Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1910-01-07
LITTLE ANNE OLIVER.
BY LUCY A. LEEDS.

oiiver children had from babyhood chris |
tened this cheap but tasty dainty.
1here, nowl I'll warm your milk, |
dearest, and give you the weeniest lit
tie dash of tea in it-you know DR.. !
Banks said you must not have more
ana then we1l begin. l won't make
Fhlfs toast till he comes i'm continued
Anne, drawing the tea table close to
GefTy's sofa and commencing content
edly to munich bit of half scorehed and
BUTTERFLIES bread that she had prepared
Tor herself while the tea was drawing.
Il wonder if he will get that engage
menc ne was going to try for. l mean
the engagement which he heard of to
play at the penny reading in the parish
schooiroom next week2 I do hope so,
as ne has set his mind on it, poor dar-
ling"
So do l. Cause if he does, and Mr..
Graves, the curate, pays him five shil-
hngs like he said, Phil's going to buv
US Christmas boxes, you and me-" re-
pied Gerry confidently. 'Phil promised
me that, Nan, when my leg ached so
and wouldn't go away last week. He
told me about the FIVE shillings then,
and | was cross, and said l didn't care
whether he got it or not if it was to be
spent on horrid, everyday things like
bread and butter or chops or eggs. I
wanted a Christmas present, and then
he said-only of course it's a secret
that II Mr.. Graves gave him any shil-
ilngs he would buy us both something
pretty, not TO eat or to wear. but lust a
real present for Christmas Won't it be
nice, Nanny dear?"
Yes, dear, very nice" replied little
Anne family The prospect that the ex-
ira FIVE shillings was not to be spent on
anything to help their poor housekeeping
was not quite so inspiriting to her as to
her sister, but she would have died
rather than say So There was little
pause during which Gerry was indus
triously struggling to fish up long
tea-leaf floating in her mug of weak
| tea
"See, Nan! There's strangert 1
want to catch him! At least l don't
/ know whether it's him OF her bit
I it, and see-yes' having subjected the
! leaf to this ordeal with her sharp little
teeth-Sit must be a man, for it's so
hard. Now, when is he coningg'
She stuck the supposed visitor on the
back of her thin little hand.
"Today's Thursday. isn't tit" she said.
@Ok, Nan, he's coming Thursday" as
the tea leaf vanished suddenly from
sight Don't you wonder who he is !!
Suppose, only suppose, it was Sir
/ Roger!"
II shouldn't suppose anything of the
kind. You mustn't be so silly, Gerry;
Sir Roger Gresham is nothing to us" re
piled Anne, rather sharply.
Indeed he is, then. Hts my very own
dearest friend, and Tn going to marry
him when Pm grown-up lady. told
him l would" replied the youngest Miss
Oliver in a defiant tone. "and you
needn't get so red nor speak on snappy
about him either, Man." continued the
child 81 think and so does Phil only
he won't tell you, that you were very
unkind to run away from Sir Roger
that day at White Barns just because
that horrid LADY Chileote was rude and
unkind to you Phil said it was just
like slapping the dog because the cat
had been naughty, and"
"Oh, don't-don't, Gerry darling, I've
heard it all so often, and / can't bear to
think about it; but | acted as | thought
for toe best!" exclaimed poor Anne
YEARLY. She was overworked and I'M
derfed-the burden of life her own, and
that of the two frail creatures depend
,ent on her solitary exertion seemed all
at once too great to be endured much
longer.
She laid her tired head on her arms,
folded OH the table. and sobbed as
i.+bo,,oh I,or hon RI yynuld 'brpaL
Gerry, repentant at the sight of the
grief her thoughtless. remark had evoked,
stretched out her sticky claws of fingers
and tried to stroke her sisters hair,
"Don't cry, Nan; I'm sorry" she said
softly. "I didn't mean TO say you were
unkind to poor Sir Roger; and do you
know'-here Gerry's voice grew low
and mysterious -"when I'm lying in
bed and can't sleep, and the nights seem
so long, I tell myself stories about you
and him. do really-only call you
prince and q princess, you know, just to
make it like fairy tale. You're the
princess only very poor, with Just a
little teeny kingdom not bigger than
this room. and YOU have to darn your
own stockings, Nan and only have a
nuddfnp on SUNDAYS like us. and Sir
Roger is the prince with great big
Kingdom close by fun Of gardens and
horses and bowling gSeens, and-and
things-and in my story the rich prince
loves the poor princess, and wants to
give her some Of his kingdom and all his
treasures. but she is cross and runs
away. so he loses her. At last the day
comes whea he knocks at the door
/ Here a real thump, executed by real
knuckles, interrupted this interesting
account of the rejected princes court
shin. and the smutty face OF the little
maid of all work attached to the chem
lists household peered into the room.
please miss, q pusson ave called
about the typewrittin'. Could you see
'em, e says, eos e can't wait l,oho'v."
Gerry almost jerked herself OH ner
sofa with excitement.
4It's the stranger! It's the stranger,
Mani I told you sol" she exclaimed:
..WhAt is he like? Don't stand staring!
Oh. do tell quick, Mary Ann"
':Hush--hushl" Anne moved to~
the door. 'Where is the person? Did
j