The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-11-22

s
IGLANCED OVER HER SHOULDER N FOL-
LOWED HER f AS SHE WROTE.
Lucy looked across the tanis ct me
with a face of blank horror. "Oh, YER
non : q cried, "what are we ever to do?
And a.. american at thatI This is just
too CHASTITY"
/ laid nown my coffee cup and glanced
back at her in surprise. "Why, what's
up?" | exclaimed, scanning the envelope
closely. "a letter from Oxford, surely.
Mrs. Wade, of Christ Church, thought
l knew the hand. And she's not an
American"
well, look for yourselfr' Lucy cried,
and tossed the note to me, pouting. /
took it and read. Pm aware that ! have
the misfortune to be only a man, but it
really didn'tstrike me as quite SO terrible.
"DEAR Mrs. HANCoCK-George has
just heard that your husband and you
are going for a trip to New York this
summer Could you manage to do us a
very great kindness? l hope you won't
mind it. We have an American friend
"a Miss Easterbrook, of Kansas City
niece of Professor Asa P. Easterbrook,
the we'll known Yale g~eologist, who very
much wishes to find an escort across the
Atlantic. If you would be SO good as to
take charge of her and deliver her safely
to DIR. Horace Easterbrook, of Hoboken,
on your arrival in the states, you would
do a good turn to her and at the same
time confer an eternal favor on yours
very truly, EMILY WADE"
Lucy folded her hands in melodramatio
despair. "Kansas City" she exclaimed
with a shudder of horror. "And Asa F.
Easterbrookl A geologist, indeed! That
horrid Mrs. Wadel She just did it on
purpose!"
1T seems to mel put in regarding
the letter closely, "she did it merely be-
cause she was asked to find a chaperon
for the girl, and she wrote the very short
est possible note, in a perfunctory way,
to the very first acquaintance she CHANGED
to hear of who was going to America"
'sVernon!' my wife exclaimed, with a
very decided air, 'tyou men are such
simpletons! You credit everybody always
with the best and purest motives. But
you're utterly wrong. lean see through
that The hateful, hateful
wretch! She did it to spite me! Oh, my
poor. poor boy; my dear, guileless Ber-
nard?'
Bernard, / may mention, is BUR eldest
son, aged just twenty-four, and a Cam
bridge graduate. He's a tutor at Kings,
and though he's a dear, good fellow and
a splendid longstop I couldn't myself
con~scientiously say l regard guileless-
ness as quite his most marked character
istic.
What are you doingg' l asked as
Lucy sat down with a resolutely deter
mined air at her writing table in the
corner.
"Doing?' my wife replied, with some
asperity in her tone. "Why, answering
that hateful, detestable woman
| glanced over her shoulder and fol
lowed her pen as she wrote:
my DEAR Mrs. WADE--It was indeed
a delight to us to see your neat little
handwriting again. Nothing would give
MS greater pleasure, I'm sure, than to
take charge of your friend, who, I'm
confident, we shall find a most charming
companion. Bernard will be with us, SO
she won't feel it dull, l trust. We hope
to have a very delightful trip, and your
happy thought in providing us with a
travelling companion will add, no doubt,
to all our enjoyment-especially Ber-
nard's. We both join in very kindest
regards to Mr.. Wade and yourself. and ]
am ever yours most cordially,
Lucy b. HANCOCK"
Ny wife fastened down the envelope
with a very crushing air. There, that
ought 30 do for her" she said, glancins
up at me triumphantly. Il should think
she could see from that, if she's not as
blind rs an owl, I've observed her afro
cious designs upon Bernard and mean to
checkmate them. II, after such a letter,
she has the cheek to send MS her Yankee
girl to chaperon, l shall consider her lost
to all sense Of shame and all notions o.
decency. But she won't, of course. Shell
withdraw her unobtrusively." And Lucy
flung the peccant sheet that had reused
all this wrath on to the back of the fire
place with offended dignity.
She was wrong however. BY next
evenings post a second letter arrived
more discomposing, if possible, to hel
nerves than the first one
Mrs. Lucy b. Hancock, London;
DEAR MADAM learn from my friend
Mrs. Wade, of Oxford college, that yoI
are going to be kind enough to take charge
of me across the ocean. thank you fol-
your courtesy and viii gladly accept YOU
friendly offer. If you will let me know
by what steamer you start l will Fegistel
my passage right away in Liverpool
Also, if you win be good enough to tel
me from what depot you leave London
and by what train, / viii go along witt
you in the cars. Tn unused to traye
alone. Respectfully.
.MELsaA 2, EAsrERRRooKs