The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-04-23
upsetting all her silks. She
stopped, and at the same moment Colonel
Mastineux stopped. and their faces touch

stopped, and nj the same moment Colonel
Mastineux stopped, and their faces touch.
ell.
"What misfortune that We have moi
been introduced" said he, with laugh
that showed his white teeth, as he in.
stanIly stood up. But Agatha was as
red as rose.
There was no necessity for an in.
PRODUCTION" said she i'll gentle but swift
tones. Il know who you are. sir. Az
for me, | am the poor Miss Odiurne. -
And then she was gone.
Poor Agatha's temperr said Mrs.
Odione, alphabetically. "She is alone
IN the world, and one hesitates to correct
where ii would wound. Ny own daugh-
tiers, dear girls!-are very different from
Agatha. Surel v You know them ALP"
- think | do" said Colonel Masti-
neux, dryly.
"Ah! there is Helen going to sing. |
have given them every advantage" And
then Helen began to sing. Mrs. Oliorne
went sailing down the room to awake
George, who was reverizing in u moon
light window seat, to II sense of her
duties; and then Colonel Mastineux
sauutCred out OF the room through
another door; and Helen still sang.
III" next day the festivities set in.
There WIS it'll" dmner-party, and a
dance, ANA Il picnic, and riding party
Ia the falls, and Il high tea: and there
were high teas, dances aud municipalities
III return.
II declare, mother" said Roger, COM
ing round 10y way of the buttery to the
morning room one day, ~ think you
might have some one else to do such
things if the girls themselves can't help
Agatha. 1t makes ne quite ashamed to
look her i'll the face"
"I'm sure i don't know what You
mean. Roger" said his mother, with an
air of injury.
i mean," said Roger, coloring, but
standing his ground, "that it is dis
graceful that my cousin Agatha should
be Il slave and Il drudge in this house,
while my sisters"
Your cousin Agatha would have a
very poor spirit If she wished to make
no Ici,;rn for"
My fathers last direction was that
Agatha should have home i'll his house
Till she chose herself another: and don't
know what returns she owes for her
right, said Roger, stoutly. "She whips
cream for Charlotte Russo for the din
nrr party till her head aches 80 that she
cant go 10 the table, or go to the dance
next day, and she makes chocolate mer-
imgUes"md hakes fairy cakes for the picnic,
and angel food, till"
"Wcll, really, Roger, this is Il very
curious interest you take in your
cousin" cried Mrs. Odoirne. at
seemed Ia me that any well conditioned
brother would think she might as well do
ills rs her sisters. 1t seems to me II
subject for gratitude that We have de-
pendent Ill the house to take all this
OF or shoulders"
A dependent!' roared Roger. And
then, perhaps, least liz should say too
much, he abruptly left the room, to STUN.
bic ovorColoncl Mastineux leaning against
the door just outside and listening to
Miss Harvey's conundrum, and very
probably, and unavoidably, TO Mrs.
Oduirue's magnanimity as well.
Bar what Roger said was quite true.
Agatha had been made too tired by the
Preparations to enjoy the pleasures, and
the lutte time that she had spent on the
scene Of the pretty gayeties was while
sitting apart and reading her book, OF
IDLY moving her fan, and persistently
looking the other way if Colonel Masti-
neux was bending over any of the ladies'
who had joined the party. She was
ashamed of her aunt's matchmaking in
tIigues, and wanted it understood that
she, at least, was no party to them. But
she needed not to trouble herself; nobody
seemed TO think of her at all. Yet Colonel
Mastineux was not much gwen to bend,
ing, i'll spite Of Julian's insinuations that
he was man with n history. If he did
not hold himself at naughty distance,
he nevertheless had a singularly indif1er.
ent air that rather compelled ones atten.
ton, and Agatha found herself glancing
in his direction again and again when
she would rather have suffered an attack
of total blindness than have him catch
her eye, AS he did. But those accidental
chances were nearly all the communica.
ton they had claimed by one and another
as she was, and waylaid by all the rest az
he was. They had, indeed, read one
short romance together when Agathi
felt, in some unrecognized way, that the
they met again on the edge of the Woo
rs Agatha went out, with party o.
Rogers dogs bounding about her as i
they would bar his way. He stopped
and laughed. "a guard of honor" h'
said. 81 suppose the goddess Diani
kept just such company. You seem t.
prefer it TO humanity"
"They are sufficiently human," SAT-
Agatha, half inclined to resent the lordli
hess Of his tone.
He sat down on the broken stump be
fore her and called Wolfgang and Sultai
and Hassan. and the dogs in Il momen
were fawning about him with their paw
On his shoulders.
"You see what the guard Of homo
amounts to-" he said. Are You goinI
to walk 2" and he rose and strolled alon,
beside her.
! Walking in the wood with Colone
Mastineux?". cried the gay, sharp voic
of Mrs. Julian, suddenly. Glow yer,
romantic! You are romantic, are yOl
not, Miss Agatha? How nice to be 70
mantle My poor sister is so practical
But then ii makes ones home 80 com
Portable to bepractical, you know. Anna
darling, come and walk Ill the wood wit
Miss Agatha. And when is your friend
the Judge, coming, colonel? Now yoJ
don't mean to tell me that Judge Old
/ field is married?"
! And SO Miss Harvey walked with Mia
Agatha, and Mrs. Julian walked alon
beside the colonel. And an hour afte
their return Miss Agatha received sue
lecture from her aunt, after that lady
brief interview with Mrs. Julian, as t.
the improperly or indelicacy of he
conduct, that she did not look ut Colone
Mastincux for a week to come; and when
one day, in passing her on the piazza
he held, with II smile, a spray of honey
suckle for her TO take, she did not hi
her eyes, and suffered the flower soon +
fall from her hand-perhaps because h
wore the bluet that Helen had pinne
on his coat; perhaps because Mrs. Cd
orne was Just coming up the steps, wit
her arms full of the early red leaves thu
he had found in the swamp, and give
her at the gate; perhaps because 81
foresaw that Maria would pick it up, an
Helen would quarrel with her for its po
session; perhaps because she didn't ca
about il.
1t was that sunset that Roger propo
ed row on the river. And Just as Il
last boat was pulling off, Roger erie,
"Where is Agatha, now? Here Mast
, neux, put your fares in here, if yc
will, and go fetch my cousin. By-th
by, see if Oldfeld was in the WACO
too, and bring him along if he was"
And before Miss Maria or Miss JulIi
could very effectually demonstrate, tn
had been handed over the side of OF