Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-01-25
GrCumStaltial-..-
-:.-EVidHnCG !
.Nonsenser 1mpaIlentl!

referred to herself, of course"
"Of course nothing on earth could
have induced me to come in had dreamt
how painfully superfuous | was to be-"
she went on as if he had not spoken.
"And even worse than that, to interrupt
your tote. a-tete-to drive your guest
awayg with smile of bitter irony. Il
cannot sufficiently express my regret"
Nonsense" cried Donald again, red
dening angrily. There was no reason
on earth why you should not have come
in as you know perfectly well. And as
for driving her away; she had finished
her business before you came in and
would have been gone long ago had she
not stopped to speak to you.
Her business?-that invitation to play
tennis, of course you meant to say"
with hard, mirthless laugh.
Donald gave himself Il little restless
shake, as if he would throw off the cloud
that had gathered on his face. "Oh.
never mind the womau!" he irritably ex-
claimed You came to see me about
something did you not, Nita? Let's
change the subject to that" looking at
her anxiously.
"Why, yes, did come to SEE you about
something" bitter smile curling her
| lips. Il came because, steadily regard
ing him, II would like II little money"
"Why, certainly; but" seeming some
what embarrassed, chow much do you
want?
"Oh, twenty-five or thirty dollars will
do with what | have think want
it," explaining with an air of painful
punctiliousness, ito buy material for
| 70
make jabot up the front"
| Don't, Nita," with sort of hurt gen
tleness. Il don't want to know how
you propose to use it. And you must
have Il larger allowance after this that
the want may not occur again" looking
up at her pleasantly. He was always
generous in money matters, ahd was. in
fact we'll pleased that she had come to
ask this little favor now. II will make
this fifty; you see must give yUu a
check - my purse is as bare rs Old
Mother Hubbard's cupboard.
Yes? rather inferred as much when
| saw evidences of Mrs. Rogers busi-
ness" slowly, cuttingly,
"Oh, did you see?" seeming rather re-
lieved than otherwise, meeting her eyes
with an expression of the utmost frank
ness. "Sne begged me not to mention
it, not even to you; the poor woman has
SO much pride, you know"
mo, l did not know" dryly; has
she?"
"But of courSa if you saw, it will do
no harm to tell y, il the rest. 1t appears
that the doctor'was induced to buy an
interest in the Bluebird mine year ago.
He could not have done worse, particu-
larly as he had not money enough and
was forced to borrow; and of course he
has never realized anything out of it but
assessments, as any sane man might
have told him at the start, with the nat
| ural result that his finances were down
to bedrock long ago. They have beer
compelled to let bills run along and &C
| cumulate until now some fellow has
threatened to bring suit against them a
once unless he is paid. The doctor being
sick, his wife did not want to worry hin
about the matter, and, ut her wits end
naturally came to me to advise her wha
to do"
quite naturally with sarcastic EN-
phasis, q spot Of red on either cheek, lill'
a dab of rouge unskillfully applied.
at was for only II small amount;
trife less than hundred dollars-ant
of course advised her to let me LOAF
her the money rs the easiest way out o
the difficulty"
"Oh, of course"
"The doctors practice seems to hav
been mostly among class where col
lections are next to impossible" continu
IT ing with an evident effort, plainly dis
g concerted under her sneering glance
n "And now, with his sickness, and bill
II pouring in from every side, of course tn
!, = poor little woman is all broken up. 1t j
" rather hard lines, don't you Think
# "And yet she can play tennis" with
e bitter laugh, mirthless, taunting, crue
cat least, Don, l think your explanatio
of her-business is very ingenious"
He turned upon her face she ha
never seen before, livid, almost murder
Gus, in It's sudden fury.
IF l believed You were in earnest i
your vile insinuations, Anita" in a low
tense tone, his fingers convulsively griI
ping the arms of his chair, "if coul
think that you really believed what 20
- have repeatedly implied in regard
that woman, should be tempted to-
box your ears.
"Well, if You are stopping on that az
. count, slowly, that sardonlc smile qulN
ering on her lips, 'if that is all thu
' binders, | must say, the incredulity i
the case is moro apparent on your sic
than on NINE" coming little nearC
and standing before him defantl
tauntingly. 1T seems pity that yo
should hesitate for any such illusol
reason as that-that you should lea7
anything undone to complete my disill
er sion"
to "Disillusionl Great heavens, AMT
do you think the disillusion is all {
your slider" with groan, burying h
- head in his arms crossed upon the desk
She stood for moment regarding hi
~ with a sort of supercilious curiosity,
if at some mawkish display of histrion
. emotion, and then without a wo
81 walked from the room.
CHAPTER XIV.