Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-07-10

world, brought upon us through no fault
of our own?s
Shirley was crying now; the hot tears
were falling thick and fast. glistening on
the soft net kerchief, making dark spots
here and there ON her own pretty gray
gown, and Miss Faith did not try TO
check them. She knew too well their
softening influence and the wisdom OF
sometimes opening wide the floodgates
that bitterness and resentment may
flow out with the tide, leaving the
hearts stream purer, kindlier, brighter
afterwards.
So it was with Shirley. After that
night the cold, unnatural sternness
seemed to leave her, gentler gravity
took its place, and save for an occa-
sional outburst she became once more
| the sweet -natured, generous minded
woman they had known in the past. Ii
was true that Nan, reluctant 70 stir up
! fires that for aught she knew might
still be smouldering, seldom or never
spoke of the Lynthwaites in her pres
| ence, but came and went, week after
week, keeping the uneventful history of
her days at Lyncroft to herself, or only
| ley was not near TO hear it.
| And then, alas, came time when
even that tender conddante was denied
her At the beginning of the winter
/ Miss Faiths health, never very robust,
began to fail more seriously. For six
weeks the two girls nursed and tended
her untiringly. If medical skill and ten
der care could have saved her then sure
| ly had Miss Cadogans life been spared
| for many a day to come. But it was
not to be- Early in the New Year, when
the first snowdrops were raising their
| heads in the ehurehyard, gentle loving
Aunt Faith was laid to rest close nm
| der the shadow of simple stone cross
--all that had been left to her in the
later days of her life of the romance
that had once come into it and for the
space of one brief half-year cast a
glamour over it and filled her with some
of womanhood's brightest hopes and
dreams
When the quiet funeral was over and
the girls at Ingleside settled down into
the ordinary routine again Nan began to
grow anxious about Shirley The days
and nights of watching had left their
mark on her: the loss of her aunt seemed
last crushing weight added to the
burden of care and sadness that had
fallen on her young shoulders since that
summer evening when they went to look
over the Lilacs-which was let to other
tenants now
To anxious Nan she grew paler and
thinner, more wistful eyed and shad-
owy with each day that passed, and
went about the light household duties
that had always fallen to her share with
a listlessness and indifference that little
by little seemed to settle upon and be-
come habitual to her.
Lance once compared you in my
hearing to a wild rose, with a soft pink
flush on its petals and all the dewy
freshness of June morning stiil cling
ing to it." Nan told her one day, half
sadly, half iestingIy. Now if he could
see you l think he would say you were
more like frail white lily slender and
colorless, looking as if breath would
blow you away"
"The wind scatters the rose petals
more easily than those of the lily." re-.
sponded the elder girl, with a faint smile.
"A single rough breath will do it. Lilies
don't fall to pieces in that fashion,"
But lilies droop and die" thought
Nan. "0r the stem may snap. and
where is the poor flower then? All the
same" she said aloud, studying Shirley
Eanxiously, Il should like those thin
white cheeks to get the rose tint into
them again. What shall we do to bring
it about Shall we go away somewhere
together? | dare say Mrs Lvnthwaite
would spare me for a week or Two. Or
is it that you're too much alone, / won
der, in these days? Would you like
me'-with slow refection-"to give up
Lyncroft altogether and spend my days
at home2 :"
mo, dear, / don't want you to do
that. Indeed lately Tve had thoughts
of following in your steps and trying to
get pupils somewhere in or near Ham
bledon-or employment of some sort"
Il don't believe you are fit to take
up anything just now, even if it were
offered you," said Nan doubtfully. "And
after all there's no actual need"
mo; thanks to Aunt Faiths care and
wise provision there is no actual need.
But I've been thinking, Nan, that if /
were able to save little money It
might make things easier for Lance
for all of us-when he comes home. You
know how things win be with hirn-no
employment-eyery hand raised against
him-and it isn't even as though he had
all his savings of the last six wears to
fall back upon. You know what became
of those %
ITO Be Continued.)