Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-03-09
aRs. BRANDOW'S ELOPEMENT.

FRS. BRANDOW'S ELOPEMENT.
New York Times
Miss Mamie Du Bots had great many
suitors. 1t was generally conceded,
however, that only two had any chance OF
winning her. Mr.. Jack Minturn and Mr..
Bob Brandon were the only ones who
| rode to hounds, and as Miss Mamie was
an enthusiastic follower of the Willow
Brook pack, her friends concluded, and
quite correctly as it proved, that when
she made her choice she would become
| either Mrs. Minturn or Mrs. BRANDON.
These who took the trouble to form an
opinion as to which of the two gentlemen
| it would be, said Jack would undoubtedly
| be the favored one. He was the hand
| somer, rode if anything trife better
| than his rival, and during the fall of 1888
was temporary Master of the Foxhounds,
| hunting the pack with great skill.
| Moreover he was more of ladies' man
| and quite as well fixed financially. But
| at the clos- of the autumn season of 1888
| Miss Nannie's engagement to Bob was
| announced. The following fall the gen
tleman built number of additions to
| his little hunting box, reconstructed his
! stables, bought some more hunters, and
| for two years he and Miss Mamie, now
Mrs. Brandow, hunted even more en-
Enthusiastically than before their mar
| rage.
| Jack Minturn went to the south of
| France for the seasons of 1884 and 1885.
| He told his friends that he had long
wished to try some hunting there, and
now he had an excellent opportunity.
His friends smiled. Some even ven
tured to openly poke fun at him.
| When the Willow Brook Club met ct
| Delmonico's, in the midwinter of 1885 g.,
| to elect officers for the ensuing year, it
| was found that Mr.. Bob Brandow and an
| other gentlemen had set their hearts up
| on being Master of the Foxhounds, and,
| furthermore, it was discovered that each
| felt his claim to be of such nature that
| in case of his oponent's election he (the
| defeated candidate) had but one course
to pursue-to resign. The position was
| decidedly awkward especially as the club
| was evenly divided about the rival can
| didates. serious break was imminent.
Now it so happened that Jack Minturn
| arrived home in New York from his tenn
| porary sojoHrn abroad on the very day
| of the Willow Brook elections, and, drop
| ping into Delmonico's after several in
effectual ballots had been taken, was
pounced upon by the contending factions
as compromise candidate. He admit
| ted that his hunters were on the way
across the ocean, and that he intended to
hunt during the coming year, protested
| that he could not think of such an honor
as the title of Master of the Foxhoun DIS,
and was unanimously elected in the midst
| of his protestations. He, of course, ac-
oepted.
And so it came to pass that when the
frost got out of the ground Jack Min
| turn was once more not only an active
| member of the Willow Brook, but was
handling the pack.
Bob felt not particle of resentment
| and was glad to see him hunting again.
! Mrs. BRANDON was delighted to see "her
| old friend" back. She chided him pref
| tily for having deserted the Willow Brook
for so long, utterly ignoring the com
monty conceded cause of his desertion,
| told him with innocence amusingly earn
| est how the pack chad been too fast and
| too slow" in his absence and from the
| beginning treated him quite as cordially
as if she had not been the cause of his
| two years exile.
Jack Minturn became very attentive to
| Mrs. BRANDON. 1t was quite natural. He
! was Master of the Hounds; she was prob
| ably the best lady rider in the club, facts
! which in themselves led to certain courte-
| sizes on his part. AS time went on, he be-
came quite devoted, and she, to say the
| least, did not discourage him.
| AS the season advanced, Bob became,
| not jealous-nobody is jealous nowadays
but little uncomfortable. Of course,
| he cared aothing about it himself. He
unr,lI ,nfh ox,a hoo
| not been for outsiders; he feared they
we're enjoying mental chuckles at his ex-
pense. This was the way Bob argued in
the spring. By fall he was ready to ad-
| NIT that he did care. His views on the
| subject had become more and more posi-
| tive until he had reached state of mind
best described as volcanic. Mrs. BRANDON
| may or u ay not have been aware of his
| mental perturbation. She paid no atten
| ton to il. She was yodng, very young,
I having been married before she was out
| of her teens.
One afternoon late in October Mr.. and
| Mrs. Bob BRANDON stood on the veranda
| of their hunting box waiting for the
horses to be brought around. Mrs. Bran
dow's dainty form never looked daintier
| cheeks were already solored by the sharp
| autumn air, her deep blue eyes sparkled
| in anticipation of the afternoons sport.
| Altogether she made very pretty pic
| ture, but Bob was evidently in no mood
| to enjoy it. He paced up and down with
| measured stride and closely knit brow,
| humping his boot top with his crop at
every step in total disregard of the polish
so laboriously bestowed upon the IN
offending top By the stable boy.
"Kierney tells me-" he said, finally
| wheeling to a standstill before his wife,
i'that you have ordered Lord Bothwell's
| shoes changed tomorrow without fail,
and he said something about Minturn' s
riding him on Thursday"
Z Mrs. BRANDON Strengthened up. She
had been sitting ON the veranda rail, and
with determined Tightening of her pref
ty lips, which was little in keeping with
| with her mild, almost careless tone said,
looking straight at her husband.
"Well?"
"Well?" he repeated. 81 don't see why
you should supply Minturn with horses; if
he can't run the pack with the horses he
has let him take one of the whips mounts,
or get horses enough to have q spare one
WHICH ne uccus IL. uOa scc why wc
should forever be placing our stable at his
disposal. I'm tired of it," and the speak
er began to punish his boot-top again.
"Did you wish to use Lord Boutwell, on
Thursday" asked his wife calmly.
"Of course notw was the reply in tones
of disgust. don't care anything about
the horse. It's this everlasting taking
trouble for Minturn that 1 object to. It's
Minturn this, Minturn that, until I'm
tired OF it. You know very well how at
tentive he was to you before we we're
married Mrs. Brandow's cheeks became
a shade roster, and her eyes lost for
moment their steadiness and 1 think it's
decidedly bad form for him to be always
at your side, and decidedly bad form for
you to encourage him. You had your
choice and could have chosen him had
you wished, but you didn't, and now
lsavagely however much you may regret
your choice, you ought at least to act
with propristy and discourage the mark
ed attention he has to pay you. You
must not let him have Lord Boutwell, for
Thursday" and the speaker paused much
cut of breath. He felt relieved by the
outburst, and watched his wife closely to
see what the effect would be upon her.
She looked very angry, angrier than what
he had seen her before, but not at all dis
concerted. Il most certainly shall let
Mr.. Minturn have Lord Boutwell," she
said. with astonishing control of her voice,