Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-08-17
THE WAY our.

| tres, and was but lately returned from
| her honeymoon.
l was rather doubtful of the propriety
of calling on her, seeing or what dizzy
eminence in the social world she had
risen; but, relying on our old friendship,
and on what knew of her sterling char
dcter, | decided to risk il. And. as |
had hoped, ! found that she was not in
the least chargcd-except, if that were
possible, for the better.
Inevitably, our talk was chiefly of her
husband.
we became acquainted in the-reaIly.
! you know-lnost unconventional way.
said she.
! DO tell me about it," | urged her.
| breathlessly. as she paused
And she did-to this effect:
She had gone out one morning before
breakfast during her last summer vaca-
| ton to gather wild flowers She wore
an effective white muslin frock. with a
blue sash, and Il burnt-straw hat. trim
med with peoples. She surmised. de-
murely, that she looked far more charm
ing and pretty thus arrayed than YOU
| would have deemed it possible for her to
| look had You seen her only in Ler work
aday garments of severe gray serge.
| Which seemed probable enough.
She strolled along revealing III her uu-
/ trammeled beauty, until she came upon
| Il disused chalkpit on the edge of the
road; and halfway down the steep side.
! of the pit was a wild rose bush. pink
with fragrant blossoms, and it tempted
her. She thought, quite rightly, that Il
! handful of the delicate blooms would
| add considerably to her general attract
iveness, and gingerly she went after
them. She began to struggle with the
| briaTs and brambles. and at last to get
rather hot, and even little cross as the
| thorns scratched and touzled her, while
the bush itself refused to yield up its
treasure. except grudgingly and unsat-
isfactorily, in form of showers Of falling
petals.
And then a voice called cut to her:
you will never do it that way"
The voice came from below. 1t was a
mans voice. She looked down through
a web of branches and caught a glimpse
of the manor, rather, of a segment of
mis- face under a shapeless. battered
straw hat, tilted Fakshly over one eye.
He was smiling up at her with an ex-
preston of frank amusement on his sun
Drowned countenance.
you shond bend the twigs hack" he
shouted. wait moment, and III show
You how.
Il know perfectly well, thank YOU.
how -"
She was beginning in her haughtiest
tone, when the dead stump 10 which she
had been clinging snapped off short in
her hand and she lost her balance. There
was only one course open to her then, If
she were to keep her feet, and that was
to yield to gravitatiOn and plunge pell-
nell down the slope at full speed. And
this course she took, with the result that
she precpitated herself breathless and
disheveled, into the outspread welcoming
arms of the odiOus person at the bottom
of the hollow. Instantly she wrenched
herself out of his embrace.
How dare you. SIR she cried. we'll
night weeping with modification.
II beg your pardon he said grayeiy.
But it was necessary. You might have
hurt yourself, if l hadn't
If you had not been there I should
have been perfectly safe" she flashed.
"Well, you're safe now" he pointed
out
Then they stood and confronted each
other; she, flushed and angry; he, cool
and suave.
She wondered how long he had been
watching her He had quiet shrewd
eyes, and a thin, dark face. She de-
cided that he was one of the least hand
some men she had ever met, and Ger
tainly the worst-dressed His clothes
were old and stained. and even ragged
and frayed, here and there. His hat
was nothing better than broken, wealth
er-beaten ruin.
Appearances are against me, I
know" he observed, divining her unut-
tered thoughts. land | regret Il. If only
I were as disreputablc as | look you
could. of course. reward me with the
customary twO-pence for having saved
your life: but, Unhappily, / am quite
respectable and solvent, really and
So
Saved my life" she repeated scorn-
fully. 81 was in no danger Whatever
until Won startled me-"
Il suppose | am a bit startling" be
remarked, re1ectivey
She turned from him with n gesture
Of disdain. and gazed about her. On
every hand the steep sides Of the cup
like chalkpit rose abruptly to the up
per world The edges were torn and
fretted with jagged assures, and stras-
Cling. low growths of fern and furze.
showing blaCkly against the sun-hushed
sky And gradually she was possessed
of dread foreboding that she would
find il most difficult task to scale those
PERCEPTIONS, crumbling heights unaided.
The man stood regarding her with
Pickering. whimsical. unsubduable smile.
Yes, ! am afraid | shall have 70 help
Won out" he said. Those high-hceled
shoes Of yours"
she withdrew them hastily into tie
shadow Of her Growth-but somehow the
bitter retort that she yearned to utter
would not evolve itself She had never
felt less equal to an occasion.
Il can manage II all right she said.
with better show of confidence than she
felt.
any longer" said he Good morning.
And be smiled and raised his battered
hat. and sauntered Of toward the far
Their side of the pit
He began to make the sharp ascent.
and she watched him. Even he seem" a
To ind it most difficult Indeed. had Be
not been assisted hy his walkln- stlez.
which he dug deep into the chalk at each
inward step. il looked as if he never
would have been able n climb out At
all How then, was she TO climb ont:
poor Lucy asked herself despair piI..
TN throw you my stick. he said, n
bis upcsnsci0nable matter-o'r- eoure+. way