Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-11-18

"Ihere must be some mistake! 1t is not
| for me Call the boy, Waters
Waters, who was perfectly aware that the
boy had left, nevertheless obediently walked
toward the hall door. but was recalled by his
master
NO natter at present"
@Its nothing serious, Willialnsp asked Mrs.
Rightbody, with languid wifely concern.
mo, nothing. Is there light in my
studyFo
YES. But before you 90, can You give
me a moment or tvogs
Mr.. Righthody turned littlo impatiently
toward his wife. She had thrown herself
languidly on the sofa; het. hair was slightly
disarranged, and part Of a slippered foot
was visible. She might have been finely
formed woman; but even her careless desha-
bile left the general impression that She was
severely flanneled throughout, and that any
ostentation Of wornanly charm was under
vigorous sanitary surveillance.
Mrs. Marvin told me tonight that her son
made no secret of his serious attachment for
our Alice, and that, il 1 was satisfied, Mr..
Marvin would be glad to confer with you at
once"
The information did not seem to absorb
Mr.. Rightbodys wandering attention, but
rather increased his Impotence. He said
hastily that he would speak OF that to-mor-
row, and partly by way of reprisal, and partly
| to dismiss the subject, added
Positively James must pay some attention
to the register and the thermometer 1t was
| over 70 degs tonight, and the ventilating
draft was closed in the drawing room.
"That was because Professor Amnnon sat
near it, and the old gentleman's tonsils are 50
| sensitive
HE ought to know from Or. Dyer Dot
that systematic and regular exposure to
draughts stimulates the mucous membrane;
while fixed air over sixty degrees invari-
ably"
81 am afraid, William interrupted Mrs.
Rightbody, with feminine adrotness, adopt
ing her husbands topic with view of there
| by directing him from it; "Im afraid that
people do not yet appreciate the substitution
Of bouillon for punch and ices observed
that Mr.. Spondee declined it, and, fancied,
looked disappointed The fibrine and wheat
in liqueur glasses passed quite unnoticed,
too"
"And yet each half tlrachm contained the
half-digested substance Of a pound Of beef
I'm surprised at Spondee!" continued Mr.
Rightbody, aggrieyedly. "Exhausting his
brain and nerve force by the highest creative
efforts of the Muse, he prefers perfumed ami
diluted alcohol favored with carbonic acid
gas. Even Mrs. Faringway admitted to me
that the sudden lowering of the temperature
Of the stomach by the introduction Of
ice 10y
'Yes; but she took a lemon ice at the last
Dorothea reception. and asked me if | had
observed that the lower animals refused their
food at q temperature over sixty degrees"
Mr.. Rightbody again moved impatiently
towards the door. Mrs. RightbQdy eyed him
curiously
"You will not write. | hope. Dr.. Kep-
pier told me tonight that your celebral
symptoms interdicted any prolonged mental
strain
II must consult few papers, responded
Mr. Rightbody, CURLY, as he entered his
library,
1t was a richly furnished apartment, NOR
| bidly severe in its decorations, which were
symptomatic of d gloomy dyspepsia Of art,
then quite prevalent A few curios, very
ugly, but providenhally equally rare, were
scattered about. There were various bronzes.
marbles and casts all requiring explanation.
and so fulfilling their purpose of promoting
conversation and exhibiting the crudition Of
their owner. There were souvenirs of travel
with history old bric-a-brac with a pedigree.
but little or nothing that challenged attention
for itself alone In al cases the superiority
of the owner TO his possessions was admitted.
As natural result nobody evor fingered
there, the servants avoided the room ana 10
child was ever known to play in it.
Mr.. Rightbody turned up tho gas and from
a cabinet Of drawers, precisely labeled drew
package Of letters These be carefully OK
amined All VERT discoiored and mado dig
nified by age, but some. in their original
freshness, must have appeared triaing, and
in consistent with any correspondent of MI
Rightbody. Nevertheless, that gentleman
spent some moments IA carefully perasing
t4cm, occas nallg referring to the telegram
in his hand Suddenly there :, as knock ct
the door. Mr. Rightbody started made a
half-unconsciouS movement to return the
letters to the drawer, turned tho telegrar2
face downwards, and then, somewhat harshly,
stammeredi
"Ehl Whose theros Come in"
Il beg your pardon papa" said very
pretty girl, entering, without, however, the
slightest trace Of apology or awe Ia her man,
ner, and taking chair with the self-poascs-
sion and familiarity Of a habitue Of tho
room, "but knew it was not your habit to
write late, 50 supposed you were not busy
am on my way to bed
She was SO very pretty, md withal so ut
| teTly unconscious Of it. or perhaps SO CON
sciously superior to it, that one was provoked
| into a more critical examination Of her face
But this only resulted in reiteration Of her
beauty, and perhaps the added facts that her
dark eyes were very womanly, her rich COM
plexion eloquent and her chiseled lips full
| enough to be passionate or capriciotts, not
outstanding that their general effect suggest
ed neither caprice, womanly weakness nor
passion.
With the instinct Of an embarrassed man,
Mr. Rightbody touched the topic he would
have preferred to avoid,
Il suppose we must talk over tomorrow"
| be hesitated, 'tl4is matter Of yours ard mr.
Marvusl Mrs. Marvin has formally spoken
to your mother"
hiss .Alico lifted her bright eyes intelli-
gently, but not joyfully, and the color Of
action, rather than embarrassment, rose to
her round checks
YES, he said she would" she answered
simply.
4At present. continued AR Rightbody,
| still awkwardli u see no objection 10 the
proposed arrangement
Miss Alice opened her round eyes at this
why, papa, | thought it had been all set.
tied long ago! Mamma knew it, you know it,
Last July mamma ard you talked it over
Yes, yes" returned her father, fumblng
his papers; that is-wcll, we will talk Of it
tomorrow In fact, Mr. Rightbody hat
intended to give the affair a proper attitude
| Of seriousness ard solelnnity by due precision
Of speech and some opposite reflections, when
he should impart the news to his daughter, but
felt himself unable to DO it now Il am glad,
Alice" be said at last, @that you have quite
forgotten your previous whims and fancics.
You see 1ce are right"
ooh! dare say, papa, if I'm to be mar
ried at all, that Mr.. Marvin is in every way