Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1905-07-28

/ breakfast and lunch. Kitten was told oy
her father that she might run away.
/ She pouted a little bit, and resented FOR
the first time being treated like child.
| After a long time she heard the study
door open and a step across the Tagged
hall outside.
Kitten! Kitten, Where are your
called a voice outside. A curious sense
of happy shyness kept her silent. she
crouched closer under the shelter OF the
/ old faded morone curtains mad was still,
! though her heart was beating strangely.
| She heard him go out into the porch,
then come in again and go to the kitchen
door, Keziah would surely tell him where
| she was. The step came back quickly,
the handle of the door turned.
Kitten, are you hereT'
She stopped her yellow head low over
her book, there was a reason why she
did not want to look UP or to answer.
| But he saw her in her corner, little
mite all in white, with bent, sunny
head against framework of faded red.
Little witch! where have you hidden
yourself? Why did you not answer
Why, Kitten, Kitten, what is the mat
ter? Why, you are crying
! She tried to turn away her tear-laden
| eyes and to force her lips into a smile,
but the heavy drops tumbled over on to
her small hands, and the rosy lips could
only tremble.
at is your last day." she said pite-
ously; ''and-and-it is half gone al
ready"
He sat down beside her on the ground
and took the small frail hands in his
own. 1t went through his mind to ask
himself who for many a long year, had
shed tears for him, because he was go
ing away. A great tenderness filled his
heart; it was not love, it was nothing
| like love even, it was only such a pity
as might fill the heart of a strong man
| toward a child who is hurt. He wanted
to be kind to her, to console her, to do
her good, to wipe away those tears which
sorrow for him had conjured up, to coax
those trembling rosebud lips into smile.
'Poor little child he said to himself;
'what can [ say or do to comfort her?
Kitten, would you like to live with me
always?' he asked of her suddenly, ito
be never parted from me?'
She looked up at him swiftly, a great
gush of joy flashed over her face, a
smile of heaven-born happiness parted
| her lips.
"To live with your' she repeated won
deringly. Then her face dropped into
her hands, crimson flush rushed sud-
denly over her whole face and throat and
the small white fingers flew up to hide
the child eyes where the woman's love
had been quickened into sudden life
He saw then what he had done and
what she fancied he had meant. He
rose quickly and looked out of the win
| dow.
sit would be nice, wouldn't it, little
woman? You and I would become great
| friends, but of course, it is nonsense,
for you have your father" he could not
tell her how that father was likely to
die and leave her to his care, wh.~h was
what had been in his mind when he had
talked of her living with him.
A silence-then as he still turned
away his face, she said gently: "Non-
sense, of course! as you say, l have my
Daddy"
He was relieved; her voice was SO still
and quiet, there was no harm done then,
he turned round and looked at her She
had risen to her feet and stood facing
him with her fingers slipped into the
| page of her book. There were no tears
now in her grave, sweet eyes, nor any
burning bushes on her cheeks, she was
much as usual, only, perhaps, little
paler. Already the child was learning
the womans lesson, to hide the wounds
of her heart from the eyes of the man
who makes her suffer.
But l am coming back again to see
you very soon, Kitten; we shall have
many more good hours together in the
garden and the fields
eyes, that will be nice"
"Now run and get your hat; see, the
rain is nearly over and the sun is COM
ing out behind that bank of cloud; by the
| time you have wrapped yourself up we'll
we shall be able to get out and have a
walk yet before lunch"
| She turned to obey him in silence.
10 be continued.l