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About The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 10, 1896)
THS COURIER. THE LINCOLN LIFE: KSSR . i S For full information Merchants Insurance you will not It would create a great ecandall. Fancy a ecandall in the em inently respectable Frelinghuysen fold "Damn you!" The noise of the plate and glass, com bined with the mumur of other people's voices, drowned the conversation carried on by the man and woman. Miss Fre linghuysen, across the table, caught her brother's eye and smiled. She was glad he seemed so interested in her friend; he was courteous always, but rarely .so engrossed ae now. "No," Mrs. Carmichael said, emphatic ally, "polite society is not polite. We both belong to it, and we both are very rude you even more so that I. But the natural man is rude, and surprise has rendered you primitive." She laughed again and sipped her wine ap preciatively. "We had nothing like this in the old days, had we? tf ow far away that time seems now, does it not?" "What do you mean to do?" growled Frelinghuysen under his breath. "Finish my dinner." "You understand well enough. What shall you do to me blackmail or hush troney?" Mrs. Carmichael gave an amused laugh that floated down the table, and made Miss Frelinghuysen smile sympathetic ally. Her brother could be entertain ing when he chose; only he so rarely chose. r Mrs. Carmichael continued. "Your ingenuousness is delightful. 'Black mailbush money.' "She smothered another laugh. "Cher ami, what do I want with your money 1, who have more than you?" "But you cannot mean to publish the affair?" "Am I a fool that I should blast my self in order to hurt you? Thank you, o. I mean to do nothing. I assure you. 1 have nothing to gain and should lose everything. And I am fond of your sister." "Leave my sister's name alone." "Ignore my hostess commit such a bethel Surely you are not in earnest. But rest tranquil; I shall not disturb your respectability not more than 1 have already done. I should have left you entirely alone, only you were so densely leepec table that you irritated me. My natural devil still reigns within; it is only outwardly 1 am changed. Don't you want to know how I came here?" "It is a matter of perfect indifference tome." With the knowledge that she would not expose him came a sense of relief. Now be longed only to get away from her. "Neverless I shall tell you. We must talk and you are sulking qui teas in old times. Don't wince! You won't have to put up with me much longer. Din ner is half over, and to-morrow we leave town. She nodded to the servant to fill her glass, and she sipped the sparkling Ruinart before she began: "You were about nineteen when you came out to Colorado, and you were try ing your wings wanting toknow think ing yourself a man just how devilish jou could be! It was in that spirit you married Sally Forbes. She no longer exists, you know; I am Victoria Car OCCUPIES MIDDLE GBOUND BETWEEN THE "OLD LINE" OR OLD FASHIONED LIFE COMPANIES AND "AFTER DEATH ASSESSMENT'OR CREDIT SYSTEMS. IT ISSUES A CLEAN PLAIN POLICY ON THE FTVE YEAR DISTRIBUTION AND FIFTEEN YEAR SELF SUSTAINING PLANS apply to W. R. Proctor, Sec'y at home office rooms 304-5-6-7, Farmers and block or to Fred S. Clinton or Allen S. Green , general agents. michael. Most men would not have married her; but for that very reason you did. You were willing to go greater lengths. And marriage was nothing anyway. You never meant to bring her east. She did not place much faith in you. She was no simpleton, though only sixteen. A miner's pretty daughter knows at that ago many things of the very existence of which many women die in ignorance." She paused a mom ent as the memory of details came over her, and the man on her other side took this opportunity to break in; he had seen none other. "I say, Mrs. Carmichael, you and Fre linghuysen seem terribly absorbed; it isn't fair not even to notice mo;' "You are selfish bayond bounds, Mr. Bryce. Shall I try to have your attention when there is such an attrac tive woman at your right? And Mr. Frelinghuysen and I are talking of when we were young; that is always de lightful, you know." She smiled and turned again to Frelinghuysen, who was making a pretense of dining. Ab sently he noticed that he had no appe tite. "You and Sally were together fully a month after you were married, were you not? Then, one day, you discovered your wife graciously allowing one of the 'hands' to kiss her. Mon Dieu! I can see you now! You nearly annihilated poor little Sally, merely because a 'band' had kissed her. If it had been one of your chums who had done it you would not have minded; he would have simply been indorsing your good taste. But a 'hand to dare embrace Mrs. Fre linghuysen, wife of the scion of that house -gods, what ignominy!" "Hush!" the man interrupted. "No