Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-10-16
CHAPTER XII

CHAPTER XII,
Thank you, Mabel dear, for what Won
have said to Anna" said Alison, grateful
~, as they left the grounds of Maplewood
On, of course, l gave Eva a piece of
my mind. She is always so reasonable
and sWeet-tempered that never have any
difficulty. Anna may come to The Holms
as often as she likes" Then, with a
perceptible effort to seem at her case, she
| continued hurriedly Eva is going to
bring her cousin to afternoon tea to-mor-
row L hope it will be fine, and then we
can set the table under the lime trees !;
our drawing room is such an ugly ROOM"
DO you mean Captain Harper is COM
ing?" returned Alison. ooh, Mabel how
| could you ask him? l am sure papa will
not be pleased. l do not like him at all :;
| his manners are so artificial and dis
agreeable"
ut is pity you did not stop at River
ston," she returned, in an injured voice.
for none of our Chesterton folk, with
the exception of that stupid Anna, seem
| good enough for you. 1 think Captain
Harper charming, and l am sure papa
will be pleased with him unless you set
him against the poor fellow" And here
Missile looked decidedly cross.
'You may be sure that shall say moth
| ing to papa" replied Alison, with so much
| dignity that Missile was silenced. But
| she was terribly annoyed all the same, and
took Roger into her confidence exacting
| from him promise that he would be pres
| ent at all risks.
Perhaps | am wrong" she remarked
| candidly Il am always so ready with my
likes and dislikes. But I can not bear
| Captain Harper, and it is odious to me
| to pour out his tea for him."
Alison's anxiety was soon set at rest.
| The party from Maplewood, including
Anna, had not long been gathered under
| the lime trees before Mr.. Merle made his
| appearance, greatly to her delight and
| Missiles discontinue. Alison never found
| out if Roger had betrayed her trust and
| given his father warning Of the expected
| guest But there was no mistaking the
! GOODNESS of his manner to Captain Har-
| per. That unlucky individual was clearly
not at his ease, and certainly no induce
ment was held out to him to repeat his
visit.
| AS soon as the unwelcome visitor had
departed Mr.. Merle expressed himself as
| much disrleased to find Captain Harper
there; indeed his severity quite over
| whelmed Missile, and she retired in foods
| of tears.
| Papa is never angry with me- she
sobbed; this must be your fault, Alison.
| You have come home to stir up strife and
| turn papa against me-
Don't be absurd, Mabel" returned Ali
son, little Grossly; you have brought it
all on yourself. Papa seems angry with
me, too, and yet you know l am not at
all in fault. If you do wrong you must
bear to be scolded Papa says he is
quite shocked at our forwardness. You
see. he blames me, too. He says no one
| but himself or Roger ought to invite gen
| tlemen to the house, and Miss Leigh says
the same He told me after you left the
room that he would take care that Cap
| tain Harper should not repeat his visit,
as he was not the sort of man whose &C
nuaintance he could approve for his
| daughters"
Missile dissolved into fresh tears on
hearing this. Il am sure it is not papa 8
real opinion" she persisted in saying.
Roger had put him up to it to spite her
and Eva. What would Eva say if she
were forbidden to bring her cousin to
| The Holms? She wished Alison would
90 back to Aunt Diana, and not stop
here to make her so wretched. She did
not see the use of having a sister who
| hated and thwarted her.
ooh. YOU silly childv' exclaimed Ali
| son. kissing the wet, ill-tempered little
A.III Ill nv hQ q
storm in a teacup l don't hate you a
bit. am very fond of you, though you
| will quarrel with me about every tritie
| but it takes two to quarrel properly, and
| 7 do not mean to take up the cudgels to
| nIease YOU I" And here she gave her
| a playful shake, that so astonished Mis-
sic that she speedily grew more amiable,
for her temper had never been so set
| aside before.
Roger had been looking very worried
and careworn for some days, and Alison
was afraid, from her fathers grave face
and silence with his son, that things had
cone wrong again at the mill, and that,
| % usual. the blame had been laid on
Roger. She was waiting for an opportu-
NV to speak to him, for his engagements
| had taken him out several nights, when
one evening she met him as she was re-
turning from the town.
He was walking along rather moodliy.
with his eyes fixed on the ground, and
did not see Alison until she called him
bv mare: and then he looked up and his
face frightened in a moment.
"Where have you been, Allie?' ne ask
cd smiling at her: and Rogers smile was
very pleasant. 1.-THE house felt dull with
on. YOU. so 1 came out for solitary
prowl.'