The Opelousas courier., 1889-09-28

~ "no mariners lnVltatlon. Mrs.
Mariner expressed surprise at this want
OF courtesy and apologized to the Single
Q Tor having no n to meet them.
ARE you sure, Ethel, you told her the
night day? Florence is in town, I know
and 1t is SO unlike her to be rude
Il think it was all right. rna,nmo ),
Ethel replied vaguely, and never gaye
another thought to the matter.
But the morning of the next day. as
sne was practicing her singing in the
great holland-shrouded dining-room, the
door was flung open to admit a benign
and comely lady, who advanced smiling
toward her.
"Mrs. Byrne!" cried Ethel in some
surprise, getting off the music-stool.
Mrs. Byrne established herself COM
fortably in deep armchair, then beck
oned the young girl mysteriously with a
well-gloved finger: "Come over here,
Ethel" :
Ethel drew a stool to the others side
and sat down, smiling but mystified.
Mrs. Byrne played a little with the
clasp of the silver-mounted hand bag
which she carried, from which, having at
last succeeded in opening it, she pro-
duced a stamped envelope addressed to
herself.
"Do you know hat handwriting?" she
said, fourishing it before Ethel's aston
ished eyes.
at is my own; I wrote to ask you to
lunch," poor Ethel answered simply;
while the thought flashed across her mind
that Mrs. Byrne had probably gone mad.
"Read it, then," cried that lady, with
an air of suppressed amusement which
lent ~colorto the notion.
Ethel unfolded it quickly, then sat
transtixed like one who receives a sudden
and fatal injury. For before her horror
stricken eyes glared these words, in her
W handwriting: "Yours very sincere
ly, Jack Davenant."
"What does it mean?" she cred at last
in a hoarse voice, for it seemed that some
tiendish magic had been at work.
That's what I want to know" Mrs.
Byrne answered more gently. 'I re-
ceived this note the day before yester-
day. There was no address, and the
handwriting was certainly. not Jacks.
Nor is my cousin in the least likely to
invite me to lunch at his chambers. So
I wrote off to him at onee and told him
to drop in to dinner if he had anything
to say to me-"
Ethel had risen to her feet, and was
standing with a little frozen smile on her
face; but at this point she broke in hur-
riedly:
"Did you show him Mr. Davenant)
the letter." {.
Mrs. Byrne nodded. She was not q
person of delicate perceptions and had
come here bent on a little harmless
amusement, but somehow the amusement
was not forthcoming.
Ethel clasped her cold hands together
in a frenzy of despair. She knew that
Jack was familiar with her handwriting.
Had he not made little criticisms, Sc
we're and tender, on the occasional notes
of invitation which she had addressed to
him2
"Jack said he knew nothing about the
note and hadn't the ghost of an idea
what it meant2"
aOh, Jack, Jack" cried Ethel's heart
in parenthesis, e'what must you think of
me?''
Mrs. Byrne went on: stGrace 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 0 her pres
ence of mind.
Elbow could | have made such stupid
mistaken she said, with a short laugh.
81 suppose | was pursuing some train OF
thought. / had met your cousin at a
party the night before-you know how it1
Isl o.
Mrs. Byrne was sorry for the girls dis
tress.
"It's a mistake anyone might have
made, though you must own it was rather
funny. However, / can assure you this
lit 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 low. No
deeper disgrace could befall her. 81
wonder if he is shrieking with laughter
or merely sick with disgust" the poor
girl thought when her obtuse and alma
BILE visitor had at last departed. ooh,
how I hate him-how | hate himl"
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 dis
graced herself; that never again could
she venture to show herself in a world
where Florence Byrne, Grace Allison,
and, above all, Jack Dayenant lived,
moved, and had their being.
Sick with shame, hot and cold with
anguish, poor Ethel sat covering in the
great drawing room like a guilty thing.
After dinner she put on her hat and
stole out into the street. She had been
indoors all day and arit
PIT -
all up @rnded coupfes were
1oifefing wiEINank affection in Regents
park. She had not gone far before she
saw a large, familiar figure bearing down
in her direction.
aoL 49, h.4a L., n L.+n h:v, ~