Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-10-02

fore, no one was surprised when Wal
lace Ripley, coming to spend a summer
in the village for rest and quiet and Oh.
partunity to study, succumbed to the
charm OF her earnest gray eyes and in
telligent face.
To him Jane lent the same interested
ear. put the same gentle questions cal
euated to draw forth condolences and.
as usual. she was not disappointed. Be
fore the summer was half over, he had
tod her everything about himself. as
far back as he could remember. and Civ
en- her sketch Of his work and his
plans for the future.
But perhaps | am boring you with
all this" he said, one day suddenly real
izing that what Jane did not know about
him was hardly worth knowing.
1t was an August evening, Just at
sunset, hot and still. They were walk
ing up and down in a glowing crimson
atmosphere. The sky threw strange
rosy reflections on James pale face and
white dress. He paused in the middle
of long story to look at her ard ask
his tentative question.
ii YOU are tired, pray say So But
you are the only person who really
seems to care to hear her. and so. per
haps, | trespass on your Kindness
@You know / care said Jane in her
soft voice Please 60 on
lie rushed on headong. and before
she could guess what was coming. she
found herself listening to his eager.
passionate words OF love. She did not
interrupt him. Perhaps she could not.
At any rate, she made no attempt to
stem the torrent of his words, but heard
him in silence to the end
Her answer, when he paused for il.
was neither yea nor nay. Perhaps She
was not prepared to give definite an
swer yet. She was taken bv surprise:
she did not know her own heart But
when Wallace Ripley went away he had
wrung from her promise that he might
come back after while and try his
fate again.
/ The winter wore away. Little Alice's
i've story had come in a satisfactory
conclusion at Christmas Wallace Rip
ley was in the city, writing letters to
Jane, Jane herself was writing con-
stantly during the winter. but her writ.
ing did not seem to be letters: at least.
few envelopes addressed in her clear
chirography passed through the village
posIonlce
In the spring appeared a new book
a popular novel. which bore Jane OAR
rows name on the title page "A charm
| ing idyl," the critics said "A picture
of life drawn by an artists hand"
But in James home village, whittier
its fame promptly penetrated, the SEN
sation was not one of unmixed pleasure.
james friends, reading, found them
selves and their experiences laid bare
to the public in manner graceful and
artistic. indeed but trying to the tenn
pers of retiring persons who prefer to
live in obscurity
Alice's and Bob's love story was neat
| ly interviewer. Scenes and converse
tions We're Transcribed faithfully Jane
was in fact, not an artist, but a pho
tcgrapher, an accurate copyist
But the names are all changed. No
one could recognize it." she pleaded.
when taxed with this faithfulness to
life.
But the aggrieved ones were not mol
lifted Jane, from being the most
popular girl in the village, became the
mo- unpopular But a sterner Nem-
esis still was to overtake her
Wallace Ripley came, pale. stony
eyed, the book in his hand. He pointed
to page whereon his own passionate
declaration of love was detailed, word
for word in cold print.
Jane" he said, you profess to love
me, and yet you could print that?"
Jane was silent before his accusing
eyes. a sudden light, flashed into her
mind She had not cared for this man
at first. and she had remorselessly used
him as material" Now she realized
that she loved him.
Profess she faltered at last, do
you not believe it. them"
Believe it? No. see that you have
been most diligent in gathering ma
terial for your book, most careful in
preserving the local color Pardon me
if | do not care to figure in your next.
| wish it great success
He bowed courteousIy and went away.
down the orchard path to the gate; and
Jane was left alone to suffer the natural
consequence of playing with edged tools.
, l. Glover in the New Orleans Times
| Democrat.