15
???f y? ?f tttf ? ? ? y? tf ft t ff f f ff
THAT UNLUCKY KISS.
Dli. eilll.TEBN did not go to the
hail without misgivings, lie
was aware that Miss Denison
would U" there Indeed, he knew that
her presence wan the magnet which
attracted him. The girl was the
daughter of Lady Denison. His infat
uation Has absurd! Yes, he saw the
itiwrlou. tiie fully of his attachment,
bat he had fallen lu love very deeply
taoteed. and his reason had not been
strong enough to combat temptation,
albeit be condemned himself for yield
ing to it.
She noticed his approach with a
gratified smile, and the next moment
he w as greeting her. Indifferent to the
warning glance he had detected on
the pan of her mother. ,
-I hoped I should find you here," he
said, "and yet I doubted it,"
"hyr
t ""Because I hoped It so much."
She laughed and unfurled her fan.
"-Sou always say pretty things. The
knack ought to bring you a fashionable
practice. Dr. Chlltern."
wish It would," he answered,
"t5bt or something else. A fashionable
3rciee would be very welcome Just
' As a matter of fact I am think
ing or throwing up what I've got and
looking for an opening In pastures
new."
"You think of leaving England?"
am considering It Will you give
me a waltz perhaps It will be our lust,
yma know?"
Their waltz was over and he had led
Sher into the conservatory on the pre
text of discussing his projected depar
tare. She leaned back In her chair and
closed her eyes a moment. When she
-opened them she met his own bent In
tently on her.
"Tell me all," she said softly, "yon
re not really going away?"
"Not if yoe wish me to stay!"
""I? Of course I do not like to lose
m." friends."
"I am not your friend: Miss Deni
son Ethel you know you must have
Pen how dear you are to me. Dar
ag, you are all my world! I am a
EeofcT man. I never meant to speak. I
&v twtblng to offer you, I can only
a- yon to wait; but If you will wait,
O, my dearest, I will worship you all
my life. Answer me-are you offend
er No," said Miss Denison faintly, "I
m.m surprised! I did I did not know
you cared about me like that."
"And are you sorry?"
"She shook ber head.
There was an instant in w-hleh he
foretasted Paradise. Then they both
realized they were engaged, and that
there would be the devil to pay when
er mother knew It
"Your mother must be spoken to,"
said ruefully; "I am afraid she will
hard! lie pleased."
T will speak to her first." said Miss
Denison. "I will prepare her for your
-rt0,SXr
SlfCKtm 1HM WITH A POI.tTEKESS
-VIIU'H FOKIKlKD ILL.
flsit
ome to-morrow afternoon Phil-
itr
Ills jiulse throbbed triumphantly and
Joe kiwd her.
-Nothing Khali part lis, Ethel T
"Wwiiing." she said firmly.
.fr- jimn'iiii'il himself at the bouse la
Ciar.ta street nervously, and whs
-d into the drawing room where
Ijtitj CwiiImou greeted him with a state
it; ytvnesf, which ho Instinctively
iSujew fm-t boded 111.
'.'Id his bi-en tell'ng me of the
r &e compliment you have ha Id
tar.. Dr. Cbiltern," abe began. "What
m pity -what a great plty-you shouki
t tr an Imprudent! Believe me,
I regret It more than I can say."
"1 rafeM that I acarce.jr expected
to be delighted. Lady Denison,"
fepiul, "bat I do alDcereiy trust
mm sot refuae your cooaeot to the
it I tktak I bar t fair
aaf of Mlity, u4 I am In a profo
t&m arUefe, at f know, has rtca
CSa to ." '
"1 hay 7W wtB wail'
c tar aqr am&m t
self to a man who has still his way to
make in the world is iR-rfectly out of
the question. May I give you some
tea? No! Well, I am very sorry. I
do not think there is anything mure I
can say on the subject"
"May I see Ethel?"
"I looked for the request, of course.
Yes, you may see her. But I must ask
you to consider It the hist Interview
between you."
"Thank you."
He plunged bis hands into his fioek
eta and roamed aimlessly about the
room until she api-areL She put out
both hands silently, and he caught her
to him as Lady Denison slowly with
drew. "Ethel, will you be true to me?"
