The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1910-12-08
CHAPTER VlI.-Continued.

CHAPTER VII.-Continued.
Freer had returned from his visit
to the ruins and was endeavoring to-
interest the rest of us, Arch and
, Agatha Sixth and Dearest and N.Y.
self in a dissertation upon rose-win-
dows, when Agatha First interrupted
us by running up and exclaiming:
do come and see the waterfall
Peterson says there's beauty over
there in those woods!" She had been
down to the road with something or
other from the spread, where the au-
.tomobile and the chauffeur awaited
our return. -
+ "a WATERFALL" said Archibald
Dear me! How jolly! Let's go and
see it,"
:. "Come on. them" cried Agatha
First, pausing and looking at him
expectantly- He rose obediently, but
before he could more than utter the
words Delighted, I'm surei" Agatha
Sixth had risen also, and was now
confronting him, as she coldly and
haughtily reminded him that. he had
: promised to go and look for wild
flowers with her. It was putting the
: old boy in an awkward position, ad-
NIT, but that's no excuse for his SUBJ
sequent behavior. A tactful speech
would have saved the day, but that
something perverse about him, which
he has in common with most men,
made him want most at that moment
the girl who wanted him least. And
that girl was certainly Agatha First,
for without waiting to see whether he
came or not, she had run of by her
self, all eagerness to see the water
fall.
Without considering the rashness
of such speech. Archibald replied to
Agatha .Sixth's rebuke by remarking
casually: $50 l did promise to go
and look for wild flowers, but didn't
know about the waterfall then;
wouldn't you rather come and see
that first?" We shuddered to hear
him, Dearest and /. It was pretty bad,
yeu know. Yet, as I say thought
! understood just how he came to say
the fatal words-just what spirit
prompted him. But Dearest thinks
not. She says that he's far too cal
culating far too. much on the look
out for his own interests to run the
risk of losing Agatha Sixth deliberate
ly. She thinks he was only embar-
raised. But we both thought that
the most peculiar thing about the
whole affair was the fact that Agatha
First, having left the group immedi-
ately her unfortunate. invitation was
given, must have been quite ignorant
of the trouble 1t had caused. She
seemed, indeed, the whole time to be
absolutely oblivious to the situation
in regard to Agatha Sixth and Ter
hume. And this was the more ex-
traordinary because any one else; any
Impartial observer with his eyes
open, must, 1t seemed, have been
aware of an affair of some kind or
other between the two. But Miss
Endicott, it appeared, walked with
her eyes shut, like person in
dream, her thoughts upon some other
world or scheme of things removed
from ours.
! AS matters stood, however, the re-
suit of the waterfall proposition and
Terhune's Encouragement of the
crisis it brought about, was a fat re-
fusal on the part of Agatha Sixth to
accompany him anywhere, and his
frightened and tardy pursuit of
Agatha First, who was reckoning
him to follow from the edge of the
woods. By, Jove. 1t made me feel
Inclined to go after him and tell him
what 1 thought of him then and there,
Miss Lawrence looked so forlorn and
wretched as she watched them disap-
pear into the woods together.
"The BEAST" 1 began, ''he ought
10 be-" But. Dearest interrupted me,
and 1 realized it was because the
young lady was still standing within
earshot Don't, Wilfred!" she said,
Agatha doesn't mind a bit-do you,
dear?" And she smiled confidently
and encouragingly into the other
woman's face. 1t was the required
tonic evidently, for Miss Agatha Law.
rence-sometimes called Agatha
Sixth-at once controlled her CULVER
Ing lip with a display of self-com-
mand upon which 1 inwardly compli-
mented her. It's trait Of the Amer
lean girl, / think, that fine self-con-
troll, and something that 1 admire
greatly In my wife.
"Of course. not" she replied stead
iy, and turning upon the. bewildered
Freer, who was standing by, with the
sweetest possible smile, asked him
Il he would mind hunting wild flow
ers with her. The invitation,
need not say, was accepted with
servile gratitude by. that undis-
eliminating and impressionabie young
man. Like the little dog under the
table, Freer4was never too. proud to
partake of the crurlSs.'