Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1913-01-02

buttoned coat-he generally affected
the shabbiest clothes that would hang
together-his three-cornered hat well
cooked and brushed, and his cheeks
shining like winter apples, his ap-
pearance was decidedly progresses
ing.
Dinner was usually a monotonOus
meal, both as regarded food and con-
yersation. Mrs. Ivert's catering was
founded on the medieval recipe OF
Take pigs Cor Sheep and hew them
into gobbets," fresh or salt, as the
case might be. Her father-in-law en-
ployed the intervals between the
courses in whistling softly, marking
time with his fingers on the table, or
reading the Kentish Gazette to him
self with muttered commentary,
not always in the most edifying Ian
guage. BY way of grace, and as a
signal of dismissal, he raised his
large two-handled beaker full Of
home-brewed ale, and, standing UP,
gave for a toast, "The King, the
Country, and down with the Wings,
after which ceremony the servants
shuf1ed off, and he retired to his
study.
To-day was an exception, however,
to the rule. He was in high spirits
and very talkative, and when he did
talk he talked well-full of the gent
us of Mr.. Pitt, and the preparations
and precautions he was making
against Bonaparte's threatened inva-
sion of England from Boulogne. 1t
was topic interesting to all his
hearers in different degrees. Even
the yokels grinned and said cay, ay,"
at the sentiment that one 'lOngshOre
man, let alone a hoyeller, could beat
three F'renchys any day; and Phylli-
da's cheeks glowed and her eyes glis-
tened at the praise of the hero on
whom she, and many another in
those days, believed the safety of
England, even of Europe, to depend.
There was an engineering fellow
came in this morning whilst I was
there" her grandfather went on,
pulling a long face over these new
rooms they are building on to the
Castle, afraid they would interfere
with the defences and the position
of the guns and so forth. We'll, sir,
says Mr.. Pitt, as cool as you please,
and how long would it take you to
pull down the buildings and restore
the Notifications in case of need? So,
after thinking a while, the officer said
he would not undertake to do the job
in less than forty-eight hours. All
right, then says Billy, with nod to
me, we will give you a weeks notice
at any time of what the French are
up to before they start And, by
George, so he would! Here, missy
he always called Phyllida missy,
custom followed by the rest of the
ousehold-"come here and drink Mr.
Pitts health with me-"
Phyllida went, willingly enough, to
touch the foaming tankard with her
lips, and seized the opportunity to
make the request that was trembling
on her tongue. Might she go and SEQ
the squire's triumpha1 entry?
Of course she might; he saw no
harm in it, provided it did not put
such nonsense as getting married into
her head, for one fool makes many.
Phyllida had an uneasy feeling that
her mothers vexed expression was
as much displeasure at her getting
her way by this appeal from herself
as at the jest, of kind she always
discouraged. But there was no time
for scruples, and Mrs. Ivert never
openly disputed her father-in-law'
will; so the girl ran off to the Ma
keys cottage, tying on, by the way,
her broad hat lined with blue, and in
sisted on carrying her favorite jim
my pig-a-back to North Court, in
spite of his mothers entreaties that
Missy would not cumber herself
with such a random child
Urged on by Phyllida, who was al
ways in hurry, they reached their
goal much too soon, and had weary
waiting time, pacing up and down
the avenue to keep themselves warm
in the sharp wind, Mrs. Makey gos-
siping with her compeers, Phyllida
telling the children stories and max
ing them run races. The stable clock
had struck three, when, after many
false alarms raised by the struggling
groups of walters, a travelling car
riage came in sight, swaying from
side to side, as it's human team pulled
with or against each other.
Phyllida did not wonder that the
lady inside looked nervous and start
led. She was not at all her idea of
bride, in her dark grey riding-suit,
laced with silver, with pale set face
and shy Grown eyes, which rested
wistfully on the girls bright smile, as
she lifted little Jimmy on her sIloul-
der to throw his bunch of primroses
into the carriage as it passed by
them, needless that her hat was
knocked off by his struggles.
The squire, too, looked older than
she had fancied him, and they both
seemed to shrink from the cheering,
and hurried singly up the long fight
of steps to the hall door. There he