"Mamma was very vexed, but I love
you, Philip, and I shall not change my
mind. I will wait for you, and, though
we may not see each other, we can
write."
When they met again it was six
monthg later, and the scene was the
zoological gardens.
"I had your letter," he said, coldly.
"It has not taken long, Ethel for you
to grow tired."
"If it is to make reproaches"
"O, I am not going to reproach you,"
he exclaimed, bitterly; "what right
have I? You promised and yon have
broken your promise. All is said."
"I have my mother to consider as
well as myself. You know her objec
tions, and well, I have given in! It
is easy enough for you to be strong and
resolute. For me it was a different
matter."
"Then It Is good-by? Ethel, suppos
ingI say 'supposing' my isition
should have improved before you have
seen any one else you think you care
for, may I ask you again? Dearest,
lesve me that tiny hope."
"You don't quite understand," tbe
murmured, nervously. ' I have obeyed
mamma, and "
"And what?'
"I am going t6 marry Sir Jonas
Grant"
TliTe was a long pause, and then the
restraint he had been putting ujioij
himself gave way.
"The truth Is told at last A rich
man has proposed to you, and you have
flung me over. I am ashamed to think
I loved you. I am disgusted with my
elf." "dood-by." she said, rising. "You
are Insolent, and 1 do not cure to pro
long the interview."
"Good-by," answered Chlltern, "but
do not think you will be happy. I
loved you and you loved me. You have
chosen to disregard the fact, and to sell
yourself to a man for whom you care
nothing at all. May heaven forgive
you. Miss Denison. I never will!"
She had done wrong, of course, but
It was not all her fault she had been
bullied into it.
"Where to, miss?" asked the cab
man, with his ear to the butterfly.
A sudden revulsion of feeling seized
her. "Back!" she said, chokingly.
Chlltern was not In sight He waa,
as a matter of fact, in a hansom ahead
of ber, speeding home..
He was in the humor in which a tem
perate man may deliberately set him
self to the task of getting drunk, or
commit any other folly of which hu-
,,.ai, uature is eapnb!e.
As he unlocked his door with bla
latch key he became aware that a
young lady with brilliant golden balr
was smiling to him from the opposite
side of the way. A momentary Inspec
tion showed him that sbe was a chorus
girl, from the FrlTollry Theater, wbora
bo bad recently attended.
"Oood afternoon, Dr. Chlltern," sbe
staid. I was Jnat coming to see 700."
"Wart yon," bo answered; "come In,
Tto come to ask you what 1 owe
ftm," she said, archly. "I was going to
write, tat I thought It bettor to ealL"
iffiB 4k
HE WAS KISSI.fG THE CHOHl'S GIRL
Shf a decidedly pretty girl. d-
pile the P gulden bahr and the art she
had Invoked for her compleilon. She
put her head coquettishly io .,ne aide
with her ey-g sparkling at him, and
leaned slightly forward, her hands r st
In? on the table. He uotlc-i that they
wee provoking eyes, anr that the
hands were small and daintily gloved.
Miss Denison' cab stopjd with a
jerk outside, and she descended, and
rang the bell Impulsively. The house
keeper answered her:
"Dr. Chlltern has not come In yet. I
think."
"I will wait, please."
fhe turned the handle and advanced
a step into the roo'u. Chilteru was
kissing the chorus girl it the exact mo
rceut
Theu he suw her and there was a
pause that appeared to last a lifetime
It was broken by the rustle of the in
truder's skirts as she withdrew, and
by a stifled oath of Chlltern rushing to
overtake her lu the ha!L
"I lg your pardon." said Miss Deu!
sou, Icily, "but in the hurry of ur
leave-taking I forgot u say somethltu"
I must !t'g you to return my letters
and I have brought you back your
ring!"
Peculiar Cipher.
A cipher Is a means of t'ommunica
tton in which words or combinnilnti'
of words have a peculiar siguilicamv.
known only to the parties lnU-rtiwl
It is of value lu two ways. First, l
its use Important information can In
transmitted secretly. Secondly, in 1 1
egraphlng, much money is saved bj
tlje use of single words which nicii
whole Hi'Utt iices. But that the use of t
cipher requires Judgment is Illustrated
by the following incident:
A few years ago a prominent oil pre
ducer of Pittsburg was putting dowi
hat Is know nas n "wild cat," that is, t
well In a territory that had never Im-i-i,
tested for oil.