one will hear I am discreet. Sally could not comprehend the dis tinction; a man was a man; the matter ended there. But you flung yourself out of the room and went straight back east. If the truth were known, you were glad of the excuse. Once home you wrote I have that letter now that you would send 850 a month to your wife if she would remain in Colorado and not trouble you. The letter was not answered, because I could not write well enough. It was about that time that luck changed, and my father de cided to go to the gold fields of Aus tralia. The ship we sailed in was wrecked. Ah, what an experience that was!" She shuddered and drank some wine hastily; it was a moment before she could command herself. "Only those who have lived through a panic on shipboard can know the horror of it." She laughed nervously and went on. "Very few passengers were saved, but my father and I were among them. When we landed at last in Australia I saw my sister's name and mine were among the drowned. I had a sister, a year younger, whom you never saw; she was staying in anothor camp when you were with us. I had that list mailed to you; I wanted you to think me dead. It was an opportunity for me to begin anew in a new country. After a fow years I married Mr. Carmichael. I was not afraid I never expected to see you. He was quite eligible, I assure you a foreman, and he became a money king. It is quito a thrilling story, is it not?" Her listener vouchsafed no reply, but Mrs. Carmichael seemed to feel no re sentment. "I was most wretched when first we becani9 rich; I did not know what to do. Mr. Carmichael insisted upon a great establishment in Melbourna, but my experience with you had taught me that the people with whom wo wanted to cast our lot lived in a world whereof we know nothing, and I did not care to be rejected by them. It was difficult to make Mr. Carmichael see my point, but, when he comprehended, what do you Buppose I did?" "I have not the least idea." Freling huysen's tone implied that he cared less. "We were still 'up country,' and I went down to Sidney, straight to France, and into a convent for two years. No girl ever studied as I did, and I nearly killed myself, strong though I was. But I meant to como out of thero a lady." "Evidently you succeeded in appear ance," the man remarked. "I succeeded," the woman repeated. "Then I went baclt to Sydney, and my husband met me, and we went to Mel bourne and established ourselves. Mr. Carmichael had the benefit of my two years' " "How delightful!" Frelinghuysen drawled. "Oh, bo insolent if you like; it does not affect me. rwo years ago wo went to London. It was there I met your sister. You cannot think how amused I was at encountering my sister-in-law!" She laughed pleasantly. "At first I was consumed with a desire to te'l her who I was. Sometimes I had to bite my lips not to scream it aloud. Then I began to admire her, and ever since she has bean my model. "Quel honneurl" the man remarked. "It is wonderful," Mrs. Carmichael continued sweetly, "that one family should produce two people so totally dissimilar as you and she." "She does not know you as I do." "True, she lacks the evil to develop the same in me." She took up her gloves preparatory to leaving; the host ess would give the signal in a few mom ents. "Your dinner has not been unin teresting, monsieur? I am so charmed I shall trust to see you when I have a cup of tea tomorrow with Mrs. Freling huysen " You will not enter my wife's door," the man observed. "Your what? Ah! of course, Mrs. Frelinghuysen. You could not tell her not to receive me; an explanation would be necessary, and explanations are awk ward." She dropped the mocking tone and rose with the other women. "In the drawing-room I wish to see you," she said. "Come to me, or I shall send for you." The man bowed. She was watching for him when the men came in after dinner, and avoided those who would have talked to her Frelinghuysen silently took the chair sh9 indicated. "I want to tell you," she said, "that it is all a he." "I do not understand." "The story, don't you know. I am not Sally Forbes." "Then pardon me aro you ths devil?" Mrs. Carmichael smiled. "Only so far as all women are. I am Sally's sister tho younger sister whom you never paw. We looked so much alike that people could not toll us apart. That is why I seemed familiar to you. Sallie is doad. She was drowned. It was rather a questionable proceeding my story but I had heard that you were ro very, very indifferent, I determined to rouse you. I succeeded, did I not?" "Place aux damesl The palm is yours beyond doubt." Mrs. Carmichael laughed and put out her hand. "We aro going. Goodnight. I shall see you tomorrow?" "Without fail," and Frelinghuysen turned to find his wife. Airs. Frelinghuysen accosted him eagerly. 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