Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1912-08-14


morsefuI for her amazed expression,
explained frankly: Got it from your
father this morning, don't you know,
during our long talk about you in the
library"
"Wh-"
Then she swallowed and her face
fell perfectly blank. By Jove, l could
have kicked myself for jolly ass for
breaking it to her so raw! OF course,
she would know that If her father
talked of her, it would be nothing for
me to hear that was true or kind
nothing she could wish might be said
to the man she loved
l fastened to reassure her:
But l don't believe a dashed word
OF anything he said about you"-I
spoke hotly-"and 1 don't care jolly
hang for what the others said, either
so there you are!"
"Oh, you dont?" Could tell how l
had touched her by her expression,
| don't you know and she fell to look
ing at me the queerest way. And
would you mind telling me who the
Others are?"
| eyed her gloomtly, sympathetical-
| ly. AS if she didn't know already!
'Well-oh, dash 1t, my mind has
| been filled with-er-just anything!"
| l began cautiously.
Il know, she murmured it as If
to herself-"one can see that" And
she bit her lip.
In the first place, you know"-and
there I pulled up. No, dash it, 1
wasn't going to say jolly word about
| poor Jack-no, sir! But then, about
the other one-weL, she was just
treacherous snake in the what's-1ts-
name, and she ought to be exposed.
| BY Jove, she should be!
IT'S the trump, you know" I said
! Indignantly
"The-the What?"
Her pretty teeth flashed like the
! keyboards of a tiny organ-you could
even hear little gurgly, musical
| culver somewhere behind. And then
! l remembered that, of course, she
wouldn't know whom l meant.
"Oh, your guest, you know-your
friend from school," | went on, try
! ing to tread cautiously and yet feel
| ing myself growing red. "Oh, see
| here now, l don't like to say things,
! but-er-"
"Oh, go on!" she trilled. her sweet
face shining wistfuI
We'll, | mean this-er-Miss Kirk
| land; came out with us this morning,
| hJ, l. - = h.
! frump-littIe Observation-Disclosures Of
mine, you know, she's so awful" And
1 screwed my glass with a chuckle.
For an instant l thought she
wouldn't catch it, she stared at me so
| blankly. Then the joke of 1.-THE
| jolly aptness, so to speak-got her
full and square, and she just lifted
scream, hugging her knee and rock
ing back and forth, her face suffused,
her laughter pealing like chime of
bells.
And l just rocked, too, keeping her
company. Really, | don't think | ever
| laughed so much since some chap
! plunked down on tie hard crown OF
my new tile last winter. At least
!
| know, and it's so awful how you feel
! there when something-oh, you know!
And if you could have seen that poor
fellows face!
By Jove, how glad | was for her
jolly sense of humor that could see
the point of things so quickly, and
! think them clever. Always had so
| doebod Ii++Io Dotiopoo 11yJtb S+,pjd pao
pie, don't you know. And just here
another little thing came to me and 1
let her have it:
"Oh, say!"-I leaned nearer,
| chuckling-"your father pretends to
think her a most beautiful and win
ming girl-fancy!" And my face
stretched itself in such a jolly grin
that I could hardly hold my glass.
She bent toward me- smiling ador
ably You mean this-er-'M Miss
| kirkland 2
| nodded chortlingly.
She peered at me through her long
what-you-call- 'ems-oh, such way!
But you don't think so. do your"
How sweetly, how fetchingly she said
/ 1t.
'Me?" l gasped. BY Jove, in my
| horror, lost my grip upon my jolly
| grammar ''Oh, l say now! | think
the frump-this Miss Kirkland, you
knows a fright-regular freak, dash
| Z! | told the judge so!"
"You-you-"
"Of counsel" And shrugged dis
gustedly, making the ugltest gTimace
l possibly could. Way. dash it, If
were a woman and had face like
hers, l never would have left China,
| or England-or wherever her jolly
home was-no, siri"
She caught her breath with a little
gasp-then she was off again! This
time she rested her arms upon the
| rail behind and buried her head in
them, her lovely shoulders juggling up
and down. her sobbing laughter send
| ing her off at last into spell of cough
/ ing.
OH" she breathed, lifting at last
! her gloriously blushing face and dab