Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-10-22
CHAPTER XVII.
et-Me-Noti

Foraet-Me-Not!
That night Eve could not sleep.
She thought of her wonderful adven-
4 ture. Who was that strange boy.
And, what was the link between these
two and Jasper?
Towards morning, when she ought
to have been stirring, she fell asleep,
and laughed in her dreams. She
woke with the sun shining in on her,
and her father standing by her bed,
watching her.
After the visions in which she had
been STEPPED full of fair forms and
brilliant colors, it was a shock to her
to unclose her eyes on the haggard
face of her father, with sunken eyes.
What is it. papa?'
My dear, it is ten o'clock. l have
waited for my breakfast. The tea is
cold, the toast has lost its crispness,
and the eggs are like the tea-cold.'
o papa!' she said sorrowfully, sit.
ting up in bed; I have oversight my
self. But, you will not begrudge me
the lovely dreams l have had. Papa!
saw a pixy yesterday
Where, child?'
'On the Raven Rock
He shut his eyes, and put his hand
deep sigh, said nothing, turned, and
went out of the room.
Eve was the idol of her fathers
heart. He spoiled her, by allowing
her her own way in everything, by re-
lieving her Of every duty, and heaping
all the responsibilities on the should,
ers of his eldest daughter.
Eve was so full of love and gaiety
that it was impossible to be angry
with her when she made provoking
mistakes; she was so penitent, sc
pretty in her apologies, and so sin,
Mrs. Thaw Goes-Back on Harry
cere in her purpose of amendment.
Eve was warmly attached to her
father She had an affectionate ma,
ture, but none of her feelings were
deep Her ripping conversation: her
buoyant spirits. enlivened the prevail
ing gloom Of Mr. Jordan. His sad,
ness did not depress her. Indeed. she
hardly noticed it. Hers was not a
sympathetic nature. She exacted the
sympathy of others, but gave nothing
more in return than prattle and
Laughter.
She danced down the stairs when
dressed, without any regret for having
kept her father waiting. He would
eat a better breakfast for a little
delay, she said to herself, and salts
fed her conscience.
She came into the breakfast-room
in white muslin dress, covered with
little blue sprigs, and with a blue
riband in her golden hair, The lovely
roses of her complexion, the sparkling
eyes, the dimple in her cheeks, the
air of perfect content with herself
and with all the world, disarmed what
little vexation hung in her fathers
mood
DO you think Bah will be home to-
day?'she asked, seating herself at the
tea-tray without word of apology for
the lateness of her appearance.
I do not know what her movements
are
I hope she will. I want her home
Yes, she must return, to relieve you
of your duties
I am sure the animals want her
home. The pigeons find l am not
regular in throwing them barley, and
I sometimes forget the bread-crumbs
after a meal. The little black heifeI
always runs along the paddock when
Bah goes by, and she is Indifferent to
me. She lows when I appear, as
much as to say, Where is Miss Bar.
bara? Then the cat has not been him
self for some days, and the little
horse is in the dumps. Do you think
brute beasts have souls?'
4 do not know Then after a pause
What was that you said about a pixy?
o papa! it was a dream She
colored. Something rose in her heart
to check her from confiding to him
what in her thoughtless freedom she
was prepared to tell on first awaking
He pressed her no further He
doubtless believed she had spoken the
truth. She had ever been candid
Now, however, she lacked courage to
speak. She remembered. that the boy
had said I come to you with a mes
sage He had disappeared without
giving it. What was that message?
Was he gone without delivering it?
Mr.. Jordan slowly ate his breakfast.
Every now and then he looked at his
daughter, never steadily, for he could
| look fixedly at nothing.
I will tell you all, papa said Eve
suddenly. shaking her head, to shake
| off the temptation to be untrue Her
better nature had prevailed. TT was
+ not a dream. it was a reality. I did
see a pixy on the Raven Dock, the
maddest, merriest, ugliest imp in the
world
/ We are surrounded by an unseen
/ Creation said Mr.. Jordan. The
microscope reveals to US teeming life
/ in a drop OF water. Another genera
/ ton will use an instrument that will
show them the air full of living things
Then the laugh viii be no more heard
on earth. Life will be grave, if not
horrible. This generation is sadder
than the last because less ignorant.
n Da0aF He u-o- MT q r,fv-v- o. Gil