Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-03-19

gay song on its lips.
DO you always have tea alone?" she
asked, setting the cups, and ignoring
their cracked and assorted condition.
Always
And aren't you vewy loneIy?" She
forgot her occupation and, coming across
TO him, put her soft. childish hands in
his, and looked up with an expression
that was wistfu and filled with an I'M
derstanding and sympathy beyond her
years.
Sometimes, little lady he said, with
short sigh. But you know we dull
middle-aged fogies have our day dreams
ike other folks"
What are day dreams?"
We'll, for instance, [ might imagine
one day that | did not live here, but
somewhere quite different, IN the coun.
try, perhaps, end that / had little girl
like you, to talk to-and love. and work
for, and that she was merry, just as you
are, and made the world seem bright
even when the sun was not shining. And
| then, maybe, when | can almost fancy
this 10 be true | wake and find it was
only a dream"
rs that a day dweam - she asked
Il has them" she went on. rehectively
'but-but they are diffewent; all about
fairies and gweat, big 'nchanted castles
and forests where there are twees of
real silver and gold, and good fairy,
and bad fairy who wants to turn a
little girl into a nasty toad. Would You
WEAKLY like TO have q little girl like me?"
she broke off, abruptly.
A gentleness came over the mans
somewhat stern face, touching it into
kindness and softness. Yes, little
lady" he said. And now the kettle is
becoming angry with u.s.
She laughed at the fancy, as he turned
to tsle kissing kettle. which was indig-
nantly rattling its lid to call their atten-
ton to its important self.
Turning to the cupboard again, he
saw that it contained nothing to tempt
a chids dainty appetite. Children liked
sweet, iammy things, he remembered
and he rang loudly at the bell.
After lengthy interval the individual
who followed the mysterious occupation
Of a laundress made her appearance
with husky apologies, and was dis
patched to the nearest tea shop for n
eoodly assortment of sweetmeats.
He then gave his attention to the child
once more. poured out the tea, sugared
it TO suit her taste, MIXED it according
to his own Judgment. and looked after
her wants in general. In a very short
while the laundress returned with the
cakes, which might have tempted an
anch0rite.
1t was quite a merry tea-table, and
somehow the harrister felt years
younger. The mantle of age which had
fallen prematurely upon him, as il does
ON most who have no love to sweeten
their days and keep them youthful,
slipped suddenly away.
1T must be vewy nice to live here all
alone" said the child during a pause in
her healthy. attack upon the cakes. NO
lessons. no horwid goyerness."
But | have my lessons. child he
said, whimsically. 1--WE all have all our
lessons: those are NINE" and he pointed
TO a pile of papers.
Are they difficult ones?"
Sometimes, he said, thinking of a
ticklish case he ought at that moment to
I have enmeshed his intellect in.
She seemed to ponder over this, and
presently she slipped off her chair and
climbed on to the barrister's knee. She
looked into his eyes. They were somber
enough usually, but just now they were
lighted with a smile.
''Do your lessons ever make you envy,
like mine do me?"
Not exactly that, my pretty one. Men
dfpt cry; they mustn't, you know; all
tlssig- crying is done inwardly. Do you
understand
She nodded a solemn head.
"That's like what mummy does. She
sits in her chair sometimes so quiet, and
looks lust like little girls do when they
want to cwy and can't. | speet it's eos
daddy's gone to heaven and isn't likely TO
come back, nurse says, Have you ever
been to heaven, and is it far dway?"
mo: | have never been. dear; and it
is. so far away that when coe goes there
one never, never comes back again
II s'pose it's vewy boful, like fairy,
land, she remarked, thoughtfuliy.
This reflection seemed to give birth to
a new idea.
Tell me a fairy tale. - she pleaded. Il
am SO fond of fairy tales"
The barrister looked at the flushed
tender face and cudgeled his brains.
The laws grave study does not much
lend itself TO the cultivation of the fancy,
and he lacked the gift of fiction. Then
there came TO HIM a way out of the diff
Guilty. He would relate to her some
thing of his own life in the guise of a
fairy tale.
With a preliminary cough he com
mcnced. "Once upon a time" he said
and his listeners eyes grew wide with
delight, there was-let me sea wood
man $ son. The fairies hS,i not been in
vited to his christening. so that there
we're no good gifts to help him in life; he
had to fight his own way unassisted.
His father and mother were not kind
to himthey had so many children and
they were very poor-and his life would
have been altogether very sad but for a
little playmate he had, of whom he was
very fond.
She was n little, fair-haired girl, very
much like yoH. She was pretty and gay
and he was so very fond of her that he
never dared to tell her of his fondness.
But he used TO have a dream one of
those day-dreams that | told you Of
that one day he would go out into the
! biz world and win great fortune, with
which he would go TO certain misery
fairies and buy from them a handsome
palace, TO which he would bring this little
/ girl, and live with her there for ever
more.
but one day. while he was still wait
/ ing for this dream to come true, still be-
tieving and hoping in it, there came the
/ son of a rich king who seeing this little
/ girl. fell at once in love with her. and
took her away with him to real palace
nor one that was formed of dreams, and
! the woodmau'S son never saw her again
! They were interrupted at this point by
a hasty rap at the outside door which
was divided from the sitting room by an
apology for a passage Placing the child
down. Bassington went TO Open it in 4
( kind of dream. and to complete the