Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-08-14
By Charles 0arvice

war paragraphs do arouse little sen
sation, notably in Lady Letchford and
Rose Vavasour, the mother and the af
ianced wife Of one of the mad Eng
lishmen'' who are still interposing in
the quarrel in which they have mo real
business.
To the naughty, stiff-necked old wo
man the kilograms have an interest
paramount to all else the papers com
tain
She does not quite know where this
wilful, reckless son of hers is; no let
tiers have been received for weeks
past: he may be lying in six feet oil
Asian soil, Oh languishing i'll Russian
prison At times she is inclined to
give up all hopes, but Rose Vavasour
is still confident and reliant.
Never has the beauty heen more
popular or sought after. Her ap-
preaching marriage lends just the ad'
ditional touch of sentiment which was
wanted to keep her notoriety from
waning.
To be the beauty of the day is some
thing, but to have refused the Marquis
of Cornvale for a mere baronet. who
spends the interval between his be
trothal and marriage in fighting with
the Turks, is to be surrounded by a
halo of romance that renders one, in
deed, the celebrity of the season.
Never has Rose Vavasour appeared
TO better advantage. 1t is true that
there is sometimes a hectic flush On
the oval, pale face, and an occasional
restless, wistful look in the bright
blue eyes, but these outward and
visible signs of an inward sentiment
only so to prove that she has-What
many were apt to doubt-a woman's
heart, and that the coming marriage IS
really one of affaction.
| To both Lady Letchford and Vane
she is bewildering enigma.
Vane, light-hearted Vane, even be-
gins to regard Heron's absence with an
underlined uneasiness.
"Confound it," ne says, over and
over again, whenever the subject
crops up at the Rookery, Il don't I'M
derstand it, you know! Advised him
to go? Yes, know did. He was
bound to get away or knock under alto
gether! Not one of us could have
kept it UP half so long as he did. /
advised him to go, yes, but meant
just little trip over to Paris or bit
of a fling at Vienna. | didn't suppose
he was going to be such TOOL as TO
take any notice of that idiot Hamilton
and Join the Turks. Why, bless my
soul, the lunatic wrote and asked me
actually me-to go over and join
him; but that was no reason why |
should be fool enough to go"
"And where is Letchford now"
some one was sure to ask.
:Where?" Vane always replied peev-
ishly. Heaven only knows! We
haven't heard from him for weeks!
Knocked on the head by the Russians,
perhaps, or shut up in one OF those
beastly forts, eating horsefesh and
sawdust bread! And there's the es-
tates going to the dogs, and the next
heir-some fellow whom nobody ever
heard dissenting around and expect
ing to walk in and take possession.
Then Vane would leave the club and
go around to Grosvenor Square to find
Lady Letchford haggard and anxious
and they would condole together I'M
til Rose appeared, to laugh their fears
to scorn.
Dead nonsense" she would ex-
claim, the hectic flush arising to her
fair face, her eyes flashing def1antly.
"Why should he be dead? Heron
never did like letter-writing-you have
said so yourself hundred times. NO,
he is not dead No man is more able
to take care of himself than Heron.
Besides, you don't know that he is in
the war"
"The last letter we received was
from the seat of war;" the Old lady
would say with long sigh.
The last!-that's ever so long ago.
the beauty would retort with laugh.
Since then he has had time to be at
the other end of Europe No! | am
quite sure nothing has happened; no.
body shall make me believe it. He will
come back in time for the wedding If
it is only a day beforehand.
And never for one hour sid she de-
lay the preparations. The dress
makers were as hard at work as ii the
bridegroom was close at hand; the
house in Wiltshire. from which Heron
had been returning when he found
May leaning over the gate in Marley
lane, was still filled with noble army
of carpenters and upholsterers; the
wedding cake even was ordered; and
to every one who mentioned her absent
lover the beauty responded with
smile:
'He is away for the benefit of his
health We do not expect him back
| till the last minute"
L