Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-05-17
THE NEW OWNER.

-
guess 1t doesn't make any difference if we
dld have to wear silk gowns that Won
washed, turned, mended and made over
Guess what | just heard"
What did you just hear?" I asked.
Why" proceeded Marion, delightedly.
L was standing over by those ferns a
minute ago and just round the corner |
heard Mrs Lewis say to Claudia Brooks:
1 don't see how the Harcourt girls man
age to dress so WE'LL and Claudia-sDite-
full Old thing-said: L think they ought
to be ashamed; everybody knows thev
can't afford it. But just then that grand
looking Mr.. Maxwell came over to them
and it wasn't two minutes before heard
him ask who that striking glri with the
red roses in her hair was That was YOU.
Eleanor. Now. aren't you hattercd 2"
"Dreadfully," | answered. "Anvthinn
more?"
Yes. indeed whispered Marion. '''rhe
best of it all was that he asked right
away if you were one of the Harcourts
vino had owned the old place up town,
and he asked her-Oh. look!"
Marion's volubility was checked at
this point by the appearance of the al
ready mentioned Mr.. Maxwell with our
hostess on his arm. He was Il grave,
handsome man, about 80. | thought, and
after Mrs. Lewis had presented him he
sat down beside me. He had talked
about a good many things and had al
most Wearied of my monosylIabic re-
plies, | fancy, when he finally brought
up IIarcourt, and | proceeded to aston
ish him by forgetting that we were
strangers, and telling him the most ride
ulOus things with characteristic reckless
ness. | told him how we, Marion and |,
went a round about way to avoid passing
the dear old place, and how, when there
was no way out of it, we went by with
our heads turned away, because we loved
it so. [ told him we had been born
there, and that every big room and every
dingy panel brought up memory that
we loved. And it was not until Marion
came for me to 90 home that | realized
that he had listened to me silently for
about an hour, and that Mrs. Lewis was
angry with me for monopoizing the lion
of the evening. | went home terribly
ashamed, and convinced that, notWith-
standing that he looked very sympathct-
ic. he was probably shocked.
But some days later, after Mr.. Max
we'll called with Mrs. Lewis and was so
nice. | guess he didn't mind after all.
And in the weeks following he came fire.
quently and we met at several places.
Somehow [ told Il at man everything
| couldu't seem to help it. He always
knew 1ust when to smile, and | never
said a silly thing to cover up deeper
feeling in all those weeks that [ did not
see sympathy and understanding in his
face. Well. it was a pleasant time as |
remember it, and | got to thinking
GOOD deal about him and to liking him
very much. There was only one thing
to dampen our pleasure: one day the
news came to us that Mr.. Griffin, who
held a mortgage upon larcourt, had SOLD
it to strangers. and Marion and | told
ourselves that from that time our clam
upon it would be only that of any other
outsiders. who might look at its dear old
walls ana pass it by. AS [ say, this
darkened our lives little, but there were
still Mr.. MaxwelPs visits to look for
ward to. so it was worth while existing
But one evening, when he called, he
said: Miss Eleanor, | am going away
tomorrow and | want you to do some
thing for me. Will you?"
Il don't know" l answered in a low
voice. Somehow | couldn't for the HE
of me manage anything else. But he
didn't seem to notice that | said nothing
about regretting his going away. lie
simply osked me if ! would 60 down 70
Harcourt with him. | was too miserable
to resist, and we went.
NV heart beat heavily as we WalSed
IN thc dear old oak avenue, and When
we had mounted the broad steps ana
onened the door | could not see the
familiar dim Old hall because my eyes
were blinded with tears. "Oh, We'll,
thmroht I. as | stealthily dried them
,wov you're dear old place, but
vou're nothing to me now, and I've got
no right to c,y about you. But later'
when we went up to the long hall above
and found that some impudent PerSo"
b,d removed our few remaining pieces
of old furniture and had hung he"
nai,tinrs there over crimson hanGln%s'
! felt couldn't stand any more
"What does this mean? / cl1ed'
..The purchaser hopes to live mere eN-
r1oinod Mr.. Maxwell, "and he is SettlnS
il ready for occupancy
Here | suppose, the poor man was pe
,.;IJered enough. for | had restrained
,,,,soIf as long as | could and | ruSneo
TO- the one place where the hatetu! crlm.
SON did not cover the panels, lald my
head against their friendly support ana
burst out crying. ,og,
' oh o. WHY did you bring me here, |
said. Il can't stand eyerything, | W wo tha
rather have this old place burned dn to 'ne
Ground with only its poor ola chllnnel
Ie l4" to show where it stood than to see see
!; ;f't fitted to with the most beautiful things
in the world by strangers, E : ycone1gd.
nare about turns out wrong l colLols',l
Guy ~; 81 erh Il am losing my home
and now Huu-- 80 whst
"''' stopped, frozen with horror. W na'
had 5ad But H ,no min5 MpSg ssat s and
dcn'I ,. p"' ha-;jc me. "Eleano, look at
S, he said. But absolutely c ,5.'
~, nav head. 50 he ru' lis mana "i faea
Nv rcnctant chin sud t"ned my iaee
t tmS him. "E!earor," he Went on on,
a .3on,t YOU know Eve loved you all tnP
.: a,m ond that | was going away win