Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-12-05

sIoJect confirmed this theory: and
wnen' after this, Mrs. Williams re-
ported that her new guests dressing
ana travelling paraphernalia were NOT
only lavishly mounted in silver, but
emblazoned with a deerhound's head
and the motto Prisca phides, the matter
was settled beyond much doubt. Miss
I1orncastle was particularly gracious
% the newcomer, and in his honor the
Two Die ladies even went so far as to
o!lsplay from time to time the various
lnstallments of their family jewelry,
hitherto reserved from the gaze of ali
put a select circle of female friends up
stairs.
But the most satisfactory thing was
that from the first Mr.. Romney-Rom-
1ney paid obvious attention to Miss
Wllllams. 1t was at once noticed that
ne generally contrived to have Bertha
1or a partner at lawn-tennis, and that
more frequently than not he was at her
slde when he walked with the ladies OH
the Lees OF an afternoon or evening, or
When music was going on in the draw
lng-room after dinner. And It was
quite certain that these attentions met
with no encouragement from any
quarter.
About a week after MI. Romney-
Romney's arrival, Mr.. Frank Bartlett
came down for his annual holiday,
Within the last few weeks Bartlett had
been admitted to a partnership in the
firm OF Filey & Tapeham, and he now
arrived with some hope of inducing
Bertha to share his improved lot. II
dld not, however, take him long to dis
cover the state of the case. Had he
been wanting in the natural readiness
OF a man in his condition to detect a
rival, he would have been quickly en-
lightened by the changed demeanor of
Miss Williams and her family. Hitherto
he had at least been treated with con-
siderable friendliness; now, no doubt
owing partly to the inopportune time
OF his arrival, he found himself received
with marked GOODNESS.
1t was natural, therefore, that Bart.
lett should not take very cordially to
Mr.. Romney-Romney. This, however,
was not due solely to jealousy. Before
he had been many hours in Folkestone
an idea crossed his mind that he had
seen his rivals face before-he could
not recall when or where, but the idea
became more confirmed every time he
looked at Mr.. Romney-Romney, and,
working on his natural prejudice,
caused him to entertain vague sus-
picions as to that gentleman's ante
cedents. After he had been a couple
of days at Virginia House, his doubts
took more definite shape, and a plan
occurred to him for setting them at
rest, for assistance in which he deter
mined to apply to Kate Williams. Kate
and he had always been on friendly
terms, and, from Il or two chance ex-
%pressions, he suspected that she was by
no means charmed with her brother-in-
law in prospect.
"Kate," ne said, taking the bull by
the horns, 81 want to ask you a ques-
ton about Mr.. Romney-Romney. Who
is he? What does your mother know
about him?"
Gas much as she knows about most
people who come here" Kate replied.
"He gave a good reference, and he pays
his bill regularly. Come, Frank, you
may not be fond of him, but you can't
deny that he is a gentleman"
"Gentleman or not" said Bartlett,
'.there is something about him that puz-
zles me. Don't laugh-I am perfectly
serious, and I'have come to you because
l want your help"
"My help!' asked Kate, in surprise.
eyes l want you to get me his photo
graph. have a notion that l have
met him before, and I should like to
ask my partner, Tapeham, if he remem-
bers him"
'.Mr. Romney has not got a photo
graph" answered Kate. ''Mabel was
asking him for n the other night, and
he told her that he had never been pho
tographed since he was a boy. He said
quite seriously he had such a nervous
horror of being taken that he could not
sit"
"Fiddlesticks!" calculated Bartlett.
"But I tell you what we have got"
Kate went on, evidently taken with the
idea Of %unraveling a mystery. "Mabel
took a sketch of his bead one evening
while he was playing bezique with Ber-
tina. It's a splendid likeness-quite as
good as a photograph. She put it
away somewhere, and 1 have no doubt
I could find it,"
Bartlett said he should like to have
it, and, to his delight, a little later in
the evening, Kate took an opportunity
of handing the picture to him pri-
vately. 1t proved to be a rough but
characteristic likeness of the original,
and the same evening Bartlett posted
it to MI. Tapeham, with a short state
ment of the circumstances which led to
his sending it.
Mrs. Williams had felt rather annoy
ed with Bartlett for intruding himself
! at this crisis in Bertha's fortunes, but it
really seemed as fhis arrival had slim
ulated Mr.. Romney-Romney's att ach-
ment. On the day after Bartlett,s ar
rival, which was Sunday, MI: Rom
ney-Romney escorted the ladies to
church, and walked home with Mrs.
Williams. On the Monday they were
together all the morning upon the
beach, watching the arrival OF the Bou-
leone boat. When, on the same even
inc. Frank Bartlett was holding the
above conversation with Kate Williams
in a corner of the d~rawing-room after
dinner. every lady in the room was
aware that bertha and Mr.. Romney-
Romney were sitting ~tete-a-tete in the
conservatory downstairs. Presently
49, %~0 No., ~