He was keeping the fact a profounc
secret In order that In case he got t
good well, lie might without difficult.'
secure all the leases he desired in tin
vicinity. He was on the ground him
self, watching with great interest thi
indications. Everything pointed lu
success.
Two days before the well was expect
ed to "come in," he was unfortunately
called home. Anxious about the result,
he arranged with his contractor to tel
egraph him as soon as the drill reached
the sand. He knew, however, that se
crets will sometimes leak out of a tele
graph office, and so be told the driller
that the sentence, "Pine trees grow
tall," would mean that he had struck
oil. The driller seemed to understand
the matter, and promised to do an he
was ordered.
The mingled satisfaction and vexa
tion of the producer may be Imagined
when, two days later, he received the
following telegram:
"Pine trees grow tall. She's squirting
clean over the derrick."
His hope that he should have no com
petitors for leases was disappointed.
Youth's Companion.
A Curious Home.
At the intersections of streets where
electric arc lamps are bung is a curi
ous bit of city bird life. The lights
are covered by big metal cones. Inside
of which a board crosses holding the
bar that suspends the lamp. One day
the man who replenishes the lights
with carbons, lowered the lamp to the
street While he was putting In the
carbons a hen sparrow flew about his
head chirping angrily. A crowd was
attracted by the novel sight and when
the people got "eur enough they saw
the sparrow'r Uest on the board inside
the cone and in It three young birds
with gaping red mouths. The lame,
man attended to his business as though
it were nothing strange.
"Is that a sparrow's nest?" asked
the man who was always wanting to
know.
"Xo. it's a man it) swimming." rep!ii'
the lamp man, sarcastically, for be had
evidently answered the question be
fore. Later he said that almost every lamp
cone in town had a sparrow's nest in
s'.de it. At first the Limpuien tore them
out whenever found, but the sparrows
would rebuild the nest in a day or I
two and the men gave It up ami let
them remain. The sparrows find 0 i
high, (twinging, airy borne in the eoiie
safe from cats and bad boys. -Kan a
City Star.
Hjrnp n Tank Can.
The sight of a tank car for oil Is so
common that no attention whatever
would be drawn to It, but a tank car
for molasses attracted widespread com
ment a day or two ago as It moved
through Philadelphia over the tracks
of the Pennsylvania Railroad. These
earn carry about 'iXHM gallons, which is
equivalent to liO.fioO pounds. They are
loaded through a dome In the top and
emptied by means of an outlet In the
bottom. There Is a coll of steam pipe
inside the tank for the purpose of heat
ing the molasses, which makes It run
freely and enables the car to be emp
tied In from twelve to fifteen minutes.
Pnder the old system of shipping mo
lasses . in barrels, holding from 5X
to i0 pounds, nearly fifty pounds was
lost from each package, being absorbed
by the barrel staves. Loases by defec
tive cooperage, which were also very
heavy, are avoided, too.
Hateful Msnl
Foijvi Mother JUaby is getting quite
talented. now. He can say mamma and
papa just as plain as anything. There!
did you bear that?
Crusty Bachelor Uncle Yes, I beard
It Which was be saying, papa or mam
ma, then ? ftomervllle Journal.
Mary bad a little lamb
With ber It used to stray,
But It fled when Mary read her piece
On graduation day.
Washington Star. I
There can be no courage wltboat a
true understanding of danger.
CHAPTKU IX. (Continued.)
Phiri.-y locked after him.
"Then he ha riven up, has net
he
1 Inked quickly.
I "1'or tiie prevent, yes. There, don't let
I us talk acy more about my misfortune.
I I am going to take your advice, tbruw the
! Ii.a.i off my miud. and try whst a change
' tf wfue wU! i, f.r u.e. 1 have promised
j dear Ijidy Dorrinzton to go do" u sod
! stay with her for a week or two. Hhe y
! she will get a few pleasant people togcth-
ed to meet o.e. It will l" much belter
than guiiig ay by myself."
".No doubt," returned liirlcy. drawiug
1 chair near the table, betide which Mrs.
