Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-06-08

i he did have anything. since .ne5
were so touchy he hoped they would
all get it If they locked him in he
would kick the door down.
When the doctor came he said it
was too early to tell positively, and
he ordered him liquid diet and said
he would be back that evening.
Which-the diet-takes me back to
the famine After they had moved
jim, Mr.. HARRISON went back to the
telephone, and found everything as
It should be. So he followed the teIe-
phone wire, and the rest followed
him. l did not: He had systematicaI-
" ignored ne all morning. after hay
ing dared to kiss me the night before.
And any other man ! knew, after look
ing at me the way he had looked a
dozen times, would have been at least
reasonably glad to find me free and
unmarried. But it was clear that he
was not: I wondered if he was the
kind Of man who always makes love
to the other mans wife and runs like
mad when she is left a widow, or gets
a divorce.
And just when I had decided that I
hated him, and that there was one
man I knew who would never make
love to a woman whom he thought
married and then be very dignifed
and aloof when he found she wasn't,
heard what was wrong with the tele-
phone wire.
It had been cut! Cut through with
a pair of silver manicure scissors
from the dressing table in Bella's
room, where Aunt Selma slept! The
wire had been clipped where it came
into the house, just under a window,
and the scissors still lay on the sill.
It was mysterious enough, but no
one was interested in the mystery
just then. We wanted food, and want
ed it at once. Mr.. HARRISON fixed the
wire, and the first thing we did, Of
course, was to order something to eat.
Aunt Selma went to bed just after
luncheon with indigestion, to the re
lief Of every one in the house. She
had been most unpleasant all morn
ing.
When she found herself i'll, how
ever, she insisted on having Bella,
and that made trouble at once. We
found Bella with her cheek against
the door into .Jim's room, looking
maudlin while he shouted love mes
sages to her from the other side. At
first she refused to stir, but after
Anne and Max had tried and failed,
the rest of US went to her in a body
and implOred her. We said Aunt
Selma was in awful shape-which
had thrown mustard plaster at
Anne, which was true.
So Bella went, grumbling, and jim
was a maniac. We had not thought it
would be so bad for Bella, but Aunt
Selma fell asleep soon after she took
charge, holding BeIa's hand, and
slept for three hours and never let
go!
About two that afternoon the sun
came out, and the rest of us went up to
the roof.
I stayed on the roof after the 9th
ers had gone, and for some time I
thought l was alone. After a while,
got a Whit of smoke, and then
saw Mr.. HARRISON far over in the cor
ner, one foot on the parapet, moodily
smoking a pipe. He was gazing out
over the river, and paying no atten-
ton to me. This was natural, con-
sidering that I had hardly spoken to
him all day.
1 would not let him drive me away,
so I sat still, and it grew darker and
colder. He filed his pipe now and
then, but he never looked in my di-
rection. Finally, however, as it grew
very dusk, he knocked the ashes out
and came toward me.
81 am going to make a request, Miss
McNair," he said evenly. please keep
off the roof after sunset There
are-reasons." l had risen and was
preparing to go downstairs.
Unless I know the reasons, I re-
fuse to do anything of the kind" re-
torted He bowed
Then the door will be kept lock
3D." he rejoined, and opened it for
me- He did not follow me, but stood
watching until I was down, and l
heard him close the roof door firmly
behind me.
CTO BE CONTINUED