Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-08-20

Gervase's Intention in walking with
lanthe to automatically extract the
truth concerning her father from her
II she would tell it.
You were really born under a very
iucky star, Miss Mcqueen" ne began.
All the good fairies seem to have smiled
on your birth"
l haven't much to complain of-now!"
said lanthe. "Once upon time
/ thought myself extremely miserable, but
nave grown wiser since, and thankfully
take the goods with which the gods pro
They are at least lavish" answered
Gervase. There seems to me to be
nothing lacking"
/ lanthe looked at him with a curious
expression. She had long ago discovered
the defect Of his nature
Well, that depends" she said little
eoldly. Some people are inclined to
rate family ties rather highly amongst
the gifts of the gods. 1t all depends on
what view you take of the value of AZ
lection. In my life there has been prac-
tically none"
Take my word for it, you haven't
missed much" replied Gervase. Between
you and me family ties don't count for
very much. Why. 1 scarcely know a
single family where the members are not
at variance. As for parents, well,
shouldn't say anything against them,
for l have the very decentest pair pos.
slble, but on the whole l am not inclined
! TO rate the possession of parents very
highly. They interfere frightfully with
/ your liberty"
"Iesf questioned Ianthe Indifferent
/ ly, though there was a CLEAN of fire in
her eyes. "Of course l am hardly in a
| position to say, for have practically not
Known what it is to have either a father
OF mother"
They both died when you were a
/ baby, did they not?' asked Geryase in
ZIG softest voice.
A little smile rose on Ianthe's lips.
is it really possible that you have
lived through whole season and have
heard none Of the reports regarding my
father Z" she asked in tone of affected
/ surprise. "A good many have reached
my own ears by hook or by crook |
have herd that he was an inmate Of an
asylum, that he was ticket of leave. ,
that 1t was a good thing / came OF age
before he had served his time. In fact.
l don't think there was a single discred-
liable thing that somebody did not in
vent. | confess / never heard anything
so charitable as the supposition that he
was dead. Nor. | venture to think, did
you, Mr.. Oliver"
The young man flushed deeply. Ianthe
had fixed her blue eyes upon him with
relentless candor Her whole face ex-
pressed a spirited haughtiness; she
seemed to defy him to deny her state
ment.
Il confess l have heard few wild
rumors." he answered. at once recover.
ing his composure. "Thev were so very
wild however, that it seemed most nat
ural to conclude that they were all fig
ments of the imagination, and that your
father had simply paid the debt of ma
ture like anybody else"
ut was kind of you to think So" said
Ianthe, in tone that might have been
/ either sarcastic or grateful, although to
! Gervase's guilty mind it seemed the
! former. "At the same time your sup
| position was incorrect So. | NAV re-
mark, were all the reports that you NAV
or may not have heard. There is abso-
| lutely no mystery about my father NY
mother married slightly beneath her. that
is all. My grandfather preferred to bring
me up in her social position rather than
in his, which was very natural, seeing
that l was his heiress. Ny father has
married again, and has a second family,
which makes his position q little COM
! plicated. He lives in Glasgow, where he
carries on not very successful business
as u photographer And now I think
that is all that you really wanted to
know, is it not?"
your supposition is most unwarrant-
able!" he answered stiffiy.
I'm that case l beg your pardon" an
swered Ianthe, swift as light "Well,
don't let us quarrel / admit l am a
little sensitive on the subject of my
| father In the circumstances it is only
natural perhaps. Shake hands to show
that there is no ill-feeling. | think we
understand one another very well"
Her eyes met his with undisguised
! friendship, although there was a little
mocking demon somewhere in their
depths. Gervase understood very well
! what she meant. She had seen through
/ his sentiments as if they had been held
mp to the light before her, had appraised
! his love and his hesitation at their true
value, and had condemned his suit be.
| forehand Now that she had placed her
| self out of reach she was the one thing
| on earth he seemed to desire
"Ianthe, don't be so cruel!" he cried
"You know that l love you. Ianthe, be
my wife!"
/ Ianthe withdrew from the outstretched
arms
"You don't really" she answered You
don't quite love me. l am not the sort
of girl you should maryland you are
not the sort of man for me want
! husband who is willing to take me as
am. and to swallow me, father step
mother, and vulgar little stepbrothers
too. rs if l were the sweetest morsel I'M
/ der heaven"
She looked at him with a brilliant
smile.
you couldn't do that. Gervase. You
! know YOU couldn't. You would always
/ be wanting to wave a wand and trans
form the photographer into duke-and
the little stepbrothers into ducklings!
| You could eat them up so nicely" she
! evDlaiued "apd they would be so easily