Kuthven sat "You look cheered up al
ready." He gianeed at the cash box.
"Well, if 1 do, it is no ordinary proof
of resignation. I have jnst had the sat
isfaction of paying heavily for my agent'i
failure."
Uh, that's what brought Wsite here?
What a villainous countenance the follow
has!"
"I do not think no. Iu fact, the advan
tage of his face is that it is absolutely ex
pressionless; only 1 fear if he hu not
succeeded, no one else n ill."
"I ruppiise you will have Lady Dirring
ton'a d of a brother at what do you
call her place?"
"Cnedwortb? Ye, it i highly proba
ble." "I am not important enough to be ask
ed," said Captain .Shirley in an injured
tone.
"Nonsense, my dear friend. But If you
are, I am going to beg you not to accept."
"Why? I am sure you would not let
toe or any one interfere with you."
"Certainly not," said Mrs. Buthren,
with aweet composure. "My reason for
asking thia favor ia that 1 want you to
tell me what goea on in town."
"Oh, I have to play the honorable part
of apy, have ! V
"You can do exactly as you like. If you
choose to disoblige me and break with
rae, you can. Only "
An expressive pause.
"You know very well I don't want to do
anything of the sort. I confess to get out
of temper when I see you determined to
throw yourself away 011 such a fellow as
Marsden, when you might do o much
better."
"I am not to sure I could. Mr. Mara
deo is evidently not the spendthrift you
made out. The money you insinuated he
bad made away with for his own punoes
waa forthcoming who I needed it. I
prefer, too, being high up among the land
ed gentry, to leing tbe wife of aome new
made, insignificant peer."
"Why not an old Important one?"
"Because at thia moment there is scarce
one available. The Peerage gives valua
ble information."
"And because the fascinating master of
Kvesieigh happens to please your fancy?"
"What is it to you if he does?" abe cried,
with sudden fierceness.
"It is a great deal to tne. I hate the
Idea," returned Shirley, bitterly.
"You don't really mean to say you atill
care who or what I like?" she exclaimed
with a slight, not unfriendly, smile, "that
ia too fixilish. A strict alliance for our
mutual benefit is wise and reasonable,
but I think we have exhausted sentiment.
The fact is, you hate Marsden. 1 can see
your enmity curling the corners of your
mouth, and gleaming through the glances
yon cannot veil. How can I trust you to
tell me what g.-s on, without exagtjera
tion or prejudice. You may have nothing
to report. Marsden may ask me to niarry
him during this visit. I fancy Ididy Dir
ringtoii expects it. If so, I fear nothing,
for I do believe that if I were richer than
I am rich as Croesus die would not tie
himself to me or to any woman unless she
could give him pleasure! It will proba
bly he but a short-lived passion. I sus
pect he is constant only to inconstAncy
still, temporarily, he likes hip. Now if,
as f have sometime thought, he is taken
with Nora IEstrange, he will be gtid
ding to and fro, and spending a lot of
time at their miserable lodgings. I want
you to keep me informed of this. I am not
going to U-t that girl interfere with my
plans, cost what it may to cut her out!"
She sjsjke with strong emphasis.
"I understand," said .Shirley, who had
listened sulkily to this long speech. "If
you have set ymir mind on Marsden or
Evesleigh. everything must give way. It
Is a poor marriage for you, and there can
he only one explanation for it. !tili.
Marsden cannot 1m? ns heavily embarrass
ed as I waa led to believe. I was rather
surprised to find he whs ready with the
money for your new purchase."
"What!" cried Mrs. Kuthven. "Y'ou im
agine Clifford Marsden would be faith
less to hia trust? What a base suspi
cion." "I see nothing to elevate him above it,"
said Shirley with a sneer. "However, I
will endeavor to carry out your wishes, as
I have always done, but not for nothing."
Mrs. Kuthven hsjked at him a curious
searching look.
"You shall have your pay," she said,
"in nny way you like except one."
"You need not have mentioned the ex
ception; I am well aware of it."
There was a pause. Then Mrs. Iluth
ven said in an altered tone:
"Lady Dorringloii goes down to Ched
worth to-day and 1 follow to-morrow."
"I low long do you remain?"
