The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1890-12-18

| siSe. II All luuEt abDui nor tHrDH m
| i'm over, why, you hEqe done it dozens Of
| lines"
"All the more reason WHY should not
ct him lie alone at this season
| VERY well, then, bring the nan with
you. lie is an odious old pra-rr. but
oppose must put up with him"
This was facer for Deesiarst, who he
:an to stanner out some1h!Hy-hi con
'usion naturally confirming his wifes sus
| aicions
Look sere, George said she, "Fud
| lleby or no Fuddleby, YOU have sonIe
-rason for not dining with me tonight
| well and good; | shall not ask Tor the con
idenee YOU deny me. Go and dine viii
| your friendsn-this with great scorn-sl
>hall choose my own companions Also
md with this she swept from the room
| After some co2itation she eYolYc7i the
following letter;
DEAR Mn. LoRS-os-I am In 4. tx al vani
| gour assistance II Is really an absurd cdnfe s4isu
- make, hut am in need OF Christmas din
ler' George has fooli,hiy made an en- Engagement
| tor tonight that lc cannot break; we have no
i-rvants, and, II W. hal. do not feel bi: Ike
| lining at home. VIII you take pity on me- and
| give me something to eat at some nice qGirt
| place although suppose all pl,ces viii u, qui.t
tonght' OF course il you are otherwi,, engaged
| 10 not hesitate 10 Ten me- ana VIII Try and put
| up with my solitude. Yours vary truly
Bearer waits MARIA DEEEHuHts1
This note She dispatched by a cab to
lornton's club, and She was not long in
receiving his reply, which was somewhat
| gushing, as Lornton could not but feel
dnttercd at the apparent interest Mrs
Dcerhurst took in him. He would order
dinner, he said, at the New Restaurant,
and await her there at 100 Lornton was
one Of the class Of young men whose sole
aim in life seems to be to display their de
votion to other mems wives. He was
| really quite Of the tame cat order 81 cav
| alters, although i'll his own mind quite
| Don Juan. At heart he probably meant
| no harm, and the very last thing he would
| think OF would be that his marked atteu-
ton to married woman should in any
way compromise her. Mrs. Deerhur,t.
| " ho was clever little woman, had. no
doubt, thoroughly probed Lorntou's char
| actcr lie was useful to her in IA dozen diff
| fcrent ways, escorted her to varous places
| Of amusement in the absence Of her hus-
| band, sent her books flowers and music:
and, However much her friends may have
| miseonstrucd his attentions, she felt per.
| feed, safe with him. lie never bored her
with any pretense of love making; indeed
| he was, alone with her, rather shy than
| otherwise, and apparently was quite con
| tent to he her slave and execute her slight
commands. Still, now that She had
achieved her purpose, Mrs. Deerburst re
GREETED what she had done, and half a
dozen times before the evening came was
on the point of making some excuse and
| not going.
| There was no knowing how the man
might take her request, his escort to the
| opera was one thing, but dining alone in a
| private room quite another True. lie had
| always been most respectful, and she had
| no reason to suppose that he would take
| advantage of the situation. Yet sometimes
these quiet youths forgot themselves and
| she admitted to herself that if be shoulG
-: -.--lL ha.s.Ile hiaul.. him she had Ger
tainly given linn every encouragement.
| Then she determined that she would send
to the club for her husband and Insist on
his. giving up his friends 1t was she felt,
humiliatiug, especially rs he seen-id SO
bent on keeping his engagement. Recol
| lection Of her husbands obstiRacy. how.
ever, proved too much for her rather late
good resolutions, and $50 saw her in a
cab OH her way to the restaurant. Near
while, Deerhurst was ut his club, and in Il
| not much more enviable state of mind than
to do very stupid thing. Mrs Vernon,
he reflected was very jolly woman, but
he saw her quite often enough without
going the length OF dining with her teie
a-tete. And "a faint suspicion, very man.
like, but very mean, crossed his mind that
| she was not quite all she should be in nc
cepting his invitation. He, too, would have
| given "A good deal to have been able to
| make some decent excuse and have put her
| off. He iidgcted about the club until il
| was time for him to 90 and dress, and just
| us be was leaving he was really more pleas
| ed than annoyed to receive a note from
| Mrs. Vernon. She could not comet An
| old aunt had been taken ill., and she had to
| 70 to her at once. The regrets expressed
| by the writer were hardly believed by
| George Deerhurst. She, toe, he WAS sure,
| was only making iiimsy excuse; she had
| evidently thought better Of the proposed
breach OF the convenanco,, and had de
| cided not to risk it. With n light heart
| George dashed homo in n cab but he was
| too late Mrs. DeerhursS had sent FOR
| hanson, but the servant had not heat ths
| address given to the cabman.
Il suppose she has gone to her sisters,
said Deerhurst to himself 81 would 20,
too, only | hate the whole lot SO. sup
pose must go and dine alone at tho club
| | wonder where the deuce Fuddlehy is to
| he found'"
| Slowly he walked back to his club feel
! ing very disguised, as naturally on such
| nights the clubs are deserted: even the
| most lonely of men find some hosltabls
| mahogany under which they are welcome
| to place their legs. There was not L soul
| he knew there and he WIS obliged To order
| a lonely dinner, to the evident annoyance
| Of the walters, who had looked forward to
ENJOYING themselves in the lower regiona
While he was waiting for it to be prepared
who should run into the room but little
Dick Merton.
"lIallo. George, what are you doing here'
You look as lively as u hermit
| Deerhurst explained that guest bad
| thrown him over and that he WAS doomed
to lonely evening.
Nonsense, my boy" said Dick. come
and dine with us. Wifo's in the cab out
side, and she be deli GIFTED. Come along
| Deerhurst, nothing 10th, apoloSi1ed for
not being dressed and followed Die& out.
|
| Mrs Deerhurst arrived at the New Res
| taurant and WAS shown into the room On
| gagged by Monsieur Longtoan,' that he
| ing the nearest the German waiter could
| yet to Lornton name. Lornton had not
| arrived, SO she sat down To wait. She more
than ever began to regret tho foolish step
she had taken. The tawdry looking fur
niture of the room and the chimney glass
| with dozens of names scratched all over II
made her shuddcr. The waiter, too, wore
an impertinent grin as he asked her, with
familiarity bordering on contempt, If he
should get her any refreshmeut. When
r. Il, 4 u
her mind not to stop. She iluue open the
door and almost fell into the arms OF her
husband and the Mertons.
"Marial'
"George.''
Little Dick Merton, glancins at the ia
Bile. which was laid for two, took in the
situation at glance.
MY dear Mrs. Deerhurst," said he, Civ
ing his wife pinch that almost made her
scream, 80 sorry we are late, but had TO
stop at the club on the way, where picked
up your husband. Hal ha. George, confess
this is surprise. You little thought you
| were going to dine with your wife. Come
along This Is the wrong room; ours is
No. TO-"
George was surprised so was Mrs. Mer-
ton.
Mrs. Deerhurst was the first to find her
voice but where is Mr.. Fuddleby,'
said she.
"Puddleby." stammered Deerhurst
"Oh, he threw me over-gout OF some
thing-and should have dncd alone had
it not been for Dicks kindness"
The party had very pleasant evening,
but not before Dick had slipped out on the
plea of interviewing the managers, and ex
planned the state OF affairs to very dis
consulate person who looked very like Mr..
Lornton. Mrs Deerhurst now counts the
Mertous a. her dearest friends, and both
she and her husband have proflted by the
lesson OF that Christmas night. Neither