The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-11-18
CHAPTER ".
THE DEASERY TENNIS PARTY

| s.
and Lady Margaret, fresh and buxom, sat
under a tree with Mrs TrafTord who, by
the by, was thinking Of leaving Blank
hampton, and indeed had been thinking
Of il for some time.
Who is that girl standing near your
daughter" Mrs Trafford asked.
That is Miss Earle, an old friend Of
Aliens" Lady Margaret replied.
"Ah, yes. Is she not very pretty1,
Very pretty" said Lady Margaret
and a remarkably nice girl IN every way
BY the bye, her young brother, Stuart ie
just gazetteG to the Blankshre regiment
From that they passed on TO other top
les of conversation, the Blankshirc reci-
ment among others, and presently two II
its officers came from the house toward
them. Beautiful Jim was one.
Are you not going TO play, Mr.. Bcrcs-
fordl' Lady Margaret asked
Not today Lady Margaret. thanks
will look on and make myself useful, Ac
answered.
Very well. VIII you have some toag
or there is some cup ON that table,
Many thanks. will help myself Go
a cup presently he said and then some
| fresh arrivals came to take Lady Narm-
rets attention. and hc was able to stroll
away toward Nancy Earle's chair
Good afternoon, Miss Earle. lo De-
gan Not playing today
Il DO not often play, She answered.
turning a fno scarlet from chin t0 brow
! There seems no time for tennis iu town
or at least. do not find that there b.
/
can play tcisis I'm town, there is always
such a rush Of other things do DO
Yes, just SO, and however much they
bore you. you have 10 do them aIl the
same. replied Miss Earle keeping her
attention well fixed on the tennis PLAYERS.
For few minutes this highly uncom
Portable and unsatisfactory siaicofailted
stiffness continued Then Beautiful Jim
played n bold stroke hat they might ger
ont of IL, and 40 the same time into a less
prominent position.
Don't you think. Miss Earle. he said
in n semi reflective tone. that we should
get q much more comprehensive view OF
the play from the terrace
Miss Earle looked round 40 the terrace
and admitted that 10 wouldn he half bad
under the biz tree and betook themselves
to the terrace whence they could com
mand good view of the tennis courts, and
consequently Of players and play
There were some basket work Hurting
ham chairs on the terrace. and Miss Earlo
settled herself into one Of them with
desperate kind of feeling that sho would
have to hear what Beautiful jim should
choose TO say about the letter she had
sent him. and that the sooner be began
the sooner 10 would be over After OH,
this Beautiful Jim was o gentleman, and
had before shown himself 90 ho q man of
very delicate care for the feelings az
others So there was really but little Go
be- afraid Of; certainly be would say moth
ing disagreeable. and yet as she settled
herself ia the birmingham. she could not
help wishing dcy0utly that il was at that
moment big enough 90 bury ler
But Beautiful Jim seemed IN no hurry
to begin discussing The mistake Of the
previous Tuesday. lie talked a good
deal, far more than she did but be- did
not mention that subject. nor IN fact
did he even seem 20 be thinking about D.
Tie told her good deal about the rcgi-
mcnt and a good deal about his cousins
and his five DAYS i'm town. and he con
trived, too 20 tell her good deal about
himself. but hc never in any way APP
preached the subject Of her letter or her
unfortunate slip At last. il would be-
difficult 10 say exactly how, Miss carlo
gathered that Beautiful jim had not The
very smallest intention Of mentioning The
letter or her mistake at all. Somehow.
the knowledge seemed 10 make her grow
hot and cold all in an instant. and sho
shrunk into herself in something llAe
horror that she had not sooner realized
the delicacy and generosity Of this man
nature.
Jim Berestord himself seemed happy
enough
by that same token" he was saying
Il once did an all night doci, passage la}
self Faith, 10 was the most awful night
ever passed. Nothing / ever saw IN the
Soudan was patch upon 10. twas when
| was n lad at Woolwich, and home lor
long leave, that my young brother aud ,
and another fellow went OF 10 Scotland
for trip. We hadn't much money. FOX
my governor hadn't come into his prop
orty then. So Neil and / had 90 do 10
pretty much on tho cheap. don't yon
know Wen, il did not much matter, for
We were young and strong, with awiuAy
healthy appcttcs, and roughing IL a bio
didn't hurt us. But, OF course, wo spent
more money than We ought, and says to
Neil one morning at once dropping into
the true lrishman's way Of telling q yarn
Says /. We must just pack up our
traps and be OF, for We have but enough
TO get ourselves third class passage
home by way OF Glasgow and Belfast.
50 home we started from Glasgow by
the steamer lama fine biz boat sho
was. But the crew on board of hcr-l
well remember there were about q hln-
dred and fifty haryestmen-a Irish
came on board at Grccn0ck, most Of them
rather drunk and the row they made
well, it was just something too awful 10
got very late and ID got very cold. So $50
went down and tried the cabin first ono
and then the other, but we couldn stand
them, couldn't at any price, SO We lef5
the CHASTITY crush Of fighting men and
crying sea sick women in the full enjoy
ment Of them. and went upon deck again.
where the cold was the worst and the air
was pure enough not TO insult our lungs.
All well remember il, that 10 WASH all
as smooth as honey up Oh deck fOrthero
xxera two Irish Americans atyful follows.