Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1912-05-10
J. i / / ] and i
I. the ( AT
BY. !: IA. Howard Gunter.

~ LiteEary SFreSSD
Ambrose rernarked Z M rs 4 Grams.
wood. Jack Wilton lis q / very clever
boy. He has written some poetry to
GeneVieye. N
Unfortunately. Mr.. GrantWood was
preJudiced against poetry, statuary
and the theater, for he knew that
these things had nothing to do with
the hardware business, and he felt
that they were apt to be improper.
So he banged his fist down on the
table and cried Poetry! Then the
boys an idiot!
He's very much In love with Gene
We've" replied his wife irrelevantly.
well, why can't he court her with
common sense and plain prose? Did
/ write poetry to you. LILY Mande-
ville?' u i 4 s.3
Now. Dad" declared Thomas
Vaudeville Grantwood, who was q
stanch admirer OF Jack Wilton, be
reasonable. You couldn't, you know,
for Lily doesn't rhyme with anything
but silly and chilly and Vaudeville
with Ill and pill The combination
Of words was against you. :,
Anyway. the verses were very
pretty" persisted Mrs. Grantwood,
whose idea Of poetry was bounded on
one side by the Psalm of Life'' and
On the other by "Curfew Shall Not
Ring Tonight" They began, oh,
0enevieve. for you to srieve.' And he
brought cat, too. when he brought
the poem. Geneyieve told him that
the rats were taking the place" I,
$S-s MY. Brentwood was molnhed OF
once. Good, l always knew that boy
had some sense. Il could scarcely
sleep last night for the rats. They
marched around the room IKE sol
Glerp." H.. :. ~. '15' ss,5
AS donor OF the cat, Jack Wilton re,
eaived warm welcome that night
from Genevieve's father, yet the
young mans usually cheerful counte1
nance was clouded. He had deter
mined to try his fate that evening, to
tell 9enevieve that he loved her, that
lie was nothing without her, and q
number of other beautiful remarks
that he had carefully prepared for
the occasion. He had pracdced his
speech in his room, had told his Aunt
eallie that it should be now or never;
and had left home with Astounding
eelf-confadence. But before he reached
the Grantwood home he experienced
q familiar and sad sensation, hia
courage began to dwindle at the front
door 1t had sunk below the waist
line, and when he was ushered into
the parlor it had ebbed entirely away.
Jack Wilton was not afraid Of the
choleric Mr.. Grantwood or the neu,
Rasthenic MIRA. 0Fantwood; 1t was the
e&ri herself who held him silent,
Whether 1t was the smoothness5 Of
hH blonde hair, the Wilderness Of her
sttnty Numbered dresses, the passions
leas common sense shining in her
Dyes; whether 1t was any or ali OF
these things the young man could not
tell, but certain 1t was that he had
/ never been able to make love to
/ GeneYieye, though he had served long
|; and faithfully in her train. Many
| frantic, efforts be had made, but Gene.
We've WAS neither sentimental nor
| dirtatious, and her cheerful friendli.
ness COMPOUNDED his romantic. flights
So now he gazed in dumb misery
from the rug at her feet to the clock,
| while Genevieve sang him all: her lit.
tie songs and told him all the Jokes
In the last installment of;the WON.
ans Preside Friend."'t. tswas already
1920, and at 1880, las Jack Wilton
knew, Mr.. Grantwood would be heard
coughing :, violently In the dining
room, and at that signal all visitors
must depart. The time was near and
yet. he could not speak y
Meanwhile, upstairs, Tommy Grant
wood awoke with start: at q Sigh,
sound in his room. and there on the
table was great gray rat that was
their nightly visitor, Rememberine
moiasses pie that he had loved and
lost, Tommy was preparing to fling "a
4 shoe, at the visitor when 1.-THE form
4 sprang from the darkness to the Ia
4 bic The cat was quick, but the ra,
4 was quicker. and with, startled
| Ky JhA!PSG III tAO QOCT 80C
scurried downstairs. the new cat hard
behind it 4; sf%@.s5 \ y Il
Mrs. Grantwood, lying In bed, and
watching the clock. decided that II
was time for Ambrose ito begin cough
ing lin tbn: dining room 4s"Ambrose.r
she called, but the words died on hel
lips.afor suddenly there was strange
humping and humping on the stairs
and p huge rat, pursued by the new
cat.rushed into the room. They ran
both. the pursued and the pursuer
right over the sleeping form Of old
Ellen, the ne 20 nurse. who lay on q
pallet by Mrs. Grantwood's bed
"Oh. Lord. Z cried the old ..,man
"et can't Judgment day. i aim,
dressed proper to rise in glory.
Mrs: Grantwood rose in bed and
quick OF action, threw the brass can
diestick at the rat as 1T. rushed mast
The eandlestick was heavy and I,
well aimed. might have done Rrea1
damage to the rat. but unfortunateI,
1 II hit old Ellen. 4 al e. ..12.
i MI "Oh IOrdy" she Wafiad hadfv !, !, !,