Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1919-01-29
Irl-nor to Joseph Stage when he

1t was coiled right at Miss Amanda's
back. She did not see it, for she was
quite as intent upon keeping her face
turned from Mr.. Stagg as he had been
determined to ignore her presence.
Carolyn May was shaking and help
less. Not so Prince. He repeated his
challenging growl and then sprang
at the vibrating head. Miss Amanda
uttered a stif1ed scream and jumped
up from the log, whirling to see what
was happening behind her.
Joseph Stage dropped Carolyn Mays
hand and 1eaped forward with his
walking stick raised to strike. But
the mongrel dog was there first. He
wisely caught the blacksnake behind
the head, his strong, sharp teeth sew
ering it's vertebrae.
"Good dog!" shouted Mr.. Stage ex-
citedly. "Fine dogr'
"Oh, Miss Amanda r. shrieked Caro-
Ign May. TT thought he was going
to sting you'll did,"
She ran to the startled woman and
chung to her hand. Prince nosed the
dead snake. Mr.. Stage looked exceed
ingly foolish. Miss Amanda recovered
her color and her voice simultaneously.
"What brave dog yours is, little
girl" she said to Carolyn May. Sand
I do so despise snakes !" Then she
looked directly at Mr.. Stage and
bowed gravely. 81 thank you," she
said, but so coldly, SO Carolyn May
thought, that her voice might have
come "just off an iceberg"
"Oh, didn't do anything-really I
didn't" stammered the man. SIT was
| the dog"
Both looked very uncomfortable.
Joseph Stagg began to pick up the
scattered chestnuts from the over
turned basket. The lady stopped and
whispered to Carolyn May:
"Come to see me, my dear. want
to know you better"
Then she kissed Carolyn May and
slipped quietly away from the brook,
disappearing quickly in the under
growth.
Joseph Stagg and the little girl
went on across the stepping stones,
while Prince splashed through the
water. Carolyn May was thinking
about Miss Amanda Parlow and she
believed her Uncle Joe was, too.
"Uncle joe" she said. "would that
bad old snake have stung Miss
Amanda?"
"Huh? No; reckon not" admitted
Mr.. Stage absent-mindedly. "Black-
snakes don't bite. A big one like that
can squeeze some"
"But you were scared of it-like me
and Prince. And for Miss Amanda"
said Carolyn May very much In ear.
nest.
81 guess most everybody is scared
by the sight of snake, Car'lyn May"
"But you were scared for Miss
Amanda's sake-just the same as I
was" repeated the little girl decidedly.
"Well?" he growled, looking away
troubled by her insistence.
"Then you don't hate her, do you2"
the child pursued. "Tm glad of that,
Uncle Joe, for I like her very much.
I think she's beautiful lady,"
81 guess" thought Carolyn May
wisely, shat when two folks love each
other and get angry the loves there
just the same. Getting mad doesn't
kill it; it only makes 'em feel worse.
''Poor Uncle Joe! Poor Miss Aman-
dal Maybe if they'd just try to look
up and look for brighter things they'd
get over being mad and be happy
again."
When Uncle Joe and Carolyn May
returned from this adventurous walk
Mr.. Stage went heavily into his own
room, closed the door and even locked
it. He went over to the old-fashioned
walnut bureau that stood against the
wall between the two windows and
stood before it for some moments in
an attitude of deep reflection. Finally,
he drew his bunch of keys from his
pocket and opened one of the two
small drawers in the heavy piece of
furniture-the only locked drawer
there was. He drew forth a tintype
picture, faded now, but clear enough
to show him the features of the two
individuals printed on the sensitized
plate.
His own eyes looked out of the pho
tograph proudly. They were much
younger eyes than they were now.
And the girl beside him in the pic
turei Sweet as a wild rose, Mandy
Parlow's lovely, calm countenanca
promised all the beauty and dignity
her matured womanhood had achieved.
MANDY. Mandy" he murmured
over and over again. "Oh, Mandyi
Why? Why?"
He held the tintype for long, long
time in his hand, gazing on it with
eyes that saw the vanished years
rather than the portraits themselves.
Finally he hid the picture away again.
closed and locked the drawer with a
sigh and with slow steps left the
room.