Thomas County cat., 1889-08-22

had come here bent on little harm
less amusement; but somehow the
amusement was not forthcoming.
Ethel clasped her cold hands to-
gether in a frenzy of despair. She
knew that Jack was familiar with her
handwriting; had he not made little
criticisms, severe and tender, on the
occasional notes of invitation which
she had addressed to him?
"Jack said he knew nothing about
the note and hadn't the ghost of an
idea what 1t meant"
"Oh, Jack, jack" cried Ethel's
heart in parenthesis, "what must you
think of me?"
Mrs. Byrne went on: "Grace Allison
came in later, and the mystery was
cleared up. She swore to your hand
writing, and we concluded you had
done it in a fit of absence of mind.
Poor old Jack, how she did chaff him!"
Ethel was trying to recover her
presence of mind.
..How could I have made such a
stupid mistaken" she said. with a
short laugh. Il suppose 1 was pursu-
ing some train of thought. l had met
your cousin at party the night before
you know how it is"
Mrs. Byrne was sorry for the girls
distress
'lt's mistake any one might have
made, though you must own it was
rather funny. However. l can assure
you this-it won't get any further
Jack is scarcely likely to tell, and
Grace has sworn on her honor"
Ethel laughed again. meaninglessly.
As far as she was concerned the whole
world was welcome to know it now.
No deeper disgrace could befall her.
Il wonder if he is shrieking with
laughter, or merely sick with disgust, I"
the poor girl thought when her obtuse
and amiable visitor had at last de-
parted. ''Oh, how 1 hate him! how l
hate him." which was hard on Jack.
considering that his own conduct in
the matter had been irreproachable.
But Ethel was in no mood for justice.
1t seemed to her that she had utterly
betrayed and disgraced herself; that
never again could she venture to show
herself in a world where Florence
Byrne, Grace Allison, and. above all,
Jack Davenant, lived, moved and had
their being.
Sick with shame. hot and cold with
anguish, poor Ethel sat covering in
the great drawing-room like guilty
thing.
Ethel astonished her family at din
ner that evening by inquiries as to the
state of the female labor market in
New Zealand.
Uncle Joe. philanthropic parson.
who happened to be of the party, de-
lighted to find his pretty niece taking
an interest in a subject so little friv-
olous, delivered himself of a short
lecture on the subject.
Ethel sighed at hearing that there
was so little demand for the work of
educated women (save the markD in
that distant colony, and began to turn
her thoughts toward Waterloo Bridge.
''Ethel funks on being an old maid.
She knows that positively any girl can
lassoo husband in New Zealand"
her brother Bob remarked, in a chal-
ienging tone.
But Ethel bore it with uninteresting
meekness; perhaps, she told herself,
she was husband hunter after all!
After dinner she put on her hat and
stole out into the street She had been
indoors all day. and could bear it no
longer. The June evening was still as
light as day. and supplemented
couples were lettering with frank af-
fection in Regents Park. She had not
gone far before she saw large, famil-
lar figure bearing down in her direc-
ton.
''Oh. how l hate him--I hate him.
she thought again, while her heart
beat with maddening rapidity. IF he
has a spark of kindness in him he will
pretend not to see me-"
But Jack, for it was he, made no
such pretense. On the contrary. he
not only raised his hat. but came up
to her with outstretched hand. She
put her cold fingers mechanically into
his, and scanned his face; there was
neither mirth nor disgust in it, and
the thought flashed across her. chill.
ing, while it relieved her, that he
probably attached little Importance to
an incident to which she. knowing her
own secret, had deemed but one inter-
probation possible. And then. before
she knew what had happened. Jack
was walking along by her side. pour
ing out torrent of indignant re-
proaches as to her desertion of him in
favor of Dicky Carshalton at the War
ringtons' party.
1T is you!' cried Ethel, with spirit.
for the unexpected turn of affairs re-
stored her courage; sit is you, Mr..
Dayenant who were ,,nkind IN S4opd