Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1922-12-13

why shouldn't they ter They're
old friends"
They arer' And, In answer n he,
look of surprise. | explained that I
had begun TO speak OF Beasley AT Mrs.
opportunities. and described the ALB
ruptness with which Dowden had
changed the subject.
Il See" my cousin nodded, compre-
hendingly. That's simple enough.
George Dowden didn't want you "a
talk OF Beasley there. suppose Il
may have been a little embarrassing
Tor everybody-especially II Ann APP
perthwaite heard YOU"
Ann? That's Miss ApperthwalteI
Yes; ] was speaking directly to her.
Why shouldn't she have heard mel
She talked OF him herself a little later
and az some length. too"
"She did~ My cousin stopped rock
ing. and fixed me with her gllttering
eye. "well. OF ALL"
us IL so surprisingly"
The lady gave her boat TO the waves
again. Ann Apperthwaite thinks
about him still" she said, with some
thing Ike vlndictlveness. "rve always
suspected q. She thought you were
new TO the place and didn't know any
thing about II all. or anybody to men
ton II TO. That's itw
I'm still new TO the place" I urged.
"and still don't know anything about
Il ALL"
They used to be engaged" was her
succlnct and emphatic answer.
found II but too Illuminating. ooh.
OH" | cried. Il was an innocent.
wasn't II"
"Tm glad she does think OF him."
said my cousin. at serves her right.
| only hope he won't find IL out. be-
cause he's a poor. faithful creature; ;
he'd jump at the chance to take her
hack-and she doesn't deserve him."
"How long has 1t been" I asked.
"since they used 10 be engagedT
"Oh, a good while-five or six years
ago. think-maybe more: time skips
along. Ann opportunities no chick,
en-, you know" (Such was the lady's
expreSsiOn.) 'They got engaged just
after she came home from college. and
OF all the idlotIcally romantic girls"
"But she's n teacher" interrupted.
"of mathematics"
"Yes." She nodded wisely. 81 al
ways thought that explained it: the
romance Is a reaction from the al
zebra. never knew a person con-
nected with mathematics or astronomy
or statistics. or any OF those exact
things. who didn't have crazy streak
in 'em somewhere. They've got TO blow
or steam and be foolish 10 make mp
for putting I'm so much OF their time
OF hard sense But don't you think
that I dislike Ann Apperthwaite. She's
always been one Of my best friends;
that's why I feel at liberty 10 abuse
her-and + always will abuse her
when think how she treated poor
David Beasley."
"How did she treat himI"
Threw him over ont OF a clear sky
one night. that's all. Just sent him
home and broke his heart; that Is, II
would have beer broken II he'd had
any kind OF disposition except the one
the Lord blessed him with-just all
optimism and cheerfulness and make
the-best-Of-it-ness He's never cared
for anybody else. and guess he never
Will"
"what did she do Il for1"
"Nothingr MY cousin shot the In
dignant word from her lips. Nothing
In the wide worldr
'But there must have been"
Listen TO me-" she interrupted,
"and tell me II you ever heard any
thing queerer In your life. They'd
been engaged - Heaven knows how
Iong-Over two years; probably nearer
three-and always she kept putting IL
on; wouldn't begin TO get ready,
wouldn't set day for the wedding.
Then Mr.. Approximate died, and left
her and her mother stranded high and
dry with nothing to live on. David
had everything In the world to give
her-and still she wouldn't And then.
one day. she came up here and told
me she'd broken II or. Said she
couldn't stand II TO be engaged to
David Beasley another mlnute!"
"But why?"
'Because"-my cousins tone was
shrill with her despair of expressing
the satire she would have put into it
because. she said he was a man OF
no Imagination J"
"She still says So" / remarked,
thOughtfully.
'sThen It's time she got little mag
nation herselfr snapped my compan-
SON. David Beasley's the quietest
man God has made. but everybody
knows what he isl There are some
rare people In this world that aren't
all talk; there are some still rarer
ones that scarcely ever talk at all
and David Beasley's one OF them.
don't know whether it's because he
can't talk, or II he can and hates to;
only thank the Lord he's put few
like that into this talky world David
peesley's smile Is better than acres