Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-04-21

not intended to proceed on exactly these
lines, but / found it difficult TO be sufIi-
ciently brutal Low that the necessity
confronted me.
.Oh," she drawled. with Il woefui al
fectation of indifference, Il think. as the
song says, You are owre young to marry
yet you know.
u wonder what your wife will be
| like" she went on presently. II do hope
she will be nice, helpful sort of girl.
and not mere society butterhy-like
me"
IF she were like you" / began,
and stopped.
"She won't be-" said Miss Kerrison
quickly.
Il mean" she explained, that the OBJ
iect of our first fancy is so seldom the
person to make us truly happy, if we but
knew it,"
| remembered then that some one had
told me this was Miss Kerrison's third
season.
First love is the only love-" l said
firmly 1t was no time for mawkish
scruples. / had temporized with my
conscience too long already. She must
now be made to realize the sad truth in
all its ghastlness.
''That is not so,' she said Believe
me. Mr.. Craven, when l tell you that
you are as yet far TOO young to know
anyway" said /, when my fate
does come along"
And there | made an abrupt end. for
she had suddenly begun to laugh. There
could be no doubt about it. She was
laughing-not Historically, either, but
with unmistakable enjoyment, as at an
Irresistible jest.
MIR. Craven" she said at last, more
seriously, Il think I'll be frank with
bly, cost me your good opinion, but only
for a time. You'll like me all the better
afterward. And l am sure you have
enough common sense, really, not to
think me unwomanly or immOdest in
saying what | am about to say to you
now"
"Miss Kerrison," / cried in sore dis
tress, 'forbear, reflect, consider. Don't
speak yet You may save us both much
pain if you keep silent"
"Nonsensew she exclaimed sharply.
This was an affront. Go on, then, il
you WILL" / said sternly.
"Ive an idea" she said, that we are
at cross-purposes, and that it is all the
fault of those dear, foolish Frisbys. +"
Mrs Frisby has said something to you
about-well, about me-, hasn't she:
Please be straightforward, Mr.. Craven
"No, she hasn't" / answered.
MIR. Frisby, then"
yes"
what did he sayT'
| turned to her in desperation. How
can | repeat what he said?' | cried.
Miss Kerrison, let me implore you to
say no more. Let me entreat-'
No" she replied. Il will tell you
what they said. They told you I-well-
had a penchant for YOU"
"They were wrong" l exclaimed, still
eager to spare her.
"0f course, they We're" she rejoined.
AS wrong as they were when they told
me-well-that you were-in love--with
my unworthy self. But" And she be-
gan to laugh again. This woman, tell
you, had no sense of lumor, or of de-
cency either. | should think But they
meant well, | suppose. And there's no
harm done-except to our vanity, per-
haps. Anyway, the path they would
have had us tread hardly leads to the
Wicked Place. does it,
And she smiled at me insclutably, and
think she would have added some
pleasant, salving words. But just then
man poked his head round the bead
curtain and she darted up and went for
ward to greet him. l heard her call him
frank" and | guessed then that il
was for him she had been waiting so
meekly, all alone. And at last | under
stood knew-that IL had merely
provided some comic relief from the te-
dunn of her vigil.-The Sketch.