Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-05-03

! "Oh yea, he's all right now. III tell
! you what, Werner; have an ex PLANTATION.
/ The old boy came down from town by
midday train, and / dare say missed his
1 lunch, and what you took for madman
was only fellow in want of his dinner"
And the two youog men leughingly
/ changed the subject.
/ A few days after this the colonel was
/ back ia town, and found himself dread
/ ing considerably the coming interview
with the widow. He would have to con
| trm her worst fears, he was sfraid; also
| that there would be scene, and he did
not like the idea of il at all. He felt
moreover, that he must appear N the
| light of a bearer of bad news-a melan
choly character which he did not by any
means wish to assume in Mrs. Yerner's
| eyes. "HoWever,' thought he, II shall at
any rate have an opportunity afterwards
of playing the part of comforter and ad-
wiser" Aud this reflection seemed TO
cause him good deal of satisfaction. II
will be seen, therefore, that the colonel
had bsen somewhat shaken TO use the
word which he mployed in confessing il
TO hiaseli), or smltten, with Mrs. Werner
on the one occasion on which he had seen
her, and during the few days that inter
day on which they had appointed &c have
their second meeting he found himself
constantly regarding that future date with
the mixed feelings which have been de
scribed above.
The appointed day and hour found
Col. Punter seated in his room trying to
read the paper, but in reality waiting a
little nervously for Mrs. Werner. She did
not keep him long. On entering the
room she looked keenly at the colonel,
and, advancing quickly, said i'll rapid,
anxious accents:
ooh, Col Punter don't keep me IN sus-
pense; is it true?" Theu seeing his
/ blank look, she cried out: at is, and he
| Is dishonored.' Then she sank Into a
chair and burst into tears. This the
colonel had prepared himself for, so in
| his most winning accents he implored
! her to compose herself Thus in few
minutes she partially succeeded in doing,
and immediately proceeded to cross-ex
anime him as TO what he had found out
and done at Aldershot; how there was no
| louot in the regiment as to young Yer
ner's being the son of rich people at
| Singapore, now the cologel himself had
told him so, and how he (Col Punter)
had in fit of indignation spoken to the
young man himself. For this she mildly
upbraided him, reminding him of her re
quest, and the colonel deprecated her
wrath and pleaded studded impulse.
When the story was finished she rose, and,
smiling sadly through her teais, said.
al don't know how can sufficiently
thank you for your kindness TO me, Col.
Punter. You have indesd been true
friend, and l should like, above all things,
if you will allow me to ask your advice rs
to what had better do in this sad mat or;
but, indeed, / feel quite incapable of do
ing 50 on this occasion. Hearing that
these terrible reports are true has, as you
have seen, upset me very much, and
think had better go home now; but If
You will allow me to fix future inter
view by note, when | feel less unequal 10
the effort, you will add one more to your
many kindnesses.
The colonel very readily consented, and
in another moment she was gone, and
with her, SO it seemed to our gallant
friend, all light and beauty departed
from the room. From that moment, too,
though he would hardly have confessed it
to himself, he began looking forward TO
the day when he should see that note up
on his table.
A fortnight had elapsed since the in
terview above detailed. but Col. Punter
had not yet received the expected note.
He had not gwen up hope, but still he
was undoubtedly depressed, and, whether
it was an effort to throw off his detection
which had induced him TO COCOON pany his
friend Capt. Jones to the Variety theater,
or whether i'm PEELED by fate, or for what
or In Ina, ntra
but at any rate in that theater, and com
fortably ensconced in two stalls, sat Col.
Punter and Capt Jones on this evening,
some of the events of which are about to
be related.
The curtain had Just faller On the first
act, and the house, till that sloment wrap
ped in gloom, sprang suddenly into light.
Then, as if by common consent, every
man, woman and child in the great audi
ence, with want of manners that would
be permissible no where else, but which
is quite conventional between the acts OF
a play, commenced, with OF without opera
! glasses, to scrutinize his or her neighbor.
For few seconds the colonel had a dis
cussion with his friend as to whether
there was time for a cigarette be-
tween acts. This was promptly decid-
ed in the negative, and both omcersi
grasping their glasses, proceeded to JOIN
in the general inspection"
With q calmness born of long habit
Col. Painter w9s sweeping the house, when
suddenly his arm dropped and his gaze
became intently fixed on the occupants
of box on the right of the stage; these
consisted of two gentlemen and a lady, the
lady was Mrs. Werner. On this point he had
no doubt whatever, though he looked at
, her with ever-iucreasing surprise, for she
was in very foil evening dress, and was
, extensively bejeweled. She was, more
over at this moment talking and laugh
ing loudly, not to say boistorously, with
! her com panions, both of whom the col
ouel mentally and unhesitatingly pro
{ nounced to be cads. At this junctDre Mrs
Werner, turning her head suddenly
caught sight OF Col Pnnter staring al
her from the stalls; the moment their
t eyes met be bowed, and she also bowed
slightly and smiled, then, turning to hei
3 com panions, she seemed, srom their up
roarous laughter, to be telling them