Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-04-30

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Mona loved him, and he would love Mona
when this madness had passed.
Nanny, are you in bed?" Mona her
self came stealing in, wrapped in her
blue dressing gown, all the soft waves of
her golden brown hair hanging round her
shoulders, pale, large-eyed, and east her
sell at her mothers knees on the rug.
| Mother, | want to tell you something
I've been wanting to tell you a long
time, but l was afraid"
! Afraid" She sat up, her startled
eyes devouring her daughters face
Since when have you been afraid of me,
MonaH"
"only lately" the girl confessed naive
ly. "Only since had secret from you,
mother'-she threw her arms around
her neck. But 1 will tell you a story
| first-may I?''
"Surely!" her mother said, more puz-
zled than ever
Mona's clasp of her neck relaxed, and
she sank down on the rug before her
Mother, l love Alastair Ogilvie, and
he loves me-"
Had the earth opened before her Mrs.
| Gerard could not have been more utter
| ly taken aback. OF all the condolences
that Mona could make to her, this was
the very last she expected to hear.
"Alastair Ogilvie! But you've only
met once-or at most twice! How could
you possibly be in love with each other?"
1--WE have met a great many more
times than that" Mona said seriously.
Every day almost since we came to
Ardcaein''
Mrs. Gerard stared at her
"Pll tell you how it happened" Mona
leant forward, encouraged by her silence,
and rested her elbows on her knees. Zone
day, soon after we came here, l was up
on the moors with Laddie, and he hap
pened to get bush of furze in his tail.
l tried to take it out, and / suppose l
hurt him, for he turned and bit me-"
"Bit you'll" Her mothers tone was full
of horror
He didn't mean it, poor fellow, but it
was rather bad bite. | was frightened
but | Immediately thought of the best
thing to do, and ran to little cottage
a kind of gamekeeper's hut, that I saw
in the distance When | got there
breathless, l found the door open, but
nobody inside, so | got the poker-there
was a fire on the hearth, and a poker
foTtunately--and made it rad-hot, and
cauterized the wound myself. Oh, yes,
it hurt terribly; but / knew how fright
ened you had always been of a dogs
bite since some story you had heard or
read, and l was determined to lose no
time!"
"Show it to mel" her mother said per
emptorily, every other feeling swallowed
up in anxiety.
Mona barred her round white arm, dis
playing a rather ugly scar between the
elbow and the wrist.
''It is nearly quite we'll now,'' she said,
"but it was bad enough for while. /
was frightened, but | didn't want you
to be frightened, and Alastair dressed it
almost every day"
"Alastairl"
"He is living up there in that little
hut" Mona's smile was tenderly remin-
iscent. HE came in Just as l had per-
formed the operation, and he thought me
very brave, but l did not feel at all
brave; indeed believe l nearly COLLAPSED
afterwards. But he knows lot about
surgery, and he dressed and bandaged it
quite cleverly. Oh, he is very clever,
mother-there is hardly anything he
can't do from furnishing a house out of
nothing to baking a scone!"
"Or bewitching a silly little grill" her
mother said but her face belied the lev
ity of her words. In truth, she was pro-
foundly disturbed by her daughters art
less revelation.
THAT was not for long time Mona
said, with a shake of her curly head.
That was not till the night of my dance.
Though" she added, anxious to be truth
full, 81 knew, and he knew, long before
that"
Does anybody know of this besides
Mr.. Ogilvie?"
Jean knows-and Charlie Finch, and
.. Jack-and oh, LeXie, of course! Jean
used to come with me to have the wound
dressed. Alastair is a Scottish gentle
man, she added.
81 am sure of that" said her mother,
''but to marry him, Mona"
Il will marry him!" Mona's tone was
quite determined.
But he is so poor, dearest"
81 don't care about that"
"But I care, Mona!"
"You should see that keepers hut he
: has lined the walls with canvas and hung
, all his guns and rods up, and there is an
open hearth. He used to give US tea
there, Jean and me"
; 81 shall have something to say to Mr..
Alastair Ogilvie," her mother remarked
severely.
"Old Mack's wife-you know old Mack
E in the yard there goes up to bake
, bread and wash up for him, and their
, little lad runs messages, but it must be
awfully desoate on stormy nights up
there alone on the moors. But Alastair
is not afraid. He is afraid of nobody
but you, nanny, but I tell him he
needn't be-that you're the dearest and
sweetest person in the world. And Pm
glad now that I've told You. / couldn't
bear to have a secret from you. Ala
: stair will come tomorrow"
Tomorrow" Mrs Gerard gasped.
lord Trefoil is coming tomorrow,
Mona"
, Lord Trefoilg" Mona said, as she
! laughed. What has Lord Trefoil to do
! with Alastair or me?'
'To do with you2'
ooh. you stupidest of mammies not to
: know chat no cares for nobody but YOU (!