River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-06-02
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OF THE WIND
By
ISABEL BOWMAN TUILEY
Copyright. 1904, by Daily Story Pub. Col

ID ETER's brows were drawn in a
heavy frown and even through his
tar the red of anger showed.
There is not one of you," he was
saying, with suppressed vehemence,
who really appreciates deep, honest,
enduring love if it isn't always froth-
ing over with compliments. Words
have more weight with a woman than
reticent faithfulness. A fellow who
fools, but fiatters her, will be able to
win with her, when poor dog of a
fellow who only knows how to love her
will be turned down with the cold
comfort of tolerant friendship"
He was glowering across the ice cold
spring, bubbling up from the messy
footrest of the mountain, at a girl who
was idly swinging tin cup by its ham
die encircling her forefnger. She was
dressed all in white and her blond hair
curled out from under her white hat IN
provocative little rings, whilst her soft,
appealing blue eyes were gazing at
Peter with exasperating innocence and
mock admiration.
How wise you are, Peter!" she said
in her fresh, sweet voice. you really
have brought the study of woman to a
fine point! Your knowledge of US is
profound"
The red deepened on Peters face. at
should be profound" he growled,
from the amount of time l have
wasted in studying you"
mo time-don't the copybooks tell
us?-is wasted that is well employed,
and l am all sweetness and light
That's the trouble-you are sweet,
diabolically, irresistably sweet"-Kit-
tvs lashes dropped to hide the smile
in her eyes-"but you haven't an atom
of heart"
guilelessly-"if had been
endowed with a heart, would it have
been preordained to beat for you,
Peter?"
Peter muttered something between
his teeth. "Of course, make no such
absurd claim! But if you had a shred
of feeling you would not play with a
mans heart as though it was rub
Der ball, for the sake OF seeing how
high you can knock it and how often
it will rebound"
A shade of guilty expression swept
over Kitty's face, but she fastened to
protest. But Peter raised silencing
hand.
Il know my own experience. | have
proposed to you four times"-"three''
was the humble correction across the
spring-"But this has been final;
shall accept DR.. Browns offer to go
abroad with him next week to study
tuberculosis, and if I am not man
enough to cast you out of my heart
ought to be shot as a weaklingi" and
he strobe down to the lake where u
yawl was drawn half up on the shore.
They had rowed across the lake from
the opposite shore, where the cottage
was her parents had rented for the
summer, and had landed to refresh
themselves at the spring And here
Peter had again laid his heart and
promising future as physician
at her disposal. Heretofore he had
accepted refusal with manly dignity
that had kept his pain we'll hidden and
only left visible his logged determi-
nation to succeed. So quiet had he
been that Kitty had no realization of
his wound and had half doubted it's ex-
istence, and so to-day, instead of her
usual gentle and half alluring refusal
she had pricked him on to his entire
loss of self-command and an unwonted
declaration of finality. Like most per-
sons who play with fire as an amuse-
ment she had let it get beyond her
control. AS she gazed after him as he
went to the boat she saw by the set of
his shoulders that his words had not
been filled with air. And then, to her
amused dismay, she also saw that he
was so absorbed in his own thoughts
that he had pushed the yawl into the
lake and was getting in himself with
out realizing that he was leaving her
behind.
She went halfway down the path and
called to him. "Peter!" she said,
plaintively, remember it is five miles
walk around the lake and don't think
l am quite equal to it to-day
Peter awoke with mortified conster-
nation at his unintentional rudeness.
"I beg your pardon" he stammered.
II wasn't thinking what I was do
ing"
He held the bow while she stepped in
but he did not raise his hand to help
her, but when she was safely settled
among the cushions in the stern he got
in and took up the oars without any fur
Their words He pulled out into the
lake. his white duck hat pushed down
over his brows, his lips set in a
straight line that betokened unaltera-
bic resolution, his eyes gazing over
her head at the shore they were leav-
ing behind; neither was there any fur
Their lettering or dallying with the oars,
they were piled with steady monoto-
ny that meant a straight and swift
home getting,
Kitty, too, was silent, but her brain
was not idle; she was revolving some
means by which he would be compelled
20 be the first to break the silence.
Once broken. Kitty hoped that her pow
er might be regained. Yet she knew
Peters resolutions were concrete
lasting-and she wondered what life
would be like without Peter