Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-10-18

/ HtBe oksiutt mUhshe 1..~
verey conspicuous, and his gfanumo-
theirs con,smptuous refusal TO cal' on
the London ladies, when he had at last
screwed mn his courage TO demand out
y;ch, mai he had been limiting at Tor
the last three weeks.
EVEN IL you forget you are Ire
dennick. YOU may be sure these friends
oS yours do mott she had said, signih-
csntIy. And Harry had there aud then
hanged off 10 see the loveliest and dear
est Of her sex, the only woman he ever
could or would love, anathematizlng
the ridiculous will Of the old squire,
which left him under his grandmothsr's
guardianship until his 6ve-and-twen-
tieth year. ,,,
Among one Of the terrors Of his child
hood which poor motherless Harry
Tredennick had learnt to hate was HIS
erandmother's quarterly descents upon
Torferry "for shopping" when the oid
close carriage was in requisition, with
both windows up, and madam drove
down to the town and spent the alter
noon driving from one shop to another,
harrying the shop people and abusing
their wares. Harry, who was oil
naturally peacesble, even polite dispo'
sition, hated being taken on these out
ings, and as he grew older used to try
and mollify the feelings of the trades
people by being particularly civil on
his own account and keeping particu-
| Iarly clear of the town altogether on
the occasions of madam's" periodi-
cal visits. But shopping with Kate
Verey was quite another thing. In
fact, it was an exquisite entertainment,
which Harry did not know Torferry
town was capable Of predicting 81.
ils ,':ss-expected London parcel
had arrived, so Tucker was able to
supply the dark-blue knitting silk
which Miss verey was working up into
the most dandified gentlemen's socks
that Harry had ever seen. He had
not dared to ask for whom they were
intended, though he had watched their
progress with intense interest, and was
never so pleased as when their rapid
growth required his services to hold
another skein while Kate wound it.
He possessed himself Of the parcel
now, and followed to the post-office,
hurrying in to ask for the Myrtle Bank
letters, by the second and undelivered
mail, while Miss yerey remained out
side chatting to Mrs. Briscoe, who, in
spite Of the damp, had been to call on
the Rev. John and Mrs. Cannody, and
welcome them to Torferry, in the hopes
of getting sermon or two out Of them
for her consumptive husband before the
season was over. She had been re-
warded by liberal promises Of help
from the gratified parson; and now, by
meeting face to face the young lady with
whom it was said young Harry Treden-
nick was making himself a great fool,
Mrs. Briscoe, who was kind-hearted,
foolish, and intensely meddlesome lady,
equally inclined to "gush " as to take
ready offence, was "just little bit"
surprised. You know that her own
overtures Of friendship had not been as
readily responded to as the young
'squire's. Besides, she had an unac-
knowledged grudge against Miss Verey
in the shape of several yards Of tum-
bled white book-muslin, which had
come to nothing as hat trimmings, and
was not even available for window
blinds. So no wonder that the little
woman felt inclined for a scrimmage
with the audacious stranger, and &C
costed her in q tone Of virtuous hostil-
ity as she approached, and Harry Ire
dennick, lifting his hat, disappeared
into the post-office.
Miss Verey, on her side, had no par
ticular feelings of any sort for the rec
toress of Torferry, whom she found a
dowdy little inquisitive person, and
whose absorption in her neighbors'
affairs she could not at all comprehend.
But she had no objection to stand and
chat with her in the middle Of the
High street, especially when the party
from the Gilmore, the big steam-yacht
in the harbor, had just come ashore,
and was also making for the post-office.
Three men, in yachting-dress, glanced
approyiDgly at Kate Verey as they
passed, and the last of them lifted his
hat, half hesitatingly, as he looked a
second time at the young lady, and she
recognized him with stately but gra-
cious bow.
"a friend Of yours?" gasped Mrs.
Briscoe, so audibly that the gentleman
must have heard.
Kate waited calmly till he had en-
tered the swing-door of the office, and
then turning to the lady answered:
"Oh, yes; otherwise l should not have
bowed !"
Mrs. Priscoe felt herself snubbed,
and her color rose. She rushed incon-
tinently into the battle.
Sim glad if some of your own
friends are coming down to see you
while you are here; it will give Harry
Tredennick time to attend to his read
ing. My husband says he has been
quite idle lately, and will have no
chance of his examination in October
unless all this-well-dangling about
was the rector's representations to
an end" Then, as Miss Verey did not
speak: "You know, my dear girl, in
little place like this people WiU take
notice OF such very marked Irritation,
and Harry Tredennick being the squire
and your mother such a very old
lady"
Here Mrs. Briscoe got terribly con-
fused, for the girl had slowly turned
her face full on her, and was waiting to
reply.
"Good afternoon was all she said,
however, and crossing the street she
joined Harry Tredennick, who was
pushing out Of the post-office with more
letters and papers in his hands than he
or his grandmother ever received at the
Park in month.
"Stop moment" she said, "there
is q gentleman in here want to speak
to-" And when little Mr.. verriker
emerged he was quite astonished at the
friendly greeting he got from the ex-
elusive Miss Verey, with whom in town