The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-07-31
..NlGHS- 30 b
BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER.
Author of" Bottles Baby," Beautiful Jim,
Etc, Etc.
CHAPTER xIv.-HoME AGAIN.

proposed staying until few days before
Christmas. They had quite decided upon
making their headquarters in town and,
as they would be away SO much. thought
that it would be wisest for them to take
fat
Julia-or as her husband now called
her. Juey-had always had fancy for q
fiat, a good flat at a rental of about four
hundred year; and this WIS not SO diff
fcult for them to find as she and her
mother had not so very long before found
the little pied-d-terre which they had
sought SO earnestly in the streets Of May.
fair.
In writing to Laura StauntOn, julia
said that she was having a lovely time
They had got q fiat situated in the best
part of Victoria Street, and it was being
fitted up to her exact taste in every way.
Her boudoir was lined with yellow bro
cade the color of q buttercup, the hang
ings were of cream silk with gold en-
broideries, the furniture was entirely of
white enamel with yellow brocade cush-
ions. In one corner was cabinet of old
worries, worth so much that Julia did not
quite like to think of what they had cost,
in another recess was u service of old red
and cold Derby. There were fine old fans
on the walls, neat little nests of book.
shelves filled now with all Julia'S favOrite
books bound to keep in harmony with the
coIoring of the room. There We're all her
own especial photographs set here and
there and several of the cosiest settees pos
sible and charming cosy-cOrner on one
side of the pretty fireplace, o corner for
real luxurious ease among large and
downy cushions clad in the smartest and
richest of frOcks and frills.
Nor was the boudOir the only pretty
room in the flat, the mistress bedroom
and the dressing-roOm and bathroom ad-
joining were dressed in mixture of white
enamel furniture and pale pink cretonne,
with hangings to match and all sorts of
neatly contrived hooks and corners of con-
venience And [ think" said Julia. af-
ter describing all these delights to Lady
Staunton, chat [ shall not want to go
away from my beautiful home for Il long,
long time.'
However, two days before Christmas
saw Stephen Howard and his wife on their
way to Blanllhampton, where they found
Mrs. Trafford and Mrs Bob waiting at the
station to receive them. And then they
drove to Brentwood where Mrs. TraffOrd
was also staying, and after that, there be-
gan round of pleasure for Julia wherein
she was the central figure. Everybody
was glad to see her and everybody wanted
her to go and see them; even the ancient
damsels at No. 10 smiled quite graciously
when they met her in the street and on
one occasion cOndeScended to utter half a
dozen tolerably friendly sentences to her
when they met her in a shop in the High
Street
By this time Mrs. Bob had become quite
the most popular woman for several miles
round Blankhampton. She ~'&s not in
cIined to be Stand-Off-isA towards any
body, and treated Mrs. John Doughty eX
actly the same as she treated any one OF
the Civic dignitares. She did not seem
to mind whether she was talking to the
wife of the Lord Bishop or the spouse OF
the youngest parsOn attached to the Par
ish. Lady Lucifer was her great friend
and Mrs. TraffOrd perhaps her next init
mate, and for all the rest she seemed to
make no difference, and everybody eX-
cused her on the ground of her having
been born on the other side of the world.
She's an Australian, you know, and peo'
pie in these new countries are all so TN
conventional"
AS for Bob himself, he was so much Oc-
cupied by looking after the alterations
and repairs at the Manor Lodge that he
IrOuDlGu
one way or the other He was always
ready and in his place when there was a
festfvity of any kind on at Brentwood,
and he was always dressed and ready
when the carriage came to take them to
any evening function at some one elSe's
house-but he very seldom showed himself
anywhere with his wife during the day
except it was at the Parish on Sunday af-
ternOOn and afterwards in Mrs. Trafford' S
drawing-room. And whenever and wher-
ever he was seen he was alike to all in his
demeanor always friendly in a hearty and
unconventional sort of way, as ready to
walk down the street with the dealer OF
whom he bought his horses as he was with
the great John himself.
Bob Markham delighted the good people
of Blankhampton hugely one morning by
deliberately chatting Mrs. Fairlie when he
met her for the first time in company with
the redoubtable black poodle. AT first he
did not see that the dog was with her, did
not in fact see that the dog was there at
all, but the Blankhampton Lily was rath-
era pretty woman and Bob Markham
had an uncommonly keen eye for feminine
looks.
So meeting her, he stopped short and
inquired in his hearty, old-fashiOned way,
after her health, and Mrs. Falrue was I'M
mediately all smiles and little airs and
graces Then while he still held her
hand Bob caught sight of the dog-his
gaze was riveted upon it in a moment
and he forgot to wait for her reply to his
anxious question about the state of hel
health.
Good God, nladamr' he burst out; 'dC
YOU see that brute with the bracelets OF
its legs? Who in the world can he belong
to-"
''That is my dog, Mr.. Markham" sale
Mrs. Fairlie, very sweetly
''Yours?" he echoed-then looked at he
sharply, at the correct Directorie COSTUME
in which she was dressed at the three
cornered felt hat with its long buckle Of
cut steel at one side, at the soft white fril
falling from her collar, at her big buttons
her long stick, the broad silver buckle:
on her Shoes then back at the dog, afte
w!G:ch be suddenly realized that the wn