Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-03-12
CHAPTER XIII.

While Mr.. limerick was chatting under
| the restraint placed upon his movements
| by the iron walls of an ocean steamer,
| occurrences in New York were taking
| unexpected and almost sudden turns
From the day when Armida saw Eu-
gene Breezy picked up in an unconscious
| condition after the collision of the gro
cery wagon and the carriage, her in
| terest in him had been on the increase
! and, what was more, was undisguised.
| After his final recovery she insisted
| that all the supplies in that line for the
house should be purchased from the
Harlem grocery. To this of course no
| one made any demur, nor could they
| reasonably, SO long as Eugene supplied
goods of quality good enough for their
| use. But after awhile Armida's interest
| had increased to such an extent that
she had spoken to Eugene regarding
the benefits which might accrue to him
! in after life if he possessed at least a
few accomplishments So to give the
suggestions some practical shape she
had suggested giving him lessons in
music herself and he had eagerly &C
copied her offer.
The result was that Eugene's pres
ence atthe house near to Gramercy Park
became such frequent occurrence that
Mrs. Delaro very naturally remarked it
and in a confidential moment referred
to the fact when speaking to Mr.. Will
cox. The old mans reply was that he
did not think there was any improprie-
ty in Eugene coming to take the les
sons, inasmuch as he understood he re-
turned the favor by giving Armida an
opportunity to prevent her knowledge
of French from rusting by means of con-
versation in that language. At the
same time he pointed out. in as careful
manner as his. frank, open nature
would permit, that it would be advisa.
BILE not to leave the young couple toe
much alone. In this opinion Mrs. De-
laro readily concurred and she resolved,
in view of the fact that SO many highly
bred young ladies had lately eloped
with lowborn coachmen and street-car
conductors that she would exercise az
least little care in watching over her
beautiful daughters association with
this young grocer to whom she had
taken such fancy Not that she real
" imagined Armida was in love with
him, but inasmuch as his lot in life
seemed to be cast in SO different chan
nel to Armida's she thought it we'll to
enforce her motherly prerogative just
little, as precautionary measure.
Il was rather strange lat least so Mr..
Wilcox thought that Armida's regret
over the absence of Percy Lowell had not
been as marked as that of her mother
or as sincere as he knew his own to be-
The Englishman had found a warm and
lasting place in the old mans heart;
his society had been half the pleasure
of old Wilcox later years. and he
missed Percy sadly.
1t was one night about the time when
Percy was being invited to permit one
OF the card party at Buenos Ayres to
shed his hearts blood, that Mrs. Delaro
and Mr. Wilcox were sitting in the IL
brary, wondering part of the time and
discussing during the remainder in re-
gard to the probability or otherwise OF
Percy Lovel's mission being one which
would terminate prof tably-at least so
far as the object was concerned-or
whether it would be only one more to
add to the already long list OF failures,
when they heard notes of music in the
g,arlor and the voices o. Armida and
-EG~c0C.
To BE CONTINUED.