The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-01-06

1 III consequence OF all this, interest,
curiosity, uneasiness, and even alarm,
were In varying degrees excited In the
breasts of the several members of oul
company. Most of the ladies declared
that they were daily expecting some
thing serious to happen. That those
expectations were not altogether unfui
filed viii now be made plain.
There were two new arrivals on the
day on which our story opens. Our
company had hitherto been pleasant and
select, but the lady and gentleman who
now came among us, and who were
named Mr.. and Mrs. Grice. were excep-
| tons to this. Showily dressed, and loud
in their conversation, they made great
efforts to mix with ease in our company,
and for some inscrutable reason seemed
to make special endeayors to become
intimate with our own party; Mr.. Grice
attacking my uncle, and his wife deyot-
| ing herself to us.
We were at no pains to conceal oul
aversion to their ill-mannered and often.
sive intrusion, but they seemed deter.
| mined to accept no rebuff Lilysaid that
| we had met here the most pleasant and
the most unpleasant persons whom we
had ever seen in our travels. The
former class, l presume, mainly
embraced Mr.. Gregory.
Ever since Mr.. Smiths visit on the
previous day, my uncle had seemed to
5e unusually worried and anxious.
Something had happened at the Office,
it appeared, which caused him very
great uneasiness, and he kept constant
watch for the post. Lily and I were
troubled about it, but were hardly pre-
pared for his sudden announcement at
lunch next day, upon receiving a letter
| from town, that we must pack up at
once and return by the first morning
| train.
We had no objection to escape from
the Grices, but, in spite of Mr.. Gregory's
ill-repute for his mysterious arts, we
were very sorry to leave him, to say
nothing of the abrupt and unexpected
| termination Of our holiday.
The Grices were sitting next to Us
when my uncle made this announce
ment, and [ saw peculiar look of sig
nifcance pass between them. Mr..
Gregory was sitting at the other end Of
long dining-table, and quite out of
e&r-shot, but he came up Immediately
| after we, rose from the table, and said:
ga very sad thing, this sudden depart
ure Of yours
" Mr.. Gregory" 1 replied, ''you are
| perhaps aware that you are under grave
suspicious Of being in league with the
powers of darkness, and this is another
proof. How could you possibly know"
"Oh, Ill news travels fast, he said,
laughing. "But it is very hot after
noon, what do you say to little read
ing?"
Lily here squeezed my arm vigorously,
but [ answered, 81 fear my uncle will
not let us go out of his sight. He feels
1t his duty to keep special guard over us
while we are in such dangerous COM
pany."
"Never mind" he said, ST will read
to him as we'll"
We were now in the corner of the
| drawing-room, near a window looking
out on to a covered balcony which over
looked the garden. My uncle came up and
returned Mr.. Gregory's courteous greet
| ing in manner which was, fear, not
very gracious
" May l trouble you for the paper
after you, SIR" he said.
Certainly" was the answer. "But
may we not enjoy it all together? With
your permission viii read aloud to the
company.
My uncle looked considerably aston
ished at this unusual proposal. Lily
looked up with open eyes and curious
expression, this being not exactly the
kind of reading she had intended. But
the offer was seriously made and re-
peated, and my uncle, who dearly liked
being read to, gave dubious consent.
Miss Lily, with flial affection, made
him particularly comfortable in an arm
chair, and Mr.. Gregory commenced
reading o long, prosy article on French
politics. He read with anything but his
usual spirit, and III soft, low, monoto-
nous voice. The consequence was-as
had possibly been not wholly unforeseen
that nay uncle was soon enjoying his
accustomed afternoon siesta. The read
ing, having become gradually slower and
softer, now ceased, and the reader, look
ing up, suggested by slight gesture an
adjournment to the garden.
Lily and I tried to smother our laugh
ter and look shocked, but we adopted
the suggestion. A book of poetry was
quickly produced, and | found that
| there is a difference between hearing
French politics read in stuffy drawing
room to middle-aged gentleman, and
hearing "Enoch Arden read in a cool.
shady alcove, to pretty, dark. eyed,
lovable maiden, with tender bosom heav-
ing in sympathy with poor Enochs scr.
rows. especially when the reader is a
| handsome young bachelor, with an ex-
| quisitely -modulated voice, able to do
full justice to the harmonious numbers OF
| the Laureate.
At the end of half an hour was
startled by an exclamation from Lily.
Looking up, saw in the garden below,
| sitting on q seat under the trees win
| their faces toward US, our dear friends.
Mr.. and Mrs. Grice.
The gentleman was keeping up. APP
parently, desultory conversation with
his wife. They waved their hands on
catching our eye, and beckoned to us
to come and join them, which we did not
do.
Mr.. Gregory, instead of going on with
his reading, continued to regard them
intently, and asked us whether we knew
them.
We said, "No."
"But they seem to know you," he
said.
We explained how they had favored
us with their attentions. To our disap-
pointment, he could not be induced to
| go on with his reading, but he continued
to stare at the couple before him and
when at last they strolled off in different
directions, he said that he must apollo
gize for having an engagement, and he
left us abruptly. "a strange young
man, indeed +" we thought, and we were
still more surprised when in about an
hour he returned, and asked my uncle
to be allowed short private converse
ton with him. My uncle seemed
startled at this request land so, by the
way, did Lily but after short pause he
led the way into an adjoining apart
ment.
The conversation which ensued, as we
subsequently learned, was as follows:
81 am about, sir" said Mr.. Gregory,
60 to refer to your private affairs to an ex-