Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-01

81 am sorry to see that you wear black
Miss Marshall You have lost some relative
presume"
Eyes, ma'am."
A long silence, during which the cloch
licked in most obtrusive manner.
"Your mother, supposed"
81 have lost my mother"
"Ahl recentlyw
"About twenty years ago-in fact, when
was not day old"
A deeper crimson dawned in Mrs. Bernard:
already crimson face, and she retired from
the contest. A suppressed chuckle came from
the farther end of the room, where some Of
the gentlemen were deeply absorbed In read
ing. and again the clock licked with imperti
nent emphasis.
81 will never speak to her again." cried
Ms. Bernard, tearfully, to the ladies engaged
In art work.
eve must make Mrs Lane find out who
she is We owe it to ourselves" exclaimed
two or three of the more indignant ones, just
" incensed at Miss Marshall's reticence.
It seemed, however, on investigation, that
this was much easier said than done.
Miss Marshall came to me bringing the
best of references" said Mrs. Lane, among
them some friends of mine. 1 have no right
to inquire further"
"But what does she do, Mrs. Lansr arose
the feminine chorus. 'Good heavens, what
does she dos"
''She spends good deal of her time attend
ing to her own business retorted Mrs. Lane,
who had learned the use Of the English Ian
guage in the course Of several years conflict
with an ungrateful public, as boarding house
keeper, and again the assailants retired, and
there was silence for space.
From this on the discussion ragged with I'M
abated interest and accommodating venom.
The gentlemen were drawn into it in spite OF
their protests and their earnest wish to be-
friend the girl, who was alone and had no
friends. Mrs. Palmer laughed and said with
fine scorn:
$50 on, by all means. I have nothing to
do with it. Miss Marshall is abundantly
able to take care of herself. But shall en-
JOY seeing the battle royal at all events"
So Miss Marshall was utterly ignored at
the table, while the conversation went on
overhead, and all kinds of impertinent things
were said at her. When she met any of the
ladies in the hall they were wholly uncon-
scious of her presence. When she entered
stop, and the assembled crowd dropped off
one by one until she was left alone. Then
she calmly took possession Of the piano and
sang and played until some of the people up
stairs grew very restless and would willingly
have been down in the parlor again.
One evening Mrs May joined her friends,
flushed and breathless from rapid walking,
and assembled the stairs in a violent hurry.
Eve foand out something, at any rate"
she cried, triumphantly, land l think it
ought to convince us about that Miss Mar
shall, whether it does or not"
What? What2" arose the excited chorus.
"Of course you all know that she stays shut
up in her room all day, and then dresses up
and goes out about o'clock. Well, had
my suspicions"-
$50 had I,n said the chorus.
$50 for the last few evenings I quietly
followed her, and when she got down by the
corner of the Presbyterian church-now the
first time 1 saw it 1 thought it was acct
dental, but accidents don't happen four times
In succession"
''That they DON'T" cried the chorus, with
an air of deep conviction.
''Well, right at that same place. every time,
she meets man!'
"A man!'' cried the Mortified chorus.
"a mainland takes his arm and goes on
walking with him for ever so far. / tried to
follow them, but couldn't keep up And
when they come back he leaves her right at
that corner, and she comes on home, looking
as innocent as-Ns-Queen Elizabeth" she
concluded weakly, her historical education
having been neglected.
II ;,,Ii
face. Such duplicity is not to be borne
What does he look hke?" asked Mrs. Ber-
nard. breaking the astonished silence.
''Oh, splendid loodngl Great, tall, hand
some fellow, elegantly dressed, about 80 years
old"
THE wicked, abandoned creature!n cried
the chorus now, indeed, irritated beyond en-
dursnce. ''She shall not stay here another
day. Either she must leave or we will"
And Mrs. Lane was at once informed that
she could take her choice between Miss Mar
shall and her eighteen other boarders.
That evening the sky was full of thunder
clouds, metaphorically speaking, when the
boarders gathered around the table Miss
Marshall was not there, and the remarks
that were made were not complimentary to
that young lady.
What! hasn't she returned from her walk
yetf' asked Mrs May, with downward ten
dency to the corners of her pretty mouth.
YES, Miss Marshall has come back, and
has company In the parlor," said practi-
cal Mrs. Lane, who had not yet made up her
mind, apparently, whether to dispense with
Miss Marshall or with the eighteen other
boardera
Company II the parloYg" cried the chorus,
and in the midst Of the establishment Miss
Marshall came in, escorted by tall, hand
some, elegant looking gentleman, who glanced
composedly along the table and bowed to
several acquaintances among the gentlemen,
and then went and shook hands with Mrs
Lane, saying:
"Allow me 30 introduce my wife, Mrs
Lane.7
The great publisher, Neal Raymond The
whisper went from mouth to mouth The
wealthiest man In the ethyl And Miss Mar
shall his wife.
The two sat down amid the dead Silence
end addressed themselves to the things that
were set before them A long pause, during
which the eighteen boarders ste In the most
dispirited way. Mrs Palmer, on whose face
something approaching furtive grim had
been lurking for some tiEe, finally burs; out
with:
And am glad 10 know. Mrs Raymond.
that you are the author OF that delightful
Gree we have all been reading
Thank you," returned Mrs Raymond,
eomposedy.
And do you stm write, may / askF In
CURED Mrs May. longing Tor chance to say
something vindictive
"A hrtae. am engaged now on z book in
Ehieh q boarding housa 6GreA and bszn