Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-01-17

/
wife. So Smallbore hastily decided
that he would stay to keep an eye
on Bluff, but would make himself
as inconspicuous as possible.
"Come upstairs and take a bran
dy and soda," said Seaspray. "you
will feel better then"
"Thankth, thinkth l TWILL"
replied Smallbore, who felt the
need of something to stimulate his
courage. 1t was the worst thing
he could do under the circ u M
stances. What he wanted was
something to quicken his Judgment.
Brandy and soda doesn't do that.
ats my private oplnlOn," sub
sequently observed Seaspray, in the
smoking room, "that Smallbore is
three sheets in the wind with the
fourth happlng."
Seaspray was a yachtman and
affected nautical phrases.
"WelI, if that's the case, he had
better fight shy of Miss Angelina"
was the jndicious response; ''she
threw over Will Highly last year
because she found him tight once"
Smalibore, despite the brandy
and soda, was OF the same opinion,
but as he explained to me after
ward when making a clean breast
of the whole business, he could not
resist the temptation to steal down
stairs to see what Bluff was up to-.
He selected a place in deep shadow
where be could see without much
risk of being seen. But in this
world when a fellow gets into fix
the thing that he wishes most to
avoid is most likely to happen.-
The sharp eyes of Miss Kitty CHIP
per discovered him. She had been
out six seasons, and perhaps had
her own private reasons for object
ing to a long continued tetea-tete
between Miss Angelina and Bluff.
"Oh, Mr.. Smallbore," she ex-
claimed, tripping up to him, "wheTe
have you been keeping yourself so
long. I'm so glad I've found you.
There are lot of girls who are dy'
ing to have you sing a duet with
Miss Angelina. That sweet one,
you know, about love will have
its way"
Miss Kitty tapped him with her
fan and added slyly, pointing to
where Miss Angelina and Bluff
were sitting: "NOw don't you think
that I'm a real good friend of yours
There's many slip 'twixt the cup
and the lip, you know"
"Confound her!" thought to
Smallbore. (He really thought
something stronger he told me-
Earlier in the evening he had look
ed forward with a great deal OF
pleasure to singing with Miss An
gelina, but now the the bare idea
of it made him shudder.
"Thu'll have to excuthe me,
mumbled Smallbore, vainly trying
to control his lisp. "Pm moth
feething thwell."
"Indeed l think we had better
excuse you," replied Miss Kitty
with emphasis, lifting her ey e
brows.
SmalIbore didn't appreciate th'
significance of that emphasis, he
was only too glad to get rid of her
Meanwhile false theory concern
ing the cause of Smallbore's defec
tive speech had travelled like light
ming. Tom Jenkins, who bor'
Smallbore a grudge for a richly de
served snu0 which SmallbOre haC
once administered to him, fOunt
an opportunity to whisper the new
to Bluff, got it afterward from
a friend of Bluffs that this is wha
he said:
"That snob, Smallb ore, is as ful
as a tick. He can't even tall
straight. Ifyou play your card'
we'll you've got winning game"
| don't like Bluff, but admit h
Is a pretty smart fellow.
He at once perceived the ad
vantages which the situation offer
ed for him.
Kitty Clipper had only lie t
SmallbOre five minutes when BLU
strOlled up to him.
"What's this l hear, old fellow
you're not feeling wellP Pm duec
edly sorry. I'll take you wheT
you'll get we'll in iiffy. Miss An
geIlna has been so anxious to see
! you all the evening that, by Joy G
she has been hardly civil to me-"
"Come right along, old fellow,
added Bluff with affected gooC
nature pattiDg Smallbore on th
back, "you'll get we'll IN no time"