Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1888-12-06


"Ohl / shall see her at the opening ex-
hibtion of the Sketch Club this evening,
and we shall arrange all that. /"
| "Oh! It's love, tbs love, sang Marion,
as she arranged her dress before the tall
mirror, and then with "Good- byi"
tripped home to Mrs. Dufrom.
CHAPTER VIII
AN ENCOUNTER
When Fitz rushed iuto the street from
little Miss Cobbs' house, after his prema-
;ure otter and acceptance, he felt very
much like man who has had his mental
faculties confused by severe blow on the
nose. He did moi even feel as though he
wanted TO so TO the club, though he had
laid out to have a good time there again
that evening, after he had done Cobbs, ane
have another touch at poker. MS long as the
dregs of his hundred lasted, but rushed
straight for the solitude of his own room.
Once there, he began to think over the
matter His first idea was to conceal il
from everybody even from his mother but
he knew that Lavinia would make it known
| everywhere. as she had her reflections be-
| fore twenty-four- hours bad elapsed, and
| even If he succeeded in escaping publicity
from her, his mother would lhake it known
Cor she would be so pfoud of it she could
aot withstand even poor iitzys requests
| sor secrecy Therefore, on mature conclu-
sion, he decided to make clean breast OF
1t with nav, and leave the rest to chance,
but not, under any circumstance, to give
up Miss Delorme, whom he meant to call
| on the next evening. but if at any future
| time she heard of his engagement, which
| she might through Jimmy Marks, or if il
reached the Exclusives, he would positively
| deny it.
| After dreaming over it that night, one Of
| his dreams being that little Miss Cobbs, il
the form of huge cat, had pounced sud-
| denly down on him, seized him in her i'm
mense mouth, which assumed, if it were
| possible, tenfold proportions to the iber-
al one nature had allotted to her, and bore
him off to a vault filled with gold, which,
when he offered to touch he found red
| hot Another was that Jimmy Marks had
espoused the cause of the injured Miss
Delorme, and was hunting him everywhere
with Calling gun to slaughter him for
his faithless pertidy.
| In the morning he arose unrefreshed,
went to breakfast gloomily. so gloomily that
both NAV and Garry were anxious to know
If he was sick, or If anything had hap
pened. To these loving inquiries he only
RESPONDED by drawidg still longer face,
and using the monosylable mo. ah!" but
when the meal was concluded he got out
the words, Nav, | want to see you" and
rushed away to the parlor with haste that
| mother and sister had never known him to
assume since he was boy and retreated
from his fathers ire. Thther he was fol-
| lowed by nav, who imagined every cause
but the right one, and came pale and
GREATNESS into his presence before he
could reach a chair and get his feet in an
elevated position. He did not wait for his
mother to ask him what the matter was
He saw alarmed inquiry in her face, and
he responded by bursting forth spasmod-
ically with:
Nav, I'm engaged.
| His mother did not understand these
| plain words. though she heard them dis
| tinctly, and he repeated.
Nav, I'm engaged to Laviny Cobbs,"
| "Oh, Fitz James my dear boy" almost
shrieked Mrs. BERTHE, can this be true?"
| and before Fitz could dream of such an
act, nav threw herself upon his neck, al
most carrying him off his unsteady feet,
for Mrs BERTHE almost doubled Lavinia in
size if not in yehemence, and began to
sob, oh, Fitz James, am so happy. Oh,
| dear now l am ready to die for the bright
est hope of my life is fulfilled. Oh, let
me go and tell Clara Bella.
Now, see here, nav, want this thing I'M
derstood at once. don't want you to tell
anybody, not even Clawwy. If l want
| Clawwy or any one else to know it. I'll tell
{, EN- myself. Aw, hope you understand
| this, nav.
why, Fitz James, you astonish me-
said the Mortified Mrs. Berthe. Am l to
be deprived of the privilege of commune
eating to my own daughter the intelligence
of such an important family event? Can
believe my ears?"
"Aw you can, nav, said Fitz, desper-
ately; and, his mother having released
him, he dropped exhausted. into chair
and by agonizing labor got his feet upon
the table.
"Will you give me reason for this ex-
traordinary conduct, Fitz james, my dear, :"
yasped Mrs. BERTHE.
| Because, aw, l don't want the fellahs
talking about me. NAV. Ii one fellah
knows it all the other fellahsll be sure to,
aw!"
But, Fitz James, my DEAR this is alb
surd. Your sister, Clara Bella, is not a
fellow"
Jaw. noah, but she's got fe low, and
she'll tell him. When / want her to know
it. I'll tell her, aw."
DO you mean to say my dear Fitz
James, that l am not to communicate this
highly important matter to your father?'
Yes, NAV, not even TO paw, for the
present.
"EXrio' binary conduct. Fitz james,
said til DISCUS ed Mrs. Bertie. st actual
ly take, .,say the JOY / shonld otherwise
feel at the event" And then Mrs BERTHE
solaced herself by sitting leisurely down
and hearing from Fits lips the whole
drawing account of his sudden capture by
Layinia. Nav looked grave She saw at q
glance that the affair had been entirely con-
Quoted by Lavin;a; aud her experience Of
such matters and her knowledge of Lavinia
told her that there must be a cause, but
what that cause was she could not divine.
Fitz had not told her of his brag about the
tive thousand year, and SO Mrs. BERTHE
was all at sea. she questioned and cross
questioned Fitz, but the witness stuck to the
original story, nor would he depart from
his resolution to keep the affair secret for
the present. At the end Of the interview
he came to essentials, the grand point with
him, and said:
'Aw now, nav, l want more money.
SHORE money, Fitz James, my dearl" ex-
claimed NAV, in an agonized tone, why
it was only yesterday gave You"
"Ya-a-sl | know it, aw, NAV, but
that was vest rday," interrupted Fitz,
moodily.
Why. what have you done with it?"