Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-08-09
Gerald's
Mlfe BIOL, sz,5
FORESTER

Leading from TIE TitllIotsi IihtAVii AZ ""u
| took his first look at Pineyille. Those
who lived III Pinevlle proper were con-
| tent TO call it Pheville. Gerald had
| written that they did not live in Pine
vile proper, but in pineville-b y-the-S Sea,
| otherwise Pineyille improper
All that Frederick saw were pines.
| plenty of them, fiat white ribbon OF
roadway and bit of a postoffice,
| roughly shingleG, in the midst OF the
nearest clump of pines. He stepped
| into the posto1ice MS the central spot
| Of civilization Some one was stamp
| Ing letters behind the glass inclosure,
| n girl with smooth dark hair. Beatrice
| had smooth dark hair.
He watched the girl stamping letters
with interest and wondered why some
| one did not tell her to wear her smooth
| dark hair in two soft braids around her
head. crown fashion. rs Beatrice did.
"Where do the Eaughans live,
please:' he asked finally, when the
stamping ceased.
1.-THE Vnughans? oh, Mr.. Gerald
| Vaughan and his wife? It's brown
| house down near the shore, with
| wide veranda and funny roof. About
| a mile straight down the road"
A wide veranda and funny roof.
| That sounded like Gerald. He Won
dcrcd how Gerald's wife liked it. Bea-
| trice was artistic, but not artistically
eccentric. She had 4 horror of things
odd. bizarre, so called bohemian, and
| vet she had married Gerald. And Ger
| AIDS brother knew that Gerald was
utterly odd bizarre and bohemian. so
! called
He walked on down the fiat white
| ribboned roadway and wondered
| whether he would find her like the
| girls Gerald had always admired A
| lithesome, limp, blessed damozel type,
| with close silky gowns and loose hoppy
| hair. Last summer she had not been
that type He thought Of the trim girl
| figure holding the rudder Of the Water
| Lily that last day. She had been more
than the sort of a girl to fall in love
| with She had been Il good fellow,
stanch friend And as he watched her
he had stopped rowing, and they had
| dritted slowly in the sunset glow that
| flooded the lake while he told her.
| There had been no actual engage
ment. He had nothing to reproach her
| with He had not been IN a position to
| ask her to be his wife then, but he had
| thought girl like Beatrice had meant
more by kiss, II hand clasp, few
| vague words of understanding, than
! other girls. He lad thought she might
| wait until next ~.nner. And now, in
| April, he had returned to New York
to learn that Gerald was in disgrace,
| had married on nothing, eloped to Pine
viile-by -the-Sea, NJ c.. and his wife
was Beatrice Stafford.
Gerald's mother had said they were
penniless. Gerald's father had remark
| ed that he didn't give rap. They
| could exist upon love and art.
| More or less for Beatrice's sake and
a little for Geralds, Gerad's brother
had taken it upon himself to visit the
bridal couple and help Gerald. Smoth-
ering his own love, he had made up his
mind that as long as Beatrice had
married Vaughan she should not suf-
fer from it.
| There was no bell at the door of the
| little brown house with the funny roof
1t was merely bungalow in weather.
| ed shingles, and he pounded on the
| door Justify until it opened and Bea-
trice stood before him.
| She was not the blessed damozel
| type yet. Her smooth dark hair was
wound about her head in just the same
crown fashion, and she wore short
| dark blue linen skirt and white shirt
waist. The sleeves were rolled to her
| elbows. and from her finger tips to ell
| bow dimples there was -four sprinkled
He had not expected to see her face
| to face so soon or alone. Neither had
he expected her TO act as she did. The
color rose In her cheeks, tipping even
her ears with pink. 1t was an old hab-
| It, He remembered it.
Il thought you were In London" she
said
| You don't give a fellow very de-
cent welcome after he's travelled from
| London to this wilderness to say con-
gratulations"
He stepped into the hall after her.
She hesitated and laughed, looking at
her Toured hands.
Il can't shake hands with you. and
| and the biscuits are in the oven
shall have to watch them. Do Won
mind coming out to the kitchen?"
He didn't mind There appeared to
be only three rooms the studo-sittInc
room, the dining room and the Kitchen.
CollapSible ready-ir l-minute studio IL.
vans were in Tho sitting room and din
ing room in lieu Of bedrooms. 1t was
MI chamngy. most uncomfortable
odd bizarre and bohemian
Where GerallF" he asked when he
had found chair in the kitchen.
Beatrice knelt beside the stove TO
look nj the biscuit He could not see
hrr race
He went to the postofIice for the
last mail You must have missed
him
We'll. what ever made him come to
this lost cornerF''
on, because il was the chance OF
something definite you know! Don't
you know she added quickly. seeing