The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-01-20

wondered how could ever have been such
an idiot--but no natterl You said she
wouldn't fascinate me, and T'ost certainly
she didn't lam quite cure, Harry, and
Isnppose cught to be very glad, but
when one has nursed complaint for
years, 1t makes one feel ra.aer queer to
lose 1t all Of sudden. The sensation is
something like having double tooth out
It's good riddance, Of course; but it
seems 10 leave an enormous gap behind It,
Well, those young swells took themselves
of, one by one, until she and were left
alone, and then--do you know what she
did thenS'
aTo be sure I do,"I replied. "She
drew her chair close up to yours, put her
head q little on one side, gazed pensively
at you, and presently gave you to under
stand that you were the only man whom
she had ever loved with pure Affection y
"oh, no; she didn't go quite that
length; though / must say However,
perhaps l ought not to tell you"
II do not see the use Of having q tried
and trusted friend II he Is not to be let
into your confidence. think you decid-
edly ought to tell me what she did," said
/. For wanted to know.
"Well," Jim continued, eshe began by
abusing Bracknell--said he was a drunk
ard and d spendthrift, and that he i'll
treated her, and Idon't know what all.
Fancy woman speaking about her hus-
band like thatr'
Evidently this was q new and distaste-
full experience to Jim. Perhaps it was
true, thought suggested.
''lf 1t was, she ought to have been the
last person to say SO, " returned that hard
hearted Jim. "But, between ourselves,
i don't believe it was true. She has told
me untruths before now, and why
shouldn't she tell them againf / tried to
stop her; but II wasn't bit Of good. She
went on about her marriage having been
a mistake, and about her having been
drawn into 1t and having repented when
IL was too late, and SO forth. Do you
suppose she says that sort Of thing to
eyerybodyr'
Ireplied that really didn't know; but
that probably she endeavored to suit her
conversation to her auditor.
'tHer conversation didn't suit me, at all
events,n returned Jim, emphatically.
And then he told me how Bracknell had
begged his pardon In very frank and
manly way for the wrong that he had
done him six years before
~ went to call at Portman square the
next day. he continued. Poor old
Lord Staines was always kind to me when
! WAS boy, and think it amused him to
hear all about my adventures. He wanted
TO know whether had seen little Summing
yet, and began to brag about the boy
and bis pluck and his beauty very much
as he used to brag about Bracknell long
ago. Poor old fellowl 1t was rather sad
to hear him. He said, i hope you and
Bracknell have made 1t up and when I
told him that we had, he muttered,
That's right--that's right. Old friends
oughtn't to quarrel about a woman.
Women aren't worth quarreling about.
After which he pushed his chair back and
made a little bow to Lady Mildred. i
don't mean you, my dear, he said; you're
worth your weight in gold, as everybody
knows / remember your mother used
always to be telling me that Lady Mildred
was perfection, but somehow | never no.
tieed in those days how pretty she was. /
suppose l had only eyes for one person
then. Ali well, times are changed. I'd
very much rather talk to Lady Mildred
than to Lady Bracknell now. had a
long chat with her while her father dozed
over the newspaper. 1t was pleasant to
find that she hadn't forgotten me at all,
though she said she would hardly have
known me with my beard, which she
didn't consider an improvement.
SIS that why you have shaved it OFF,
inquired; for indeed Jim's long thin face
had been deprived Of that ornament.
''0h, well, one doesn't want to look
more like a baekwoodsman than one can
help, you know" he answered. "As !
was saying, Lady Mildred and had q
good talk and discussed you all, and en-
joyed ourselves very much, until one Of
Lady Bracknell's mashers came In and
interrupted us. A fellow called Beau.
champ; do you know anything of himr'
ALFRED Beauchamp,n replied, sis q
young man whom everybody knows some
thing about, by reason Of his being quite
in the front rank Of eligible bachelors.
His rent roll is said to exceed E40 900 a
year; also he has coal mines, which, l be-
lieve, are expected to so on increasing in
value. He is the only surviving son Of
the late Lady Staines' brother, and in the
event Of his dying without issue, the
whole Of his property would pass to
Bracknell. As 1t would be dangerous To
count upon bis doing anything SO obliging
as that, the family have decided to marry
him to Lady Mildred; only imagine they
haven't yentured TO tell him so because,
Of course, he Is his own master, and he
might insist upon his right to choose Q
wife for himself. Did Lady Mildred re-
ceive him wellr'
II don't know what you call receiving
him well, y answered Jim, looking alittle
displeased. ''She was civil to him, but
didn't stay long after he camein. must
say he struck me as being rather young
fool and certainly not good enough for
her. Do you suppose that she wants to
marry hims'
Lady Mildred is q dutiful daughter"
replied, "and Lord Stainesis notoriously
in embarrassed circumstances ] can't