Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-03-13

Heron Letchford stands above us-we
who are creatures of yesterday? You
admire, profess to admire, my draw
ing. ought to draw we'll | taught
it at school in Clapton." If she thought
to crush him by this. avowal she is
disappointed.
"Well!" he says.
"Well," she retorts, ''do you think
the assistant at a middle-class board
i ing school is a fit companion for you,
Sir Heron? and if you do-which you
do not-others would not"
Sir Heron meets her gaze, half de-
faint, half indignant, without flinching
While she has been speaking, a
strange thought has flashed through
his brain. If it is true that this girl
comes Of a vulgar stock, and has spent
her years in the humble position of a
teacher in a common boarding school,
from whence has she got this air Of
high breeding, this consummate self
possession and quiet dignity, and,
above all, this irrepressible pride. Not
Rose Vavasour herself could look more
-haughtily than this paryenu's daugh-
ter.
There is a moments silence, in
which Sir Heron has time to realize
that he is being lectured, rebuffed, set
aside, and by a girl of twenty. A
faint color CLOVIS behind his tan, and
the shadow of froWn, not of anger,
but of perplexity, hovers over his dark
brows.
'You accused me just now, by i'm
plication, of pride"
"And you retort that |, too, am
proud You are right
"Too proud to receive so poor and
conventional an attention as I have
shown this morning, not to you only
but to your sister,"
eyes," she says, ignoring his refer
ence to Carrie. 81 am too proud to
accept Sir Heron's acquaintance
when"
Pray go on he says, gravely.
"Well, WILL" she says. while his
friends do not consider me worthy Of
it."
He bites his lip and is silent for
moment, while he inwardly curses the
laws of caste which have permitted
his mother to ignore the existence of
her nearest neighbor for over two
years.
81 cannot affect to misunderstood
you,'' he says; s'but I will not under
take to answer for others shortcom-
ings, though [ may have to suffer for
them"
'sYou do not misunderstood me in
another way, | hope" May says, with
quick flush. Il am not complain
ing
mo-" he says; 81 can see that
though my mother came on her knees
and implored your pardon she would
not get it. But if am frank. you
! have set me the example. Is there
no other reason for that implacabil-
ity? May l ask you direct ques
tion?'
''To what purpose?' May says.
81 will ask it, Miss Dalton, in the
whole course of my life I have never
met with one Of your sex who has
spoken as you have spoken today
Your frankness prompts me to go to
the bottom of this matter. Will you let
me ask you if there is not stronger
reason for refusing my acquaintance?
Do you dislike me?"
'This is not a proper
''Do not descend from the lofty
pedestal upon which, like Truth per-
sonified, you have been Furnishing me.
| have not said word in my defense
II have borne all with the meekest
humility. Humbly I crave an an
swer. Am I personally repugnant to
your"
NO. she says, Out
"Stop Do you thini1 I am about
to take advantage of your answer?
You wrong me. If you had sid yes
I should have respectfully endeayored
to ascertain the cause of your dislike
and tried to remove it. AS it is-as
am not, in myself, repugnant to you,
| will say no more, will certainly not
take advantage of your franzness
More! I beg your pardon. You are
right I have entrapped you this
morning to crafty a selfish desire to
build into friendship an acquaintance
which has brought me-
May arises with pale face.
"Stop," he says, 81 will not offend
you. I will say no more. l do not
wish to lose the slight good will you
bear me-"
Then he turns to Carrie, who is too
absorbed to pay any attention to the
few words here and there which the
weir allows her to hear, and putting
his hand on her shoulder, says gently:
"No fish YETI"
mo; I thought I had one. but it
must have been only a weed"
"Never mind. I am sorry to say I
cannot persuade your sister to remain
longer, perhaps another time-now
land, eh?"
Really do you mean it? Do you