River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-03-27

~ ~ N Raimund, the best or
her two hundred girls, for
three years; and, sometimes,
she suspected that Florence knew 1t.
Miss Wing sat at her desk. It was a
large desk of oak, always kept in
blameless order No one could recall
seeing more than one letter at time
lying on the biOtter. Amy others, yet
unread, lay In the wicker tray to the
left; Tie letters read but not answered
we're in the wicker tray to the right;
the answered letters were in appropri-
ate pigGonholes or In ashes, Miss Wing
1ential agert. About the desk hung
the most interesting object in the
room. to the schoolgirls; in fact it
could be hard to gauge justly the in
fuence this one, mute and motionless,
had over their young imaginati0ns;
Or how far 1t was responsible for the
rose tinted halo that beyond doubt,
giortfed the principal for them. The
object was a picture, the picture of
young man in the uniform of a captain
fin the German cuirassiers His thick
light hair was brushed back from
fine and candid forehead A smile
creaSed his check under the Warlike
curl of his mustache It was a smile
50 happy and 50 friendly in it's hap
piness. that 1t won the beholder. The
eaes were not large, but even in the
black and white of a photograph (the
portrait was an ordinary cabinet
cartc) they seemed to sparkle. The
young fellows figure was superb, and
held with military precision and
!auntiness. One said, looking at the
whole presence, This man is good
fellow" Viewing him more closely,
orc might add, And he is in love-
The picture was framed handsomely
1a a gilded frame. On the desk below,
an exquisite vase of Venice lifted
single, perfect rose. For Is years
flower had always bloomed thus. Miss
Wing had hung the picture herself, Is
years ago. Then, she was the new
principal. and the school was but half
its size; and the village people ex-
claimed at trusting such girl with
40 much responsibility. During those
Is years the new building had been
built, the school had grown and -four
ished; and the gray had crept into
Margaret Wings bright hair She had
SO often put on mourning for her near
kindred that she had assumed it as
her permanent garb. TO the certain
{and ecstatic) knowledge of the school,
she had refused divers offers of mar
riage from citizens of good repute
and substance. But during all the
Changing years. the picture had kept
its place and the fresh flowers had
bloomed below. No girl could remem-
Der the desk without the picture; and
when the cid girls visited the school,
their eyes would instinctively seek it
in it's old place; always with little
moving of the heart. Yet no one
ever alluded to it to the principal;
and no one, not her most trusted
teacher, nor her best loved pupil, had
ever heard the principal speak Of it.
The name OF the pictured soldier, his
story, his rela ton to Miss Wing; Miss
Wings dearest kindred and friends
knew as much about all these as the
sChool-and that was nothing. Never
theiess, the school tradition reported
part OF a name on the authority of
single incident. Years ago an acct
dent happened to the picture. 1t was
the principals custom to carry it with
her on her journeys, however brief;
always taking it down and putting it
back in its place herself. On this &C.
'casion the floor had been newly pol
ished, and in hanging the picture her
chair on which she stood slipped and
ghe fell, while the picture dropped out
Of her grasp. One of the girls, who
was passing. ran to her aid; but she
bad crawied toward the picture and
would have it in her hands before she
allowed the girl to aid her to rise-a
circumstance, you may be sure, not
likely TO escape the sharp young eyes.
Neither did these same eyes miss the
further circumstance that the jar had
shifted the carte in the frame and
line of writing, hitherto hidden, was
staring out at the world. The hand
was the sharp. minute German hand,
but the words were English; the girl
took them in at an eyeblink. as she
handed the picture to Miss Wing;
Thine for ever, Max" Miss Wing
made no comment; perhaps she sup
posed that the girl had not seen, per-
haps-in any case she was silent.
OF course. the new light Hooded the
school gossip immediately. But there
never came any more; every new girl
was free to work her own will on Miss
Wings romance. Was Max" dead?
Had they parted because of any act on
the woman's part? Surely he could
not have been false. to receive that
daily collation. of flowers. 1t was more
likely that she thus expressed an i'm
periShable regret Youth, ever fanci-
full, played with all manner of dainty
aud plaintive variations on the theme.
Its very mystery was its poignant
charm; since each tender young soul
created a new romance and new APP
peal Elusive and pathetic, it lowered
on Tho edge of these young lives, like
the perfume OF a flower. And its in
fuence was the more potent that it
asked for nothing. It is not too much
10 say that the spectacle of that gen
lie and reticent faithfulness was the
strongest element in the school at
mosphere Certainly, because of it,
Miss Wing had greater power over
her scholars She was woman of
ability and gentle force; by nature q
little aloof, a little precise, able to
feel deeply. but not able to express