Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-05-14

cicd himself % Judge, and invested with 4
judges rights, how ODD are your
For ouoe in Der cool, seli-p0sHasei ne Mr.
Temple wa rally dumfoundOL She locke
NJ her visitor, bat found no word b utter
and he. with an air II the most pfeposterou
Indignation and triumph, faced her, shnkinf
hi head, pusing his lip, and putting at bel
In the most extraordinary style. At last sh,
recovered herself. She WIS sorry to thini
IL: but the rector must be under the infuenc,
Of wine.
aMr. Brent she said, II think we had bet
ter take a walk In the garden She hoped
in this quiet way 10 lead him 10 his carriage
@Nor' cried the hot little fellow, I'VE shall
not take a walk in the garden He sneered
horribly a. he repeated her words. "Yot
have deceived me, Mrs. Temple, shocking.
ly"
SDeceived you" she cried, now with decid
ed sternness in her voice. II am quite be.
wildered"
SIs-it-not-true," continued Mr.. Brent,
beating time to each word, as if he were
counting in a music lesson, "~that-you-jilt
-of-the- French-revolutionfr The as
founding form Of this question, and possibly
some fact in her actual life which it brought
to sharp memory, caused Mrs. Temple to
change color. But she was really too amazed
tomake any answer. Mr.. Brent was now a
kind of drawing room red Indian, and in the
exact frame of mind in which these children
of nature begin to feel. for their tomahawk.
"And-did-you-not-lead-me to- be
lieve ~ that
no-moreF' he demanded, still hitting his open
palm as he emitted each monosyllable.
Amidst all her amazement Mrs. Temple
could now see in what style she ought to treat
the man, and so, rising with admirable com
posure, she made as if she would at the next
word ring the bell.
Mr.. Brent" she said severely, and she
said no more. She looked striking; her
diminutive well-knit figure opposite his, which
was in a funny posture, suggestive enough of
tipsy rhetoric, and her stern still face looking
into his flushed and puffy visage.
"You cannot deny it," he went on, a true
illustration of the old saying, that whom the
gods wish to destroy they first make mad.
He might ever yet have saved himself, if he
would have fairly noted her aspect; but still
he believed she trembled before him! "Under
that false impression / was actually going to
have married you in fact, l might have mar
ried you, and not found out the truth till all
was over"
Mrs. Temple had by this time begun to get
an inkling of the whole truth, and now, like the
general she was, she prepared to crush the
enemy. First she stretched out her hand
imperiously, and signing to a small arm
chair.
"Sit down there" she said.
Amazed in his turn, but q~uailing already,
Mr., Brent obeyed. How he got safely seated
is a mystery, for he never looked at the chair,
nor lifted his eyes from her.
"When you first came into this room,' she
said, in more imperious tones than before, II
thought you were drunk. The next minute l
thought you were mad. 1t took a little
longer to show me that you are neither, but
only impertinent.
The little man azed up at her open-mouthed,
like a dying fish. All the strength of his fury
was gone.
"How dare you ask me my agel' she now
demanded, driving the question into him like
a dagger. He, realizing for the first time his
wv absurdity, made no answer.
"When did tell you l was forty-ilve!' she
asked, changing to a cold, sarcastic tone.
"Tell me-"
well" he stammered; II don't exactly
know; but everybody said that was your age,
and-and I"-hc scratched his head with a
pitiable air-"I supposed you must have told
them"
ooh, then it seems it was not 1 that
said so!"
"Oh, no; it was not you"
He made this admission eagerly, to show
that he was ready to be civil. She went on,
growing colder as he grew more confused:
"You spoke Of marrying Inc; had you ever
asked meF
"No; l had not" he replied, with a dismal
expression Of CONSERVATION. But -I-I-
fAncied@"
"You faneied that you arc SO engaging that
the only question is whether you ask or not.
The lady's reply would be like the vote of
thanks at your missionary meetings-it would
60 by reclamation"
He hung his head. 1t was a new ex-
perience in life for poor Mr.. Brent to have to
sit silently by while the demonstration that
he was IN ass was quietly and logically
worked out.
snow, Mr.. Brent" she said, calmly, "let
me enlighten you. You are an amusing
chatterer, and you haveaposiSion in this place.
| did not object to know you, and to be on
easy terms with you. But as to marrying
you, l should not have done it-not even if
you had knelt at my feet for a year. You
are not agreeable to me-. l don't think you
would be agreeable to many women. You
might find some one who would marry you
for your money; tell you candidly l don't
think you will ever meet a woman, be she
twenty-five or forty-ive or seventy-fve, who
would marry you for yourself"
MRS. Temple" the miserable man said,
now thoroughly abashed, Il feel l have made
a great blunder. Had l not better bring this
visit to an endF
Not unless you wish it," she answered.
"We can change the subject, that will be suf-
1t was the quintessence Of contempt, and re
him to the station of a buzzing fly,
which need not be killed if it ceases to make
disagreeabe.
DIG rang tHe Deu, anu unhl tue serNhHI dp-
peared she allowed the Clergyman to enjoy
his situation in silence.
"Send the young ladies here" she said.
Poor little Mr.. Brent hung his head low in
deed, as the girls came back. Suppressed fun
and curiosity were in their every feature; but
in self-possession by their mother,
they were careful to appear as far as possible
unconcerned.
Girls" the little lady said, looking upon
them with eyes of fire, mr.. Brent has been
hera ou a curiOus mission y