Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-09-03
A Dangerous Game.
oY THE AUTHOR OF my DEAREST nEAnr."

OK III AUTHOR OF my DEAREST HEART"
ut Is very beautiful" Annis said quickly;
but 1t Is dull. Other people generally adj
mire it more than we do"
How many people have you known who
have seen it%' asked Lady Martin, in scarce
Is pleasanter tones than those she had adj
dressed TO Inc.
II have heard friends at Norbury speak
of 1.-THE Daleys and the Marjoribanks, for
instance-and always with admiration"
II have never seen such a lovely house,"
| said.
Have you been inside many family
seats?" asked Gwenaoline tauntingly.
Yes" | answered quietly, "a good num-
ber-not in this county, but In Wiltshire,
where my home is, and in Norfolk, where
Lady Tenwick lives"
Lady Fenwick was your last employer,
was she nOty'-"Yes."
II think | have heard OF her-an odd-look-
Ing old woman whose grand father made
candles, Did you train the parrot and teach
the poodle, Miss Thorne?'
81 did not, Lady Martin"
'lndeed! Perhaps your time was wholly
engaged by less fascinating employments?'
III Ahu Mintl 40 Itdiil Will uTt tie uutltS
Of a companion, Lady Martin? Ii so, ] have
hardly bad sufficient experience TO tell you"
Not L. she said. II don't think the sub
feet is interesting"
DO YOU not?' put in Annls. II do. I
think il is very interesting. You must see
such a variety Of people, and get to know
them so much more Intimately fhan by
merely meeting them now and again"
ssNgl..4 90. .l...e.., ~ s..s.-4.l -.
dolinc.
'And then there is something attractive
aboutit as an employment Think Of all
the novel heroines who were companions;
romantic things always happen 10 them, |
| fancy. Don't you agree with me, Miss
| Thorne? III ! had TO choose an occupation,
| should select yours directly"
Il have met with nothing romantic as
yet" | smiled. II am afraid you would not
find all so rose-colored as you imagine.
Possibly, as your sister intimates, my ex-
perience with Lady Fenwick was unfortu-
nate; she always treated me more as n
daughter than a companion, and perhaps
that spoiled the romance"
How delightful 10 be treated as the great-
granddaughter of a tallow merchantl'
sneered Lady Martin.
But your experience, you see, has been
limited as yet" Annis went on. "You do
not know what Is In store"
"Gwendoline," broke in the calm voice Of
Hilda Farquhar, ''do you intend 10 accept
the Treyelyans's invitation for the 2nd?
Annis, shall / reach you the second volume
OF VircnT'
mo, thank YOU" responded Annis; II
want TO talk to Miss Thorne."
She tried TO talk on pleasantly 10 mo
about Cioisterham-my h~ome-what | had
seen, what my tastes were. Gwend0line
now and again interrupted her with biting
remarks, %scOrnful to the verge Of insOlence;
perhaps she thought insolence TO compan-
ion impossible. Iiilda tried 10 cngage her
IN CONVEX, alton and lead her to ignore, as
she herself did, my existence; but Gwendo-
line restlessly broke away from the ques-
tions Of parties and people and books 10
break in upon Annis's well-meant chat, I'M
abe TO resist, it would seem, the chance Of
q sheer.
you are fortunate to have so many broth
ers and sisters" Annis was saying. II have
often longed for a brother; but there are
only we three-Gwendoline, IIilda, and my
self"
"Clergymen always have large families"
Gwendoline said. "And the poorer they
are, the more children. | think, they have"
III IL be So" Annis said smillngly, III Is
q proof that nature knows they are best fit
ted 10 bring them up we'll and wisely"
And that curates are better fitted for
such a task even than bishops" retorted
Gwendoline.
MEN DO not cften become bishops until
their f~araiiies are grown up, and then one
does not notice how many children there
are. And is Cioisterham a very pretty place,
Miss ThOrne?'
1t was old-fashioned and quiet, l told her,
with nothing remarkable except the cathe-
dral.
'Oh, yes, | have seen pictures Of the ca
tsedrslr' she said. II should Ike to see
she interior 81 IL, and ! think it would be
pleasant to live in a cathedral city. Have
you lived there all your llfe?'
II was at school in London for a time;
but my home has always been at Cloister-
ham"
~ suppose you were not with Lady Fen
wick long??" asked G%wendoline. Girls gen
orally stay at school until eighteen"
Eighteen months" l answered. II am
twenty-One now"
'Oh, | am not curious as to your age, Miss
Thornei l imagined yon Younger; but,
since you are not, so much the better. You
are the more likely to know how to conduct
yourself in a rather peculiar position"
II hope | shall know how TO conduct my
self in any position | may be called to FILL"
Ii wa a stiff and formal answer, a foolish
one 10 give TO her; but l was angry, and it
| was all ! could do TO keep down my anger
and speak calmly.
"Were you called to the Granger she
asked.
II was engaged by Mr.. Gascoigne."
Just so. thought perhaps you meant a
species of call such as the Methodists talk
about. Your sentiment is excellent; live
up to IL and the faith In yourself it implies,
and you cannot fail to be successful in life"
II wonder you would come to such a dull
place as the Grange" Annis hurried on.
"But dare say you did not know what it
would be like"
~ certainly did not"
'But | hope Ii will turn out to be less dis
agreeable than first impressions may have
suggested. Tomorrow | must show you the
grounds and the lake, and, II it Is fine, we
will 90 TO Marlands."
When tea was over, Hilda Farquhar went
to the plano and played some difficult music
of Chopin's with cold and perfect execution.
IF you like 10 sing, Gwendoline," she
said presently, II will play your accompani-
mentS."
Lady Martin had a fine rich voice, and she
sang with passionate feeling Let me dream
again" and strangers YETI
AS she stood there, a handsome figure in
her clinging blue gown, with her beautiful
face slightly flushed and the golden hair
glinting IN the light, with her hands closely
clasped and her hazel eyes flashing, she
seemed a woman made to love, almost to
-~-.ht~ - sia srishcd tha h,iiad tho
hooking light came back 10 her eyes, the
curl TO her lip, and she made some TESTING
remark on the .ncnsense" Of the words she
bad sung so fcelingiy.
Sha WAS sbn~Ipo whom tba snrrant cau,atn