"Ten days, possibly a fortnight Now,
11.) dear Miirley. 1 am going to )e rather
busy, and must bid good morning."
"I understand," he said, "and obey."
.
Lady Dorringtun bad written a few
line to her goddaughter, excusing her
self for not having called on or sent for
ber. Time was too short, she said. It
waa of tbe utmost importance to get
poor dear Mm. Kuthven away to a totally
new scene, and among fresh faces.
Mr. L' Estrange smiled as sbe resd tbe
Bote.
"1 fancy Clifford Marsden will be her
jest comforter," she said.
"Do you know," returned Nora In a
wise, reflective tone, "I bgtn to doubt If
tranxe. !
never ijuita shared your opinion on that
subject, though i think it like!y enou-h
they will marry. Mark Winton wu say
ing yesterday that there was an idea at
one time among her late husbauJ'a broth
er officers That Mrs. Kuthven would marry
Captain Shirley. It la curious that lie
should atiil be so much with her. When
a uiaa is rejected, couiniunlcntious are
gei;i rally broken cfT."
"It waa mere g..ip, probably the re
I"rt, I menu. Why should not men and
women be dear frieiida and nothing
more?"
"I am sure 1 do not kuow; but you don't
often see it."
"A a education and common seiim? in
crease, friendship between men and worn
fii ill, 1 suppose, be more frequent."
"Perhaps so," m'ul Mr, L'Kstruuge,
doubtfully. "Mr. Win ton was tulk'.i.g of
returning to India yesterday. His leave
of absence has Dot expired yet, but he
seems anxious to get back to his work.
He says he feels he is wasting h'.a time
here, and that, for a man of his disposl
ton. the only charm life issessca la
work."
"Tli a, ia rather a dreary doc-trine, is it
Hot?"
"! told him so. He nas very nice and
p!?ant yesterday, but I( fancied there
was an undertone of depression in all he
said."
"Why, Mr. Winton is the last man I
should suspect of sentimental melan
choly." cried Nora. "Perhaps he has lost
some money."
"I don't think you do Mark Wmion jus
tice, Nora. I have known him since he
wa a lad of seventeen, and. believe me.
he has a good, true heart."
"If you say so, I am quite willing to be
lieve it," then, breaking off suddenly, she
exclaimed: "Listen to this, Helen. 'The
enterprising manager of Drury Lane has
iu preparation one of the most brilliant
pantomimes ever presented to a Iyondou
audietire. The cenle effects will be of
no original and extraordinary character,
and the ballet one of the most gorgisius
ever seen.' That is something for Bea!
It will be such fun going with her! What
raptures she will be in! By the bye.
Helen, don't you think we can take in
Frauleiu .shrader at Christmas time? She
is not happy at the school, and as she has
given notice ahe is going to leave, they
will be cross and disagreeable."
"Yes. I have no doubt we can manage
it. Bea, too, might come to us early in
December."
And the conversation turned on domes
tic matters. ,
Mrs. L' Estrange, who was far from
strong, bad taken cold, and was easily
persuaded to keep indoora. The day be
ing dry and crisp, Nora took their maid,
who had been in Mrs. L'Eatrange'a ser
vice ever since she waa married, to bear
her company, and walked across the park
to inquire for Mrt. Kuthven and bid her
good-bye.
CHAPTER, X.
When they reached the hotel Mrs. Kuth
ven was out, and Nora prolonged her
walk to Harvey & Nichols', where she
and her attendant spent a delightful hour,
and several pounds. ,
By the time ahe reached her temporary
horn?, Nora felt refreshed and invigorat
ed by air and exercise. The shades of
evening bad begrun to gather, and she
planned to herself that ahe would read
aloud to Helen after dinner, to atoue for
her long absence.
The gas had not been lit. and going up
stairs In semi-darkness, she ran against
someone on the first landing.
"I beg your pardon," said Winton.
whose voice she instantly recognized. "It
is so dark."
"Yes, the evenings draw in so soon
now," she replied, with some confusion.
"I am glad to have an opjiurtuuity of
wishing you gistd-bye, I am going out of
town to-morrow for a few weeks; by the
time I come back, I shall have made up
my miud whether 1 shall return to India
at once or stay to the full extent of my
have."
