Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-06-26

| GQ III GIlo lOTludGlOu VI UuGtOu-llOlcSj 1uOu
know that do. Is he not generally liked
"Since you ask me, Madeleine" said
'and, mind, it is thing I should never
have mentioned of my own accord, may
tell you that, 80 far from being generally
liked. to know that he was intimate at a
house would be quite enough to prevent
many men from visiting at it,"
"Fancy ~ said Madeleine, holding up the
pinafore to be admired.
81 among them," went on.
"No?" said Madeleine, quite unmoved by
the assertion.
It was becoming evident that my chal.
lenge would not be accepted, and that Mad.
eleine declined to show fight.
So, as after war the next best thing is
peace perhaps he does not come here
often, after ALL" said ~ should think,
indeed, you would not allow yourself to be
bored by him frequently" .....-
80, don't know" said Madeleine =; II
think am very often bored, one way and
another it doesn't so much matter by
whom, you know"
Whereby it will be seen, not only that
Madeleine's views were liberal in the ex-
treme, but that she understood to nicely
the art of evading delicate questions, and
driving her lovers to desperation.
Jack Stevens was the most easy-going
fellow in existence, but it was possible to
drive him too far. Miss Flutters was rely
ing too much on his sweetness Of temper.
He had reached his limit. The lion within
his British breast was beginning to require
attention.
1 put direct question to her, and waited
for an answer.
"Madeleine," said, chow often has Mr..
Prior been here during my absence?"
81 haven't an idea," said Madeleine, slip
ping at once into feminine resources and
!ect;, perhaps; but it doesn't matter does
Another feminine resource. Madeleine
abandoned her pedestal of Indifference when
she saw I was really angry, and descended
to coaxing.
sWhat can it matter? You're not going
to pretend you're jealous of Mr.. Prior,
Jack ?"
The "Jack'' did it, I was her devoted
slave, not in the least jealous, and full OF
wonder at my own suspicious.
"Well, now," said Madeleine, when the
pinafore had been duly admired and small
pieces of my heart had been sewed on to it
in the Greek pattern with braid and we had
did with you; you shall never say don't
tell you everything. Mr.. Prior has been
here good deal"
Madeleine's candor always gave me palpi-
tations of the heart; 1 never knew what
was coming next. However, I gulped
down the first edition, with the conviction
that it would disagree with me when came
to digest it, happily smiling.
"You won't make me jealous now, Mad
eleine,' said, kissing her; and the pin
afore fell from her lap.
eos
won't let me work, Poor Con! I'm asham-
ed of you Jack. You don't behave half as
we'll as Mr.. Prior; he never does such
things"
That is to say, reduced to English, Mr..
Prior was not in the habit of kissing Miss
Flutters.
I should never have imagined he was,
myself, but Madeleine was so terribly sug-
gestive that began to feel uneasy, and the
lion within me gave aroar. Madeleine, If |
imagined such thing possible, 1 should
at once resign all claim over you, without
waiting to speak to Mr.. Flutters on the sub
ject, or wish good-by to your sister"
"That's just what say" said Madeleine,
shall not be able to be as candid as I wish.
Mr.. Prior has not only been here a good
many times already, but he is coming to
dinner''-here Madeleine coughed little
''to night. It's very unfortunate for me, as
we'll as for you, for of course don't want
him here the very first night of your re-
turn; but he asked himself, and papa
couldn't very we'll refuse him then-could
hep" though I frowned at him to make
him say NO till I thought my forehead
would never come straight again and Conny
was speechless from surprise"
"It is unfortunate" I said in as gruft
a voice as I could manage, with the little
ieweled hands pressing me SO closely, and
the blue eyes glancing-I suppose by accl-
dent-at the engagement ring.
eyes, isn't it?' said Madeleine, eagerly
and then added, trying to take me by
storm, and trusting too much to the soften
ing circumstances: "That's not the worst
either. Mr.. Prior makes love to me, and ]
can't tell what to do to make him leave of.
He will do it, no matter what 1 do. He
will tonight. You'll see."
TO be told, after few weeks absence,
that the girl to whom 1 was engaged was
being made love to by the man most dis
liked in the whole world and then he would
do it!
"Now you're not angry with me?" said
Madeleine, passing over Mr.. Prior's offence,
and taking care of number one in lady
like way, Hbecause it's not been my fault. "
s'No, I'm not angry with you Madeleine" "
I said; but of course there must be a stop
put to it. Leave him to me. He'll not make
love to you tonight, fancy"
This was said with sneer so very effec-
tive that Madeleine was beginning to look
frightened, when the door opened very
little way, and Conny looked in.
"Papa's not come she said, "but the nurs-
cry tea is. Come Madeleine. Perhaps Mr..
Stevens will come too," she added politely,
su6donlv seeinp mo in the lipht of an OBJ
stacle to the nursery tea, which was neces-
sary to remove before she could obtain her
sister. "Tea will do him good. It's SO
refreshing, nurse says"
"I should like nothing better, Conny dear,
and can carry you up stairs on my back,
if you like"
Conny's eyes sparkled at this proposal,
and her cheeks grew bright.
sThat would be nice,o she said and pre-.
pared to mount; then stopped suddenly
Short. "Your back" she said; "itll hurt
your back"
T assured her that it would not, and car
ried her up, when the queen of the nursery
dismounted, placed her horse (myself) in a
low chair by the fire, and her sister in an:
other, and proceeded to distribute bread and
butter, and tea in mugs.
"You can't have the prettiest mug OF all,
Pm sorry to say" Conny informed me!
when she had satisfied herself l could
want nothing more, "because l broke II
last week. Pm not generally clumsy, you
know, but did do that, and it had roses
on it, and green leaves"
I expressed nv conviction that it must
have been very attractive, protesting my.
self at the same time full of admiration OF
the mug I was using and Conny's sense OF
hOsnitality was satisfied.