Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-03-26

l.
came down from the floor above
'Oh, good evening, Mr.. EstriIlal'
said Mrs. Moore. Did your sister,
Just then the voice of Captain Han
ska broke in from behind the door.
Wait a minute. Ask Mr.. Wade If
he minds my not getting up. I've a
cold and I've taken some medicine I"
Very well, Captain" replied Mrs
Moore. EsTiIla, seeing that she was
engaged, went on downstairs to the
front door.
This narrative has gone, so far,
from the point of view of Mrs. Moore
We viii shift now to Miss Harding;
for time let her mind be the crystal
Of our thought. A moment before Mrs.
Moore came back and told Mr.. Wade
that Captain Hanska would see him,
Mr.. Estrilla appeared at the door Of
the parlor. Although they had seen
but little of him at Mrs. Moore's. he
was popular for a Latin Hghtness of
temperament, a cheerful and winning
smile, a nimble wit which lost nothing
because Of his quaint accent, and va
rlOus, W1nsOme, actor tricks which
Mrs. Moore called "capers." At that
moment they were singing "Yip-hi-
addy-hi-ay," then in its first run. Mr.
Estrilla, bundled up in hat and mack
intosh, cut a curvet in the hall, kicked
out one Of his small Andalusian feet,
joined note of the chorus in a pleas
ant, light, tenor voice, changed to a
| falsetto tone which was plainly an
imitation of Miss Harding's singing,
and whirled toward the outer door
Miss Harding called:
Come in and sing!" But Mr.. Es-
trilla only pivoted through the door,
calling:
"Buenos noches -yip-hi-addy-hi-ay!"
Perhaps five minutes later, Miss
Harding went upstairs for handker-
chief. For a moment she was absent
minded-a rare thing with her-so
that instead of turning on the second
floor, where her room was situated
she continued another fight and
brought up, suddenly aware of her
mistake, at the third-foor landing.
Something held her there for a mo-
ment-the sound of high words from
Captain Hanska's room Miss Hard
Ing paused longer than necessary. She
was an honorable girl enough, but the
most honorable of US pay instructive
tribute to our curiosity.
/ tell you both I won't" came Cap
tain Hanska's rather harsh voice.
oh, think perhaps I can make you
change your mind" came other &C
cents which, Miss Harding reflected,
vent perfectly with the personality
OF Mr.. Lawrence Wade.
Some sort of a rumpus going on up
there" said Miss Harding as she re-
gained the parlor. Then remembering
that she must account to Miss Jones
for her presence on the third floor
the bachelor quarters of the establish
ment-she added vaguely. You can
hear it just as plain!"
They had all stopped singing from
very WEAKNESS of voice, and Mrs.
Moore and Professor Noll had retired
to leave the young couples alone with
their devices, when Mr.. Wade ap-
peared again in the hall-this time on
his way out. Every one saw him
plainly, especially Miss Harding. who
sat facing the door.
Look who's here, Essie!" she whis-
pered in an undertone to Miss Jones.
AS she recalled it afterward, he
seemed a little pale. He cast no more
than one quick absent glance at the
group by the piano; and the door
closed behind him Within ten min
utes, the company" left and the
young women went to their room
There was silence in the house.
Silence until half past two o'clock
and then Tommy North, who occupied
the third floor front, came home from
a stag smoker drunk.
This was not the first time that he
had returned, uncertain of tongue and
foot. in the hours of vice. On the last
occasion, he made so much noise that
Miss Harding refused him her coun-
tenance for a week and Mrs Moore
gave him warning. That warning
rested at the bottom of his maudlin
psychology as he crept up to the
front door. unlocked it, and stole
within.
The vigilant Mrs. Moore, who woke
at every night entrance of dodgers.
leaped out of bed, opened her door a
crack. and observed Tommy as he
stood balancing himself under the dim
point of the gas-jet. Oblivious to the
open door and the watchful eye, he
made turn about the newel-post and
began putting one foot cautiously be-
fore the other, saying over and over
q drunken refrain which ran:
Hay foot-straw foot-one goes up
and the other goes down" So he
vanished from the vision of Mrs.
Moore. By similar devices he nego-
tiated the stretch Of hall carpet on
the second floor, and took the next
flight. He was near his haven now
his own room, third floor front In
the dim hall light, he balanced him
self and let his tongue play again.
Energy and perseverance-victo
almost won," he said. Just talk to
your feet and let EN- do your work
But the muscular effort of climbing
two flights had sent his liquor surging
to his head, so that he dizzied and
staggered He caught the banister for
support. Then something, real or
fancied, caught his eye-something
which held his drunken attention. He
stopped and clutched at it The effort
~-0~0-~-o-~~@~0-~~@-o~o--o-~~
Tell me-" said the fair creature he
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