The state journal., 1885-01-17

dience to a gentle avuncular murmur De,
hind him, duly presented the elder lord
to his well. his chum.
The old gentleman was IN amazing
form. He dotted his broad brlmmed
white hat with Chesterfield courtesy,
promptly installed himself beside the
rustling white frock, and laid himself out
to regale Miss Harry with somewhat OBJ
vious compliment, and somewhat reck-
less anecdote of his own early coaching
DAYS and nights ("sugar and spice" sort
of conversational pudding) all the way
TO Richmond. His nephew vainly at
tempted an occasional cut in from his
seat behind. No use; and the moment
he permitted himself to wear but for an
instant certain frown that Harry we'll
knew, his fate was sealed. Why men will
put their stupid heads into the mouth of
lioneases, to have them promptly snapped
off, is one of Times insoluble problems.
Occasionally she threw short monosylia-
bic over her left shoulder, where nestled
the orchid spray poor Art had sent her
that morning, but she devoted herself to
Lord Arthur diRe. The temptation was
irresistible. Uucle and nephew were a
new team to drive, and she hustled them
along mcrrilY. Art tried in vain to con-
sole himself with another white frock
beside him. To his horror she turned
out to be of q poetical turn of mind, spite
of her pretty face, and somewhat
brusquely refusing to offer an opinion on
the last volume of morbid verse called
Hymns Of the Hemlock, he sulked and
had bad TIME of it. His outraged
namesakc High Art, and all her follow
ers, were for the moment amply avenged
for the many insults offered to them, and
as for the little Introduction Demon
(who was perched invisibly in the horn
basket behind), he almost laughed his
little black tail off.
Although frequently piped unto Tin the
shape Of invitations), the old lord did not
dance, and so he was not at the Caledo-
Man ball at Wiilis's Rooms that night,
with red collar tackled on to his dress
coat, pretending to be postman. But
Lord Art was there in the full bravery
and panoply of the Queens Own Ork-
ney-Islanders, Of which gallant corps he
was sort of honorary sub lieutenant.
Harry was there, as matter of course,
and before he we'll knew where he was
they were dancing their annual reel Ga
weird barharic thing, in which the per
formers touch the floor gingerly with
their toes, as if it were red hot, and look
regretfully over their shoulders at their
leftlegs, when they are not engaged in
tying them into true lovers knots, and
snap their fingers and cry Hoo y at ex-
cited intervals). But the rhythm OF the
reel didn't crush Arts sternneSs; and
when he led Harry out for lemonade
under the famous Sir Joshua in the ante
room, he had lost his wOnted smile,
looked inclined for war, and sat by her
side like sulky Scandinavian god. The
Queens Own o. is wear, as you know,
a costume more archGOlOgically accurate
than artistic.
"Why has the good uncle of the angry
nephew not come to the gay dancer
Harry inquired Ollendorflanly. "Weren't
those roans simply stunning, and hadn't
we a good timer"
"No, | hadn't good time, you know
that; and, forgive me, you are getting
shockingly slangy."
Harry opened the violet windows of
her sOul-wide open-and said nothing.
"You devote yourself to my uncle
can't help that" Art went on. and then
the peal Of tiny silver bells tinkled softly;
but then You are never serious for mo-
ment. Life is all reel to you; why
don't you 60 to Girton and be Wran-
gleress or something, or have mission,
or 60 'slumming'-anything to stop this
frittering and friyoling away your young
life!"
Art was getting ridiculous, and he
knew it; still he hOundcred on.
This London Whirl is so empty and
shallow See here, Harry, perhaps I've
no right to speak, but let me give you
just little piece of my mind"
Il wouldn't give me very big piece,
if | wero you, Art; you know you
haven't rery much to spare, said she of
the violet eyes; and then he got cross,
which was foolish, of course.
"What pleasure can it give you to fret
me so?" he growled. "Like all the rest
of them. | suppose"
If there's one observation that a
woman dislikes more than another, it is
that Just recorded. To be classified, to
be made one of group whose ways and
habits are understood as if they were
bacteria or blackbirds; to be summed up
as 81 llhG u HOlhduJ arc StdtCuhSu6S anu
criticisms, as rule, uttered by men in
anger, and listened to by woman with
contemptuous Indignation; and so there
was row royal, and it pivOted on slangi-
ness in general.
you men," said Harry, who insist
on applying your racing, and cricketing,
and boating metaphors to all the events
of this life, and to teach US to do the
same, haven't an ounce Of the pluck OF
the Serious Johnnies, who have the
courage to use words out of the ordinary
smoking vocabulary because they know
what they mean, which the idle and ig-
norant don't. Do you know, you and
have spent years talking AFFECT nonsense
to each other1" and there was just faint
flush as she spoke. In the pause Are had
QualmS of conscience, and his eyes wan
dered round the room.
"What do you think of that7" he said
suddenly, indicating the Sir Joshua be-
fore them. He knew she was a fair judge
of pictures, and waited for an earnest
verdict to turn the talk into less stony
and perturbed channel,
With the rapt gaze of a seraph Harry
looked upward, and murmurred softly,
Downright ripping
1t was TOO much for him, and after her
own lecture, too "RtppingI you ought
to be put on Baby Ruskins and water for
a fortnight. The good old uncle would
not admire the young girls discourse"
and then he hummed to himself an i'll
advised stanza commencing Grabbed
age and youth" and laughed, till sud
denly the violet eyes turned into steel
blue, like those of Glaucopis Athene,
aud as the valse began Miss Horton rose,
and flashed out, What right have you =
and then her partner came and carried
her of, and in answer to subsequent in
quiries of Arts she stated coldly that her
card was full.
Forthree days subsequently, he never
called on her-a dangerous experiment
with girl like Harry-three whole days