The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-04-13
AN ELOPEMENT.

ever, that only two had any chance Of
winning her. Mr.. Jack Minturn and Mr..
Bob BRANDON were the Gully 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. Brandow. Those
who took the trouble to form an opinion
as to which OF the two gentlemen il would
be, said Jack would undoubtedly be the
favorite one. He was the handsomer.
rode, If anything, a trifle better than his
rival, and during the fall of 1888 was
temporarily master Of the foxhounds,
hunting the pack with great skill. More
over, he was more of a ladies' man, and
quite as well fixed as Bob financially.
But at the close Of the autumn season of
1888 Miss Nannie's engagement to Bob
was announced The following fall the
gentleman built a aumber Of extensions
and additions to his little hunting box,
reconstructad his stables, bought some
new hunters, and for two years he and
Miss Mamie, now Mrs. Brandow, hunted
even more enthusiastically than before
their marriage. Z.
JP~ hiintarn went &c seuth France Sor
the season 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 veptured to openly poke fun
at him. When the Willow Brook club
met at ~Delmonico's, In the midwinter Of
1856, to elect officers for the ensuing
year, it was found that Mr.. Bob BRANDON
and another gentleman had set their
I hnartr 11nnr ha4por ,aapknv - kh,H 80
hounds, and furthermore it was discoy-
cred that each felt his claim to be of such
n nature that in case of his opponents
election, he Cthe defeated candidatel had
but one course to parsue-to resign. The
position was decidedly awkward, especi-
ally as the club was evenly divided about
the rival candidates. A serious break
was imminent.
Now 1t Sc happened that Jack Minturn
arrived home in New York from his tenn
porary s%oJourn abroad on the very day OF
the Willow Brook elections and, dropping
into Delmonico's after several Intellectual
ballots had been taken, WAS ponnced upon
by the contending factions as a compro-
mise candidate, He admitted that his
hunters were on the way across the
ocean, and that he intended 70 hunt dur
ing the coming year, protested that hes
could not think OF such an honor as the
title of master of the ~foxhounds, and was
unanimously elected in the midst of his
protestations. He, of course, accepted.
And so it came to pass that when the.
frost got out Of the ground Jack Min
turn WITS not only an active member Of
the Willow Brook, but was handling the
neck.
Bob felt not a particle of resentment,
and was glad to see him hunting again,
Mrs. Brandow was delighted to see her
old friend back. She chided him prettily
for having deserted the Willow Brook for
so long, utterly ignoring the com1sonly
conceded u of his desertion, told him
with innocence amusingly earnest how
the pack had been too fast and too Slow
IN his absence, and from the beginning
treatel him quite as cordially as tf she
hafs not been the cause of his two years.
exiiSs
Jack Minturn became very attentive to
Mrs. Brandow. 1t was quite natural. He
was master OF tie hounds; she was proba-
bly, the best lady rider In the club; facts
which ia themselves led to certain courte-
sizes on his part. AS time went on he be-
anne 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 a little uncomfortable. OF course.
he cared nothing about It himself. He
would not have given it a second thought
had it not been for outsiders; he feared
they were enjoying mental chuckles at
his expense. This was the way Bob
argued in the spring. BY fall lie was
ready to admit that he did care. His
views on the subject had become more
positive, until he had reached a state Of
mind best described as volcanic Mrs.
BRANDON may or may not have been
ware OF his mental perturbation. She
was young, very young, having been mar
ried before she was quite out of her teens.
One afternoon late in October Mr.. and
Mrs. Bob Brand0w stood on tine veranda
Of their hunting box, waiting for the
horses to be brought around. Mrs. Bran
dow's dainty form never looked daintier
than when incased ia brown habit, her
cheeks were already colored by the sharp
autumn air, her deep blue eyes spanked
IN anticipation Of the afternoons sport.
Altogether she made a very pretty pict-
ure, but Bob was evidently In no mood
to enjoy it. He passed up and down with
measured stride and closely knit brow,
humping his boot top with his crop at
every step, Ia total disregard Of the pol
ish 50 lab0riously bestowed upon the I'M
offending top BY the stable boy.
"KIeruey tells me, = he said finally,
wheeling to a standsti1I before his wife,
'sthat you have ordered Lord R0thwell's
shoes changed tomorrow without. fail,
and he said something about Minturn's
riding him on Thursday
Mrs. BRANDON Strengthened up. She
had been sitting on the veranda rail, and
with a determined tightening Of her pretty
lips, which was little in keeping with her
mild, almost careless tone, said, looking
straight at her husband:
"WeNY'i
"Welgp he repeated, 81 don't see why
you should supply Minturn with horses;
II he can't run thepack with the horses
he has let him take Ole OF the whips
mounts or get horses enough "a have q
spare one when be needs Ii. Id0n't see
why We should forever be placing orr
stable at his disposal, I'm tired Of it,
and the speaker began to punish his boot
top again.
did You wish to use Lord R0thweII /
on Thursdayf' asked his wife calmly.
's0f course not wal the reply, ia
tones Of disgnsk ~ don't care anything
about the horse. Us this everlasting
/