Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1920-08-25
Whose Pup?
By JESSIE DOUGLAS

&C. 1870. BY Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate1
Camilla hastily stepped out of her
little gray Bingham dress and cross
ing the room on tiptoe opened her
closet door and slipped out the pink
and white dress with the short sleeves
and the ruffies around the skirt.
She listened almost breathlessly for
a complaining voice below TO cry:
Camilla Camilla y as she wres-
tied with button in the middle of her
back. She was safel Still on tiptoes
she went across the floor and down the
stairs, to be greeted at the bannister
head 10y an eestatic, wriggling body Of
soft brown fur
"Binks.' Camilla whispered. "will
you he good if take you out? Very
good?'
The little dog stuck out its long
pink tongue and tried 10 cover Ca
milla s hand with wet kisses.
Come on, then :" Camilla closed
the door behind her as though she
were thief, so softly, so stealthily.
But once down the steep white path,
with the white gate swung behind her,
she began to run lightly and gayly
along the country road.
Blnks was just as gay. He made
circles in quest of his tail and chased
Imaginary cats and darted about like
small prisoner set free.
She found herself thinking with a
strange, homeslck longing of that home
that she had left month ago That
careless, happy, laughing household,
with Ted and Winnie, Ellen and the
baby for constant companionship.
But I'll never let them know" she
said aloud; come on, Binks, that isn't
q rabbit at sllr'
Aunt Emma had written that she
would like one of "the children to stay
with her for while She had said
at the end Of her letter that these
were her nearest relatives and 'that
child would find herself greatly bene-
flied some day by the arrangement"
So it was Camilla they chose to
send. Because Camilla was Just
through school and Ted was needed
on the farm this summer and Winnie
was engaged and Ellen just wouldn't
60
She crinkled her nose when she re
membered how the days went-one 50
much like another, that there was
only the calendar to tell that they
were different.
Rise at seven. Battle and dress.
Breakfast at z 80 In silence. for Aunt
Emma did not like conversation at her
meals. Then Camilla waxed the old
mahogany in the parlor and busted
each fragile knicknack and washed
the breakfast dishes and put them
away in the white cupboard in the
dining room.
There was the porch to sweep, and
best of all, fhe flowers to gather in
the garden with the bees cumming
about her in the sunshine, and a
large straw hat that Aunt Emma said
she must wear. For Aunt Emma
thought her freckles were common. y
and it was not ladyHke to have brown
hands, so she must wear old gloves,
Then there was mending 70 do and
! lunch TO get
Camilla stopped suddenly in her
thoughts, for as far down the road
as she could see there was no brown,
wriggling furry body.
"Binksl" she called. and again !:
"Binksi"
She whistled and called his name
again and again, but no funny little
mongrel pup appeared at her calling.
Camilla could have sat right down
in the road and cried. She had found
Blnks when he came shivering to the
door just a few days after she had
been with Aunt Emma. Much TO Aunt
Emna's disgust she had fed him and
bathed him and changed him into a
soft little mischief from the whimper-
ing, tiny thing who had begged from
her
To Camilla. Sinks was the one gay
spot In her sober life at present.
But when she trudged home an hour
later, she went alone, for Binks had
disappeared as mysteriously as he had
come.
She forgot the dress with the short
sleeves and the pink ruffles In her dis
tress. But Aunt Emma, spying her
from the porch, looked up with dis
pleasure. She was entertaining the
curate, and Camilla looked altogether
TOO colorful and gay and careless. with
no hat and short sleeves.
Aunt Emma nodded briefly. and Ca
milla going into the house did not see
the CLEAN of laughter light the young
mans eyes for a moment
But next day Binks had not re-
turned to his home. The house seemed
drearier and darker than ever, and
Aunt Emma more difficult" Camilla
thought longIngly for home. and al
most decided
an stick 1t out a bit longer" she
told herself stanchly, for she knew
how hard it was Just now at home. If
hcG posr HraSc Ellen Faf1Gf