Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-08-19
POOR MRS. PENRHYN.

1t was the height of the season-that is
1t was becoming more and more difficult
TO secure a second piece of pie. The table
at Lawton's had never been what you
would call generous, and the elderly people,
to whom no amount of tennis or dog cart
could compensate for any lack in dinner
were grumbling perceptibly. Old Mr.
FoXwood indeed was heard to mutter one
afternoon that he had serious thoughts of
going down to the city merely to get a
regular dinner and when asked where he
should expect to find it murmured testify
that there were places where they had TO
square the circle, and knew how to give
you a square meal if you paid them
round sum.
'I'm going back to Kiasko in Septem-
ber," he added. 1T was terribly hot there
in July, and hadn't particle of appetite;
but they set a splendid table"
Cant expect everything anywhere, Mr..
Foxwood," remarked Van Etten cheer
fully. Here you have an appetite and
at Kiasko you had something 70 eat"
To which Miss Deblois added a grim
comment to the effect that it might be a
good thing occasionally for high liver to
be obliged to diet for awhile.
Eyes, Mr.. FoXwood,n said Van Etten
blithely, much better diet than die eat
ing"
Don't think so. If knew smoking
would shorten my life ten years, I'd go on
smoking and die earlier
but it is such pity" murmured Miss
Deblois, for men to be slave to anything,
even TO tea"
SIS that the reason why you never take
any, Miss DebloisY Then il seems to me
you are a kind Of slave, too; you are a
slave to not taking tea. And speaking of
tea, what is the matter with this coffee2"
cts the cup" said Masterson Flower
plaintively. 81 should as soon think of
trying to drink over a stone wall"
"No, it's the way it is Drowned. The
goodness Of coffee is all a matter Of brown
ing. Anybody can make good coffee after
it is Drowned carefully"
Yes" sighed Van Etten. "Such pity
the Browning clubs don't take up this
practical branch of their art"
But the young people were perfectly
satisfied. There was tennis. There were
lovely woods, With drives and walks
through them. Occasionally some youth
would complain Of a toodevoted chaperon,
who insisted on accompanying the pair
through the woods, and effectually pre-
venting any conversation except about the
Van Etten that it was good sign when a
chaperon took such interest in the ''pros-
poets" a small park" had been laid out
with great exactness and very green sod
ding in front Of the house, so that invalids
could take their constitutionals comfort
ably within range; but the landlord feared
he had made a mistake when-the park
being perfect square-the worst of the
invalids complained that he knew he was
losing strength, because when he came he
could walk quite around the entire square,
but lately, as soon as he got half around,
he had TO turn and come back.
However, the young people who were
not invalids were in ecstacies There were
picnics and excursions and walking par
ties and moonlight drives, when Mr. Fox
wood, surveying the start from the piazza
and gazing at the bright young faces,
would remark cynically, Good heavensl
one would tlink you were starting out on
party Of pleasurel" The natives of the
vicinity offered unique entertainment in
the local color Of their speech and opinions.
II was seldom that an excursion returned
without some bonmots from rustic TO
carry back for a dinner anecdote during
the city winter. II was thought Van Et-
ten had secured rather the cream of these,
when he came across a native stonecutter
whose direct business was the making of
gravestones. He had gravely assured Van
Etten that he thought of changing his
profession and going to the city. 1.-THE
trouble with movements" he explained,
sis that yer can't never secure any one
man fur a regerlar customer"
Yes, the young people were happy For
there were piazzas and dancing and col
In, To . ba nd
, the tennis; and then there was Arthur
Penrhyn.
Arthur Penrhyn was young, he was
handsome, he was rich, lie was aristocrat-
ic, he was devoted. True lac was also
married; but his wife had left in July to
take care of a sick friend in the city, and
Mr.. Penrhyn, in her absence, did not
NOPE. Moreover, he had dogcart. "Yes,
it was rather a nice affair" he used to con-
fess with pride; Pm not too proud to go
without dogcart, but | am too proud to
have a shabby one.n And he never drove
out alone; some one was always invited to
share the drive. Moreover, he was a CAPT.
tai tennis player, a good talker, a rather
remarkable musician and thoroughly
fine fellow In other words he was,
in summer hotel parlance, ready for any
thing"
There were those including Miss De
blois, who thought he was too ready and
that IL poor Mrs. Penrhyn knew, she
would shorten her ministrations TO her in
valid friend. Nothing more definite was
ever brought up against him than that he
seemed to be carrying on" He was not
guilty Of pronounced devotion to any one Of
the fair bellies. Each had her turn In the
dogcart, and there came day when Miss
Deblois herself was subjected to painful
decision between maintaining a just con
sisfency anl going to drive with Mr.. Pen
rhyn herself.
After much reflection she decided that
the long, quiet drive would give her an
excellent opportunity to SOW good seed in