"Has the country so little attraction for
you. Mr. Winton, that you sre ready to
leave it?"
"Plenty of attraction; but I need not
trouble you with my reasons. Good-bye
for the present. I hope to see you again
before long, either here or at 1'rookdnle."
He held ber hand for a moment and
was gone.
Nora ascended slowly, thoughtfully, to
the drawing room, where she louud Mrs.
L'Estnioge leaning back iu an easy chair,
her handkerchief to her eyes, beside a
bright lire.
"Why. Helen!" cried Nora, as she ad
vanced toward her. Mrs. L'Estrunge
stin ted and uncovered her lace; the strong
light of the flames showed that she had
been and was weeping. "Dear Helen,
what is the matter'"
"Do not ask me now. I will tell you
all one day, but not now," aaid Mrs. L" Es
trange. Rising, she came Quickly toward
her stepdaughter, pressed lur lips for an
instant to Nora's cheek, and left the room.
"Good heavens!" ejaculated Norn to
self, "she has refused him. But why?"
Overcome with surprise, she sat downfall
dressed as she was, to ponder this titiex
jiected outcome of their pleasant Intimacy
with Winton. lie, too, seemed depressed
and unlike himself. Why-why had Helen
rejected him? especially as she eridently
felt doing so very keenly.
Could it have been becuuse she knew
that ahe and her little girl were unpro
vided for, and that she did not like beiti
a burden on a husband? Winton was
fa!i! :e! off, and not likely to let such
an obstacle stand in the way of his or her
happiness. Could It be any hesitation
about leaving her (Nora) alone, with
some mere hired atranger for a compan
ion? No; Helen waa too sensible for such
an overstrained sense of duty or friend
ship. Then, as ahe gaxed Into tbe red
maea which glowed in the grate, memory
unrolled her long record of past benefits
and generous acts. Tbe quiet, steady
kindliness, which bad won ber childish
heart, in spite of ber natural prejudice
against a stepmother, the perpetual shield
she Interposed between the Irritants, ex
acting, tyrannical father and his daugh
ter. Now thst Nora waa a woman a
thoughtful, observant woman bow man
1utaucea of her step mother' a pa ties cs,
ber care for every vue'a tuuif.-ri, ber en
tire wdf-forretfulii!, i-aute back to ba
uitud from oiui, I.) g..u dy. Her own
vague woLder that Heieu uevt- want4
to go any here. tiKt erauugbt rrleaxe froi
ti e wVaryii.g sttmdsm-e ou her querulous,
u,.i. e.us, lut alid liusbj' -i, hvi uudhu
ed iiiipreiou that soUvLow life was
ir (or her young stepmother that hs
lad nothing left but endurance ami kmill
thought for others. What would h her
self have been had h Iweu reduced te
a single-handed struggle ih such dift
cultiea as existent would ha prrseuU
ed i',!f without Helen? How much cf
youth would ho have enjoyed? HoW
mi-lb of education, of pleaaure, or free
dom from lie stunting effect of tare toe
heavy for her yean? Yes! She It
ail dearly. Helen had bcu more than a
mother to her, for ahe had no claiiu to
sm h tender. discriaiiiiKtitig care. "Aud if
1 cau repay her I will," thought Nors, hr
heart glowing warm and trong. "Noth
ing shall ataiid betweea me aud a woman
to whom I ue no much. Thauk Godl
she is brighter and stronger now than I
ever remember her. I do hope Bea will
grow up a tender, loving daughter! Shs
bn a dash of my father temper! But
why -why did Helen send Mark Winton
away? I can fancy their whole story
growing into love with each other, almost
l'rotu their school days- then bis going
away to seek h!a fortune, some misun
ders:audit:g separating them probably.
Helen, left a peiiuileas orphan, with no
hoi in the future, tempted by a chance
of a settled home with tny father. It ia
a sad enough atory. and I suppose a com
mon one. Well, ahe ahull have peace
now, if 1 ,au secure It. Hut -why did
die semi Mark Winton away? 1 am sure
she did; f must not ak l.er; I most not
wcin intrusive. Will ahe ever tell me?"
