The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-04-01

III that evening.
lS=SSsSSS Considering the fate OF my
lNGssSp roses, it may seem strange
that 1 should have taken the pains to
ascertain whether the SIRENS light was
rekindled upon the rocks. l decided
not to do so. 1t was my intention to
sit by my window and smoke black
cigars in the dark. While enjoying the
first of them it came into my mind that
fire on the shore should send up a
glow visible from the house. So L be-
gan to stare at the sky above the tops
of the apple trees and to hold rapidly
alternating opinions as to whether l
could or could not see a light.
This was distracting 1t seemed
wiser, upon the whole, to go down to
the lake and set the question at rest.
l felt like big schoolboy who has had
his ears boxed by his pretty teacher,
and this sensation was accompanied by
constantly recurring surprise that l
should have it. What did it matter?
No one knew except Lucy Ann, and
she had certainly behaved very well
about it. She did not strike me as the
sort of girl who would spread the
story.
1t couldn't be on her account that l
cared. Why not own up to it like a
man? It was because the girl knew it
and had done it to me. If only she had
worn no flowers that would not have
hurt me, but that she should have
worn some other fellow's-probably
TraSk's. But why should Trask send
flowers to her? How many girls did
the fellow want at one time? He
seemed devoted to Miss Jones in his
own peculiar misanthropic fashion,
and poor, little Lucy Ann was clearly
in love with him. I began to foresee
that Trask and I would have an I'M
pleasant interview some day.
l was thinking of this as pushed off
the boat, and the result was that for
got to hang on to her. She slid off the
bold beach and went skimming out
over the lake with the force of the
impetus that / had unconsciously
given, SO / had to go out in another
boat and tow her back. And after all
this trouble there was no fire on the
rocks.
/ waited till 9 o'clock and then gave
it up, but not before warbling a little
ballad in case the girl should be sitting
on the rocks in the dark. She was not,
and 1 felt as foolish as one does who
has talked a few minutes to person
that left the room unperceived before
he began.
Altogether it was very strange. The
girl was nothing to me. Try as l
might, could not think of her as Sibyl
Neither could 1 regard her as a stran-
ger 1t was beyond doubt the most
countered The mind is slave TO such
a problem; it rivets the attention. If
L had not known who the girl was 1
could have dismissed the subject, but
/ knew that did know, and it seemed
that l must surely speak the name,
that 1 should wake up some morning
and find it proceeding audibly from
my lips.
When returned from the vain cruise,
there were heavy clouds in the sky,
and l thought it might rain, but within
few minutes they rolled apart, and
the night seemed to grow suddenly
warm. l felt strangely uneasy and
strolled out to the road to see whether
the patrol was on duty.
The faithful three were there. and
they welcomed me cordially to the
ranks. They seemed to be engaged in
extolling the Witherspoon menage.
81 wish 1 had Mrs. Witherspoon's
executive ability" said Derringer.
'This place runs on creased wheels.
The machinery is so noiseless that it is
hard to believe that there is any
However" said Scovel, there is.
There are a lot of servants on this
place. and they all work hard, though
Mrs. Witherspoon would discharge one
of them who dared to look tired. She
knows how to make a place restful.
Cast your eye on poor little Lucy Ann"
1 observed that Trask, who had been
sitting on the fence, got down. There
was no reason why he shouldn't, If he
felt like it, and yet 1 saw something
worth noting in his manner.
miss Witherspoon helps her aunt"
said he land you wouldn't wish her
to do otherwise"
Il would" said Derringer. I'D like
to see her a thousand miles from that
kitchen. In my opinion, it's a polite
fiction that she doesn't do anything but
make the cake. [ observe that she
spends most of her time there, and l
wish she had something better to To-
There can't be anything better Shan
housekeeping" said Trask. 'It is he
work of the best women on earth, he
women who keep the world wholesome
enough to live in, the wives and mott
ers."