressed forws d, once involun-
tarily turning my head aside as | heard
man near the dooy exclaim, Deacon
Lees children, as I live, Is the world
coming TO an endY
Instantly my FACE flushed. for I felt
thas Injustice was done TO my father, and
my first impulse was TO exonerate him