That evening Nora was more than usu
ally kind and cheerful; she m.od on
Mrs. L'Estrange lying down where her
eyes vvcre shaded from the light and h
read aloud from a picturesque tmok of
travels
When bedtime came and they parted
fortlie night Mrs. L'Estrange put her arm
round Nora, and kissing lier geu'ly, sni.li
"You are a good girl, tbar daughter, of
I should my younger sisler, to me; joti
made my life happier than I ever expected
it to be." She went quickly upstairs,
leaving Nora touched aud surprised, for
neither wb a demonstrative woman aud
rarely exchanged caresses.
The days Brut by, bonever. and Mra,'
I.'Estrange did not slmw any inclination
tii tell Nora the atory she had promised;
still, her stepdaughter waited with loyally
suppressed curiosity, ami tidiftgs reached
them thnt Winton had gone as far
Florence with some Indian friends out
ward bound to Bombay, and had passed
through Ixmdon without calling to see
them.
Meantime Lady Dorrington flattered
herself that her plans were maturing uc
ccssfully. The day after Mrs. Kuthven
hail been installed in tbe principal gueat
chamber at Chedworth, Marsden arriv
from town, ami made himself charmingly
agreeable to every one, esiieeially to Mrs.
Knthvett. The pretty little widow visibly
revived after his arrival and lost some
thing of the pained, strained look in her
eyes, which had given Lady Dorrington
such uneasiness.
"You ought to get out more, my dear
Mrs. Kuthven." she said, as that lady wai
bidding her hostess good night "Thera
are lots of pretty drives ulsiut, and I hart
a capital pair of ponies."
"To say nothing of an excellent char
ioteer, in the shape of an unworthy broth
er. Pray, allow me to show you the neigh,
bnrhood. I am duly qualified for the task
of cicerone," said Marsden.
"Thank you," and Mra. Kuthven raised
her eyes to his with a long, searching
look. "If you really don't mind losing a
day's hunting! It is a tremendous sacri
fice!" "Sacrifice!" cried Marsden, laughing.
"If sacrifice and penance always took
such a form, what a penitent I'd oel
Then, if Hue, we will take our first tour
of inspection Immediately after luncheon."
The weather was all that could be de
sired, more like late September than early
November, aud the excursion was so suc
cessful that another was arranged for the
following day.
(To be continued.)
Ctsik.ng in the Gutter.
A 111. hilx-r o! the Seventh ltcgimcut,
(icccril't-g to ;tn article In tin- New
York sun, is enthusiastic over bis ex
lTeticin with a tin dish and a camp
tire (luring the late street car riots In
Brooklyn. He bus been noted in his
own circle for bis delicate taste lu the
mutter of cookery, and bis skill with
the chafing dish. He not only knew
when n thing was cooked exactly right,
but be could cook it Just right himself,
only be was so excessively fastidious
that lie must have Just such a dish la
which to do it.
Now he was left to shift for himself
in the street, with nothing but a tin
dish as a cooking utensil. "Fortunate
ly." he says, "the dish bud a cover and
a handle, and after I liec-iine convinc
ed tlmt there was no help for it, I madu
a few- experiments and found the re
sults delicious.
"The value of a wood flr? had never
been apparent to me before, but I tell
3 on It is wonderful. Why, I never ate
such potatoes hk I baked In tbe em
bers. And the surrounding cobble
stones kept my coffee as hot ax I want
ed it while I was doing my other cook
ing, "The doings of some of the men were
laughable. They had less Idea of Cook
ery than the average servant. They
would Insist upon building a fire with
;!te flames reaching heavenward, and
then they wondered why their food
was burned on one side itml raw on the
other. One fellow who wanted bam
mid eggs put thn egga In, shells and
all A beautiful mess!
"As for myself, I will aland up here
after for the regimental tin disii, aud
a wood Are with a cobble-stone founda
tion. I lived like a prince; and tbe
next time my appetite la spoiled by tbe
atrocities of French cooks, I am going
to pitch my tent In the back yard, and
win back my digestion with the sort
of cookery I have been enjoying for a
week."
Tbe two most widely sept rated post
offices lu tbe United States are those In
Key West, Kla., and In Ounalaska,
Alaska, 0,271 miles apart Two cents
will insure the carriage of a letter brv
tween those distant yolota.
v j I