Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-12-23
OLIVER OCTOBER

GOOD many people will hesitate about
voting for man who is suspected of
killing his own father"
Don't you worry, Oliver" cried the
sheriff, slapping the young man on the
back. Things are coming out all right
for you!"
fully a week passed before a move
was made by the authorities. The
newspapers devoted considerable first
page space to the new angle in the
unsolved Baxter mystery. but not one
of them took the matter up editorially.
Notwithstanding the reticenca of the
press, the news spread like wildfre
that Horace Gooch was actually charg-
ing his nephew with the murder of his
father. The town of Rumley went wild
with anger and Indignation. A few hot
heads talked of tar and feathers for
old man Gooch.
And yet deep down in the soul of
every one who cried out against Hor-
ace Gooch's malevolence Iurked
strange uneasiness that could not be
shaken off.
The excitement over the return of
Mrs. Sage was short-lived on account
of the new and startling turn in the
Baxter mystery. Acute interest in the
pastors wife dwindled into mild. al
most innocuous form of curiosity.
Ladies of the congregation, after
dignifed season Of hesitation, called
on her-that is to say, after forty-eight
hours-and We're told by the servant
| that Miss Judge was not at home.
She would be at home only on Thurs
day from three to six. Some little
confusion was caused by the name,
but this was satisfactorily straight
ened out by the servant, who ex-
| planned that Miss Judge and Mrs. Sage
were one and the same person, and
that she was married all right and
proper except, as you might say, in
name. Mrs. Serepta Grimes, being an
old friend, was one of the first to call.
And this is what she said to Oliver
| October that same evening:
''You ask me, did l see her? l did
told the hired girl to say who it was
and in minute or two she came back
| heard. She said Mrs Sage wasn't at
home. Well, do you know what I did,
Oliver? l just said Pooh and walked
right up the stairs and into her room.
She got right up and kissed me five or
six times and-well. that's about all,
except l stayed so long 1 was afraid
| I'd be late for supper"
|
| Oliver.
Certainly. Do you want to hear
what Josephine said about your
M, can't say that l do. BY the
way, Aunt Serepta, there is something
I've been wanting to ask you for quite
while. Do you think Jane is pretty?"
Mrs. Grimes pondered. "Well," she
said judicially, at depends on what
you mean by pretty. Do you mean,
is she beautiful"
81 suppose that's what I mean"
"What do you want to know for?"
"Eh?'
81 mean what's the sense of asking
me that question? You wouldn't be
lieve me if 1 said she. wasn't pretty,
would your"
'Well, I'd just like to know whether
you agree with me or not"
Eyes, sir" said she, fixing him
with an accusing eye, 81 do agree WITH
you-absolutely"
'The strange thing about it." be
pursued defensively, 'is that l never
thought of her as being especially
good-looking until recently. Funny,
isn't it?"
There are a lot of things we don't
notice." said she, until some one else
pinches us. Then we open our eyes.
I guess some one must have pinched
you. 1t hurts more when a man
pinches you-'specially big, strong
fellow like Doc Lansing"
A panied expression came into Oil
ver's eyes. "The trouble is, I've al
ways looked upon her as a-well, as
a sort of sister or something like that.
| We grew up just like brother and sis
ter. How was l to know that she was
pretty? A fellow never thinks of his
sister as being pretty, does hep"
SlppOSc not. Out, VII liic OllCi
hand, he never loses his appetite and
hopes and has the blues if his sister
happens to take fancy to a man who
isn't her brother That's what you've
been doing for two or three weeks. If
you had the least bit of gumption,
you'd up and tell her you can't stand
being a brother to her any longer and
| l. A., - o1en
isn't too late"
"Geer exclaimed he ruefully. "But
suppose she was to say it is too late"
That's a nice way for soldier to
talk" said Mrs. Grimes scathingly.
Oliver saw very little of Jane during
the days that followed Mrs. Sage's re-
turn. Her mother demanded much OF
her; she was constantly in attendance
upon the pampered lady. Oliver