The Red Cloud chief., 1889-08-09

dance the entertainment painfully re-
minded her of the breaking-up festivi-
ties Of her school. where the white
frocks 30 hopelessly predominated over
the black coats. Remembering all
these things. the girl Set her teeth
hard. gathered her eyebrows into a
resolute frown and vowed that if she
had lost her first innings she would be
even yet with the London world.
Miss Wynne had not forgotten her
vow, or else fortune favored her. A
year later Mrs. Polsover died. leaving
half her money to the lady helps. the
other half to Jessica, who became
almost an heiress. When six months
had passed. a little paragraph appeared
in several Welsh papers containing the
following intelligence:
I'VE understand that the beautiful
Miss Jessica Wynne will. at the expira-
ton Of her mourning. return to society
As the bride of Captain Montgomery
Swift. This gallant officer, now on
leave. will. however, shortly after the
honeymoon be compelled to join his
regiment abroad"
This announcement, shOrn Of local
hyperbole. gradually found its way
into the Birmingham and Manchester
dailies. and finally drifted into o or
two London papers.
Mrs. Montgomery Swift took a charm
ing furnished house in Mayfair. kept q
perfectly appointed brougham and vic
t0ria. procured her toilets from Paris
aad forthwith became the rage. Her
gowns were copied. her repartees
quoted. her five o'clock at homes
crowded. She gave neither dinners nor
parties, availed herself Of q few of the
intrOductions obtained through the
Tressillians. who were abroad; with
charming impertinence and pretty
audacity dropped all the people she
considered bores, and plunged into the
maddest whirl Of social dissipation.
American girls CRASHED their teeth
with envy when the little grass
widow" carried of their most hopeful
admirers. dOwagers frowned, young
matrOns nursed their lips, mothers of
manageable daughters we're bitter.
but Mrs. Montgomery Swift needed
them not. and reveled in her popularity.
who the deuce is Captain Swift,
and where does he hang Out?" queried
q guardsman of a fellow warrior part
ing from Jessica, when she re-entered
her carriage after her daily walk in
the park.
who cares a big ID for the husband
of a pretty woman?" was the fippant
answer. '.He's somewhere on the gold
coast. or in India, Or at Suakim. she
tells me; he might be dead and buried
for all l care-Only it's much safer to
know there's q husband somewhere;
and. to do the little woman justice.
although she firts to the mines. she
does drag the captain in pretty freely;
and even were he to mount guard Over
her like q watch dog, he wouldn't find
much to make a rumpus about"
NO." said the other. refectively,
pulling his mustache; Its q case Of
Canute and the sea-just SO far and
no farther She's a ticklish one to
deal with. I don't quite make her out"
''She does pull q fellow up pretty
short sometimes. that's a fact, but she's
awfully jolly-no confounded sentiment
about her-not like those old stagers
who you in before you know where
you are. She's 4 r fun. by Jove!"
and he smiled with retrospective en-
Joyment.
For once the verdict of clubs, mess
rooms and smoking room was just;
Mrs. Montgomery Swift's morals we're
unimpeachable. Without 0~stentation
she frequently alluded to her absent
consort. retailed passages from his
correspondence, bewailed the long
exile and frequent changes entailed by
his profession, wondered how long he
would remain in those outlandish
places where wives we're an impossi-
bility, and occasionally reduced her
admirers to frantic despair by announc-
ing her intention OF joining Captain
Swift wherever he might be sent next.
When assured that such self immOla-
ton would be madness. she pensively
concluded that perhaps it we're wiser
to await his return to civilization and
England.
SOmetimes--not very Often-Jessica
was alone, and then she would look at
herself in the glass and smile quantity.
isn't it funny" she murmured. scan
ming her features. Il am sure l am
not quite so fresh and pretty as l was
two years ago, and l don't think I am
nearly IS nice. And yet-then nobody
even looked at me. while now" Her
eyes sparkled. %. my blessed hus-
band. what a service you have rendered
me! And to think that l shall never,
never be able to repay you"
Towards the middle Of August, with
the abruptness which characterized all
her movements. Jessica. without q word
of warning to her courtiers, accepted
an invitation to spend . fortnight in
Scotland with q young married couple
who had taken q house on Loeb Lomond