Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1914-08-19
WITH A Gypsy BAND
BY INA wRIeHTsoN.

| Max Alphonse Cartier, butcher, but
by soul a poet, and by desire an ad-
venturer, started one morning for the
hills several miles from town. On
the hills fed cattle from which he
would select such as he needed in
his business. He elected to walk and
made the trip holiday.
Before reaching the hills he was
halted by womans voice. She was
hidden from him by blackberry and
poison oak thicket, but her words
were to the effect that if somebody
came but step nearer she would
! throw herself into the lake to drown.
| OF necessity, if she should do that.
Max, being not a poltroon, but a hero.
must go after her; and he could not
swim! With dismal groanings he laid
down his hat and undid his necktie.
The splash came! He lunged
through the thicket, scratching his
face and hands; then, breathing hard,
he went down into the water.
AS he drowned, conventionally, he
should have reviewed his past in every
detail, but he did not; at least the face
Of his comfortable, plump Pauline or
those of his twin sons, should have
passed before his minds eyeball; but
they did not. He saw, only, how a
spot of rust looked in the bottom of
their kitchen dipper Then he re-
membered nothing, for he was
drowned
When he came alive again he lay in
a tent, and beside him sat beautiful
lady in wet bathing suit Max re-
membered that he had gone to her de-
! liverance.
$50 / rescued you, madame?" he
murmured, weakly but politely.
The lady looked at him curiously,
then smiled IF you had hung on to
me little closer when was getting
you to shore, l surely should have
drowned; you didn't hang on a little
closer, so-you rescued me. Many
| thanks"
! But before the hooking words were
| finished, Max slept. Awaking, he
found the lady still by him, but instead
Of wet bathing suit, were short Grim
son skirt and bodice with many, many
spangles. A crimson silken kerchief
bound her shapely head. A man can
not be a moving picture habftue and
not know gypsy when he sees one.
Max knew her at once. Came then,
his Great Idea.
Fair queen, / crave thy pardon for
sleeping" spoke Max grandly, but
adventures are most wearisome, and
many have / had"
| He was delighted to have the queen
answer in similar high-sounding con-
verse. She gave him to eat and
drink. While he rested afterward, be-
fore his open tent danced the gypsy
| band with much clashing of cymbals
and light laughter. Not the men
they seemed a stolid lot and did moth
| inG but smoke.
By and by the queen waved them
away. One man seemed minded to
rebel-but he went. Then Max and
| the beautiful one talked. Not of his
Pauline nor of his twin sons talked
Max; only of his wonderful adven-
| lures! The queen listened well. How
lustrous were her eyes and how sweet
her voice! At twilight she went away.
Happy Max! For two days he would
stay with the gipsies and play hero;
then, in the silence OF the night, he
would steal away, and they, thinking
| that the wander-lust had seized him,
would never know that he went back
to his cursed butcher shop as galley
slave to his oars!
His excitement would not let him
sleep. He took his blankets to a rock
ledge some distance beyond. An ad-
venturer should sleep under the star
ry skies; but neither could he sleep
| here Hours afterward, he heard
two talking on the other side OF the
ledge.
ooh, he's bugs, of course!" growled
strident voice and masculine. It's
a wonder he didn't drown himself and
you, tool"
Maybe his mind isn't all there, but
he's harmless and he's handsome"
answered the queens sweet voice.
Anyway, it proves l can rec1te some;
you can't deny that, Arnold. He
thought twas the real thing"
Inarticulate growl of the voice mas
| culine.
Isn't this the best camping trip yet?
We women gipsies are fine, but you
men are fierce! You can't masquerade
worth a penny. Tomorrow only the
girls shall dress up again and listen
to the Arabian Nights Of our brave
Don Quixote."
The queens voice lifted out of hear
| ing. Max sighed. So they weren't
real, after all OF course he wasn't
real, either, but he wished they we're.
Mind not all there" harmless" so
that is what they thought of him! If
his Pauline ever knew what they
| thought of his mind! Suddenly the
glamour of adventure fell entirely
away from him, and he longed might
| lv for his comfortable he'd and his