Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-07-07

/ had vanished utterly
| She read the newspaper article
aloud and her mother listened with an
| expression that puzzled her. When
she finished. both were silent for a
moment, then she asked, "Yol must
! have known his father, dearest; didn't
| your"
! Yes" said Mrs. cambridge after a
| pause. 'I-knew his father"
Shirley said no more. and facing
each other in the candle-gloT, across
| the spotless damask, they talked, as
with common consent, of other things
She thought she had never seen her
mother more brilliant. An odd excite
ment was flooding her cheek with red
and she chatted and laughed as she
had not done for years.
But after dinner the gaiety and eff
fervescence faded quickly and Mrs
cambridge went early to her room.
She mounted the stair with her arm
thrown about Shirley's plant waist.
At her door she kissed her. looking at
her with strange smile. How Gu
| rious," she said, as If to herself, that
it should have happened today"
The reading-lamp had been lighted
on her table. She drew a slim gold
chain from the bosom Of her dress
! and held to the light little locket-
brooch it carried. 1t was of black en-
amel, with a tiny laureLwreath Of
pearls on one side encircling a single
diamond. The other side was OF crys-
tai and covered a baby's russet-col-
ored curl In her fingers 1t opened
and disclosed a miniature at wi ich
she looked closely for moment.
Her eyes turned restlessly about tie
room. 1t had been hers as a girl, for
Rosewood had been the old Garland
homestead. 1t seemed now all at once
to be full of calling memories of her
youth.
How strange that it should have
been today" 1t had been on Shirley's
lips to question. but the door had
closed. and she went slowly down
stairs. She sat while thinking, but
at length grew restless and began to
walk to and fro across the floor, her
hands clasped behind her head so that
the cool air filed her flowing sleeves.
In the hall she could hear the leisure
ly kon-kon-kon-kon of the tall clock
The evening outside was exquisitely
still and the metallic monotone was
threaded with the airy fiddle-flddle of
crickets in the grass and punctuated
with the rain-glad cloap of frog.
Shirley stepped lightly down to the
wet grass. Looking back, she could
see her mothers lighted blind. All
around the ground was splotched with
rose-petals, looking in the squares of
light like bloody rain. She skinned
the lawn and ran a little way down
the lane. shuffling sound presently
fell on her ear.
is that you. Unc' Jefferson?" she
called softly
"Yas'm!" The footsteps came near
err "Ets me. Miss Shirley" He tit
tered noiselessly. and she could see
his bent form vibrating in the gloom.
"Yo' reck'n All done fergit?"
No, indeed knew you wouldn't
do that How is he?"
He right much bettah," he replied
in the same guarded tone 'Doctah
he say he be all right in er few days,
on'y he gotter 10 up er while Dat
was er ugly nip he got fom DAT spis-
able reptyle."
DO you think there can be any
others about the grounds"
Nom. Dey mostly keeps ter de
ma sh-lan' en- ony runs whah de IN
| dah-bresh ez thick. | gwineter fix dat
| ter-morrow. Mars Valiant he tell me
ter grub ct all out en- make er bon
fab OBJ it,"
That's right. Unc' Jefferson Good
night, and thank you for coming"
She started back to the house. when
his voice stopped her
Mis- Shirley. yo' don keer eff de
ole man geddahs two er three oh dem
roses? Seems lax young mars
moughty fon' OBJ dem. He got one in
er glass but cts mos daid now"
Wait a minute" she said, and dis
appeared in the darkness, returning
quickly with handful which she put
in his grasp.
"There!" she whispered, and slipped
back through the perfumed dark.
An hour later she stood in the
coy stiffness of her bedroom.
She threw off her gown, slipped into
a soft loose robe of maize-colored silk
and stood before the small glass. She
| pulled out the amber pins and drew
| her wonderful hair on either side of
her face, looking out at her reflection
/ like mermaid from between the rip
ping waves OF a moon-golden sea.
At last she turned, and seating her
self at the desk, took from 1t a diary
She scanned the pages at random, her
| eyes catching lines here and there
"A good run today. Betty and Judge
Chalmers and the Pendleton boys. My
/ fourth brush this season" A frown
| drew itself across her brows. and she
| turned the page. "One OF the hounds
| broke his leg. and l gave him to
Hickey" Chilly Lusk to
dinner today. after swimming the Lor-
| ing Rapid"
She bit her lip. turned abruptly to
/ the new page and took up her pen.
| This morning a twelve-mile run to
| Damory Court" she wrote. 'sThis
/ afternoon went for cape jessamines. :"
/ There she paused. The happenings
/ and sensations of that day would not
be recorded. They were unwritabIe.
~-~-~~~~~~~-~~~~-~-~~~~---~