Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-01-20

GO . the Boy, the Girl seemed as
far above him as the stars he
watched so often at night, lying
out under the trees, listening to the
leaves rustling over his head and
breathing the cool fragrance that
comes out of the grass and woods at
night He dreamed dreams, too, and
sOmeway, though he told himself 1t
was useless, the Girl was always in
those dreams. He had not spoken to
the Girl then. He was but a helper
about the hotel, working for his board
and very small wages, so 1t was pre-
posterous for him to even think Of her.
The Boy was sore and sensitive and
smarting under the sudden change Of
fortune that had befallen him. All of
his life he had supposed that his faith
er was rich, and then, suddenly he
was summoned home from college to
be told that his father was dead.
Worry killed him." his mother sob
bed. Later it was revealed that the
worry was over money affairs. The
final settlement Of the estate showed
there was but little left, scarcely
enough to keep the Boys mother and
sister in comfort, and he was too proud
to deprive them by taking his share.
you needn't bother about me-" he
said, confidently. "I'll soon get some
thing to do"
It was in the early spring his father
had died, and the something to do"
did not come at once. It's coming
seemed, in the Boys Impotence, to be
so long delayed that his courage and
confidence began to waver and he fan
cied himself the least Of the earth.
His horizon frightened when he was
promised a good position in the fall,
but he had the summer to live through,
and, being a big healthy Boy, with a
large amount of college bred muscle to
nourish, he found it needful to eat.
His mother begged him to stay with
her through the summer, but this he re
fused. "Motherkins," he said, "con-
slider the extent Of my appetite and be
wise. I'll eat at some one else's ex-
pense."
He found a place at a summer hotel
where his Drawn and size proved use
full, as part, of his work was to care
for the baggage. His humble position
did not trouble him greatly until the
Girl came. When he saw her he real
lied he was wearing porter's cap and
performing a porters duties. He knew
the Girl had only one trunk, for he
had taken it to her room himself and
then had made a hurried escape for
fear she should offer to tip him. He
had accepted tips now and then, at
first for the fun Of the thing, and later
because he found the money conven-
lent to have, but in this case it was
different. Probably the Girl was not
very rich, as she brought but one trunk
but at all events she was a guest at
the hotel and he a hired servant. 1t
was not this alone that seemed to
place her miles above him. There was
something about her that made him
feel as If she were a queen from
some lovely realm he had never seen
and could never hope to enter.
As for the Girl, to the careless OBJ
server, she was just a dainty, pretty
young woman with charming manners
that put one in a good humor with the
world and with ones self. She had a
Tilt in her voice that made the Boy
think of the birds singing in the early
morning, and when she walked, it
was to him as If she were floating on
air.
The day when she lifted him into
Paradise with one Of her sunny smiles
and a CHEEKY Good morning" marked
an epoch in the summer Without
being obtruSive, he tried to be near
when she passed, so that she might
give him a greeting and a chance to
see the blue Of her eyes and the color
the sun and fresh air were painting
her cheeks. She was pale when she
came, now she was taking on warm
tints and a bloom like rose.
The Boy watched and adored her
from afar and wished that something
dangerous might happen, and so give
him an opportunity to rush In and
save her from peril. Perhaps she
would faint and it would be neces-
sary for him to carry her. The Boy
nearly tainted himself at the thought
of taking the Girl in his arms.
He dreamed these dreams, lying out
under the trees at night with the
swaying waltz muisc, with all its sad
pess and sweetness, floating through