Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-02-12

MIS-. EeeIe drew a long Dr6aIl Win
a Kissing sound, and asked, with sol
emnity:
Or. Armathwaite, do you wish to
insult me?"
mo, madam, certainly not" he ans
wered, meeting her fierce black eyes
with mild blue ones, with a little gen
tie determination in his tone; but
am too old to be whipped and put in
a corner, or to have ny movements
regulated like those of a child. And
so, if you please, with many thanks
to you for your kind hospitality, will
tomorrow find myself some lodgings
in the village. But if I can be of any
service to you, or to Millie, at any
time, as an escort, I hope you will
make use of me-
Without waiting for the Outburst
which had been gathering all the aft
ernOOn, he bowed to her, nodded to
Mile, and left the room. On the fol
lowing morning he discovered that
this course had succeeded beyond his
expectations. Mrs. PeeIe, still ad-
Orned with the tn. ban. was cold and
dignified at breakfast; but when the
meal was over she rose in her full
majesty, and informed him, in sOnOr-
GUS tones, that she hoped he would re-
consider the matter he had mentioned
the evening before, as the doctor was
anxious that he should look upon the
house as his home, and she would at
tempt no interference with his move
ments, if he preferred to live indie
pendently. ArmathWaite received
these advances cordially; and
prompted, as usual, by pantomimic
suggestions from Mile, who stood be
hind her mother, and kept curving her
right arm before her in a manner he
was at first slow to understand, ne at
last desperately put his arm as far
round Mrs. Peele's waist as that
lengthy eXpanse would permit, and
thereby reduced the tragic lioness to
a very mild and motherly lamb. Peace
being thus made, they parted for the
days work on the friendliest terms,
and Mile took an early opportunity
of explaining the cause both Of the
turban and the preceding nights acer-
bity. They were the result, so she
said, of an impulse which had seized
her mother when on the ice the day
before, to exhibit her prOwess as a
skater, when she found that no more
legitimate amusement had been pro-
vided for her. In answer to Miles
assurances that, to a person who had
lme was by no means so easy as it
looked, Mrs. Peele had replied that
she had watched very excellent per-
formers before her daughter was born,
and that she was convinced that skat-
ing either came naturally to a person,
or it didn't come at all, and that, as
for sliding, when she was a girl, not a
boy in the neighbOrhood could beat
her. She had then proceeded to illus
trate the latter proposition for as soon
as a PAR of borrowed skates had been
put on her feet-a ceremony which
filled the unfortunate Mile with an
ticipatOTy agonies-Mrs. PeeIe had
made brisk and dashing attempt to
rise anu step out in her usual males
tic manner. But the ungTateful ice,
being no respecter of persons. had re-
fused % afford her stately form the
support she needed, and with one
deep, resonant war-whOop of astOnish-
ment and indignation, Mrs. PeeIe,
with AIMS Outstretched and feet
which for once refused to do her
bidding, had amazed the world with
one long, straight, and splendid slide
and then, exhausted by the noble eff
fort lad fallen PROSTATE on the
treacheTOuS element, with only energy
enough left to utter, in the sonorous
tones Of fallen queen, with one finger
pointing solemn to the skates. which
perked up impudentiy on her scattered
feet
ArmathWaite listened to this recital
gravely as long as he could, and then
rushed out into the front garden to
relieve his feelings by a laugh, which
would have made the Tafters ring, and
perhaps aroused unkindly memories
in the doctors wife. But as he started
off on his rounds that morning. again
and again he found himself bursting
out into an irrepressible 'Haw, haw!"
as the picture of the PROSTATE auto
crat of Branksome came again into
his mind
The thaw had set in; the roads
were arkle-deep in mud and sIush,
varied by smooth and slippery slabs,
on which it was hard to keep ones
footing ArmathWaite. in waterproof
CATERS, and aided by sha2p-pointed
stick, got over the ground pretty fast;
but it was long past midday before
he reached the furthest point Of his
mornings round, a whitewashed vii
lage inn, that stood in the midst of a
struggling row of cottages, on the road
between Me-eside and Lakiston. The
Occupier Of this inn, an old man,
named Blake, who had been for some
time in declining health. had at last
taken to his bed with unmistakable
signs OF a breakup. Armathwaite had
already visited him twice, and had
been much prepOssessed by the old
inn-keeper, an industrious and honest
man who, having fallen upon evil days,
was now in his last weeks of life
harassed by the thought of the debts
and difficulties he should leave for
his wife and children to contend with.
The rent, in particular, having been
in arrears for some time, caused him
much anxiety. On his last visit, Ar
mathwaite, learning that the landlords