Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-05-13
ISABEL
BY LOUISE A. ADDISON.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It, 1918. by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.)

| We knew as soon as we saw her that
she was different. By the light of her
| eye, the sprightliness in her step, by
her quick, defiant expression, Isabel
| made it clear to US that she was no
| ordinary cow.
"A Jersey" my father said. But !
think he was mistaken. / don't know
much about cows. She wanted place
In the sun. She had laundering for
caste, and she refused Immediately to
herd with the everyday, milk-giving
| cows In the neighborhood.
| Old Mr.. j., who had taken the cows
to the pasture for years, reported to
| father at the end of the first day that
Isabel had taken one look at her placid,
grass-munching companions-and bolt
ed. He had chased her the entire day
through forest and glade, and brought
her home. after spent day, rebellious
| and defiant.
"'Taint no use talking" said the old
| man, IF cow don't act like cow /
can't be bothered. That critters got
| too much sense for an animal, faint
natural. / know she jest did things
today out of sheer spite, and l shan't
chase after her no more"
And he didn't So Isabel stayed
home, while her companions went
meekly to pasture every day. Still she
was dissatisfied. 1t was evident that
staying in a dreary barn all day irked
4 n rh cfV. ho
ings for higher sphere Of influence.
so one day, the door being open, ISa-
| bel walked out in search of adventure
| and her place in the sun.
And it was on that same Gay that
| Evelyn, our pretty young city cousin,
was packing her clothes to go home.
| Evelyn had been with us for three
| months, having been sent by her pa
rents to recuperate after her illness.
| Evelyn was working very hard, lips
compressed and eyes carefully turned
away from the house next door, where
| lived Howard R.. She would return
his ring by mail, for she was deter
| mined not to see him or speak to him
before she left, or any time after
ward.
1t was certainly pity that there
| was nobody home that day. Mother
had gone to the house of a neighbor,
and had been obliged TO substitute at
the school because Miss F. was sick,
| and 1t was deemed inadvisable to close
| up altogether. We expected to return
| In To off Of q
| If we had known what was going to
| happen we would never, never have
left her alone in the house. But then,
we could hardly be expected to look
so far ahead.
Evelyn was miserable, but she had
lots of pride. She was going to leave
| the house and the village with a won
| derful show of carelessneSs and
sprightly gayety. No spying eye from
across the way would discover even a
trace of sadness. Certainly that spy
ing eye would never discover tear
in hers. But she had reckoned with
out Isabel who, on leaving the gloom
of the barn for the freshness of the
bright summer day, strolled slowly
along until she came to the back Of
the house. There, through the screen
door. she could distinctly see basket
of greens, intended for the days din
ner, a barrel of apples, of which she
was extremely fond, and another bar
rel of potatoes. Without hesitation,
the screen door being unfsstened, Isa-
bel stepped in and helped herself lib
orally.
In the meanwhile Evelyn, hearing a
sound, came forward to see who the
visitor might be, thinking, too, that If
1t were that Howard B, she would let
him see, by her icy demeanOr, that his
presence or absence made very little
difference In her young life. Now, the
ice-cold demeanOr might have been put
on for It's effect on Howard B., but
real chills ran down Evelyn's back
when she saw who the visitor was. She
couldn't help 1t. She knew 1t was alb
surd, but all her life she had had an
aversion for cows. So, after staring at
Isabel in terrified fascination for full
minute, she beat hasty retreat to the
front of the house. And Isabel left her
green's, and apples, and potatoes, and
| followed, in calm, dignified, unruffied
manner. Evelyn rushed for the front
door, 1t was locked and she couldn't
find the key. Mortal terror overlook
her. Scream on scream rent the air.
Howard B., in the house opposite,
sullenly concocting schemes for making
Evelyn sorry, jumped to his feet on
hearing his name called in frenZied ac-
cents. For a moment he stood still,
doubtful if he had heard right. Again
it came, Evelyn's voice, loud, shrill,
terror-stricken. Howard rushed mad
ly, made his way into the front Of the
house, and took In the situation at q
| glance.
| Isabel, not the least frightened Of
the two by this time, received, am
sorry to relate, a blow on her aristo-
cratic body, and much to her surprise
and indignation was forced back to
her stall In the barn, while Evelyn,
almost fainting, fell into her rescuer's
arms without word, on his return.
"You're-yOure-nOt going away,
are you?" asked Howard, after a min
ute or two.
She shook her head in the negative,
and. smiling wanly, put the ring, which
she had intended returning by mail,
|