The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-10-11

she despised him in retufn but one of the gentlemen just departed, altkoueh she half-euessed him to be as heartIess as herself had inspired her with some thing as near to passion as she vas capable of feeling. Some of his fire compliments and hattering looks wee hiiing her thoughts now as she threw an eccanonai dole half absentiy to the pea cocks
 Hunzh for a little soli,s de ?, said Humphrey. @i declare never was SO glad to see the backs of any people be- fore, and don't care who calls me in. hotp''able for saying SO; but 1t is some. thing to have you all to myself for two qniet days and eveuings.n
 ? !" You forgesss Griselda said. carelessly bribang the handsomest peacock to q nearer approach, only to disappoint him oytassing the gift 10 an other, we go to- morrow evening to the ball at Baegely.r
 Nonsense said Humphrey, with a little laugh, you don't mean that seri- ously. A public ball twenty miles of. and nobody there we want to see. We VIII have dance together out here m stead our ballroom viii be a finer one than theirs and cooler, too, in this weather
 He spoke ga,ly, and helping himself 10 her bread, began throwing Il to tn. Peaeocks too. They looked such hand some, happy couple in the sunshine, with the peacocks swaying their bright eyed trains around, and the old fashioned picturesque house as background, that
 II seems terribly i'll to remember ,ha, ueaehery lay in the heart of one of them
 You can do as you like, of course said the loving wife, "but 1 certainly mean to go, and told our guests SC only this morning."
 Why. what difference does that make
 They will be there, no doubt, but am not going to drive twenty miles for he pleasure of seeing them again. No, Gfiselda, do not disappoint me of these two days. l want our life to be quieter one, my dear; we see too little of each other with these perpetual visitors, and do not care brass farthing for any one of them beside my bonnie wife"
 One of the peacocks saw an angry gleam in Lady Griselda's handsome eyes i" You know hate sentiment she said. " and as for the ball re ally cannot think os giving IL up: for nothing, too"
 Are my wishes nothing ?"
 Here is Mir. Fordyce coming" said she, and think interruptions are bless ings to matrimonial tete -a-tese."
 Do you mean tha,y' began Hum phrey hotly, but his wife had already ad- vaneed toward the visitor.
 Mir. fordyee was the clergyman of the parish and he loved Humphrey as a father. He was quaint old figure, and sometimes afforded food for mirth to Lady Gnselda, who loved to puzzle him with gay raillery. She now pressed him to continue there for the remainder of the day, and 1t pleased her to be very gracious to him and to pilot him round the garden and along the shrubberies to spots that he knew far better than she.
 Dinner at Bothwell hall was served at five o'clock, and Humphrey was beguiled out of all ill-humor by his wifes wit and at that meal. She had but an country parson upon whom i 10 exercise them, but vanity like hers is | very ostrich in its diet Now she rallied him on some sly allusion, of which he ! was as innocent as the chair on which he | sat; now her pretty white teeth flashed | out in laughter, either with him or at him, ! but yelled under a sufficient pretext for | Humphrey to join in with a clear con- science; and now she would press the | parson to some especial dainty with a | charm which, to Humphrey, seemed to | combine all perfection in it's wiles. So lost was he in admiration that when left | with his guest and the decanters, he could not leave the topic, ut talked to his old friend more like lover of his | wife than husband, of her superiority 10 other women, her beauty, and her charms. His spirits had returned with | interest, and neither he nor Mir Fordyce spared the wine as they passed from one pleasant topic to another in the familiar old dining-room.
 " And now we will go to Grizei," said Humphrey blithely, as they rose at last, and she shall give us some of her best songs, for l know you like her singing"
 "Assuredly,s said Mir. Fordyce, adding |" a good deal better than like herself; she'll be thorn to him yet" But when they reached the drawing room ny lady was not there. Humphrey rang he bell and made inquiries for her, when ,e was told that her ladyship had head ,che and would not come down stairs any nore that evening.
 With slight frown on his brow, he vent up at once to his wife's room, and ound the invalid lying on a sofa reading ! French novel.
 Why, Grizel," said he, is your head eally bad. Will ii not be we'll enough O give us some singing? Fordyce wants 70 much to hear you again"
 He will most likely have plenty of for that, said Lady Griselda not looking up from her book. cannot go down stairs again tonight"
 But if your head is not we'll enough or singing, surely reading does not make better,' said Humphrey, with more ruth than tact. See now, don't want 'ou to sing or do anything to make it worse, only come down just 10 be with us. We are quiet as possible"
 Thank you, 1 have had enough of the i'd man for one day" said Lady Cnselda