Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-08-26


benches, leaned back and looked
dreamily up at the lazy clouds that
drifted through the sky like gypsy an
gels through blue world-clouds that
we're neither white nor pink but an
elusive primrose echo of both. She
had just gotten to the second stanza
Of beautiful poem she was com
posing about it all when she noticed
that Marie Schaefer was standing with
her hand raised in quite the proper
school-child manner.
Il can't find Anna anywhere" said
erywhere for her and | can't find her.
She's gone"
Miss Lucy jumped to her feet with
premonition of disaster
'GOnei" she echoed wildly.
Then began search which, as the
sun passed behind the trees, became
frantic and vain wandering up and
down endless paths-a search in
which was enlisted the fat and SYM
pathetic policeman. Anna was indeed
gone.
At last when an hour had passed
and Miss Lucy had just sunk upon a
bench and was beginning nice COM
Portable attack of Mysteries, she saw
the fat policeman coming down one Of
the paths. In his arms he had a drip
ping, squirming bundle from which
came thick sobs and a long string that
fon veil
ooh, Anna" cried Miss Lucy tear
fully, ooh, Anna, where have you
been"
I'D was the chicgen," walled the I'M
happy backslider,- the Wilde chic
gen in the wader. He was SO fad und
CLEAN und shiny und l liged him und
| wanded him und | wand him now"
Then-all her new morality buried in
the ruins of the chiffon veil-the
wretched Anna kicked her fat rescuer
viciously on the shins. 81 wand him
now!" she screamed.
"She fell in the pond" the po-
liceman explained. Then, as he saw
the puddle of muddy water that had
dripped from Annals clothes, you had
better take her home, Miss" he said
kindly, "she amt used to it and she'll
take cold, I'll carry her down to the
gate"
The return to the gate was a rush
At the transfer corner Miss Lucy met
the Principal, wild eyed and on his
way to the Park. He was in state
of wordy Representatives,
IT can't help it, Miss Lucy snapped
femininely, "it was all your fault, any
how Why did you get me that old
invitation! | didn't want It,"
Then they waited in mutual sulki-
ness until the car came. 1t was crowd
ed with the siX-o'clock rush and Miss
Lucy, her hair coming down, her hat
over her ear, and her dress wet from
Annals clothes, was angrily conscious
of many looks of amusement.
Anna, her nose dug into Miss Lucy's
arm, had gone snifingly to sleep and
Miss Lucy, as she grudgingly sup
ported her, felt a sudden new bitter
ness in her heart against this ugly
little stumbling block to all her plans.
At last the school was reached and
the other members of Glass A having
been delivered co anxious relations,
Miss Lucy hurr ed down to the tene-
ment section with Anna. In a nerv-
Gus tremor at Mrs. Kareninas antici-.
pated wrath she stumbled up the
greasy flights that led to Annals home.
Half way up, a door was opened and
a drunken, blasphemous voice inquired
Hospitality as to who it was that
wanted to get his block knocked off.
In reply to this inquiry Anna swore
back cheerfully over the banisters, but
Miss Lucy turned pale and sped fear
fully up the steps-only to find that
Annals mother was out. She was prob
ably down the river or to a ball
So Miss Lucy gingerly undressed
Anna, hung her clothes over an i'm
provised line, rubbed her dry with the
dish towel, and as her wardrobe was
limited to one set, wrapped her IN the
sheet and left her already asleep on
the unspeakable mattress where the
six other Kareninas usually reposed.
A little later she opened the door
and for moment she looked remorse-
fully at the sleeping Anna. Then she
felt a sudden smart in her eyes.
Poor thing" she said angrily, poor
ugly little thing! She might never
have come home at all, and her dread
full mother would not have cared. She
would have been glad
Then she shut the door carefully
and started to grope her way down the
stairs
Half way down she made wrong
turn and fell down several steps. She
made quite a noise over it and the
owner of the blasphemoue voice
opened his door and threw a chair
leg at her. It was then that Miss
Lucy decided that the wonders of the
world beautiful were not worth while.
In a panic she flew up the narrow
street where dirty little children,
CHASTITY in the electric light, played
and fought and cursed. With her
ewes still open for chair-legs she at
last reached the street of her own
protecting home and people. AS she
ran thankfully up the steps, Don't
say blessed privilege of the teacher
o me" said Miss Lucy YEARLY.