The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-05-17
CHAPTER III.

he was pound Tor the HuckWeHs mouse,
not only by the manner in which he was
dressed. but also by the way he was walk
ing. He pranced delicately along the
road on the tips of his patent leather
shoes like Agag, the king of renowned
memory, and poked bis head rather far
iorwar d, after the fashion of an inquiring
camel
He wore a tight frock coat, severely
buttoned in at the waist in order to give
elegance to his figure, lemon-colored kid
gloves, a high shiny hat, and huge but
ton-hole of moss rose buds. These latter,
which, in fact. formed quite a nosegay, he
had every intention Of dramatically pre-
senting to his lady love as soon as he was
accepted, having a dim idea that he had
read somewhere or other that the Hover
in question meant" love thee to despair"
My eyes could only follow Blnks as far
as the end of the street, where he turned
a corner in a tremulous fashion and dis
appeared, so that for the following part of
this narrative | am indebted 10 Binks
himself on his return from his visit. For
the sake of my readers l will transcribe
what had occurred as though had been
an eyewitness. Indeed Binks' vivid
description almost brought the scene be-
fore my mind.
After he turned the corner where my
eyes last beheld him he walked steadily
onward in the direction OF Shaw Lodge.
the Huckwells' abode. He noticed with
pleasure how nicely the house was kept
and how gay the window boxes looked,
full of the deep blue of the lobelia against
a background of flaring scarlet geranlum.
He wondered il Gertrude's fair fingers
were responsible for the charming effect;
| and with ali the Inconsistency OF a man In
love concluded that they were.
lie rang the bell loudly. probably owing
! TO extreme nervousness. and waited for
admittance. The sound of Gertrude's
voice singing in the drawing-roOm tioated
to his ears and he smiled family. Ii would
! be sweet to have this voice always ready
to MARBLE to him He had Iosed his eyes
as ho dreamed this fair dream, and when
! he opened them again he found the door
| aiar and the servant waiting for him in
some astonishment to ask the usual
formula. Somewhat Hurried he stepped
| in saying:
"Is Mrs. HuckW ell at homep
! And the answer being in the affirmative,
added. as he took OIL his hat:
81 should like to see her alone-er, on
business"
The servant, who knew him well. after
taking stock of the tall hat, moss-rose
| buds and yellow kid gloves, decided that
/ she could guess what that business was,
| and retired with a smile on her rosy face.
Binks walk up and down the room in
perfect frenzy OF Impotence. In the
face OF danger-as he observed to me ait
erwards-he could be bold enough but
when he had 10 deal with "A woman he be-
/ came nervous and clustered. From which
/ it will be seen that Binks did not show TO
/ the best advantage that afternoon, and
/ that be was not in possession OF that
/ evenly balanced mind upon which he
prided himself Mrs. Huckwell, contrary
/ to her usual custom, kept bin waiting
/ some time, and the agonized sutton was
really in pitiable condition when she at
| last made her appearance.
/ He had heard a good deal OF hurried
/ tramping about overhead, and concluded,
nationally enough. that Mrs. Huckwel
was improving her toilet for the sake OF
the business interview on which Mr..
Binks had come.
This view of affairs was confirmed by
her entrance in u magnifcently flowing
tea.gown, which had evidently been
hastily donned, from the fact that she had
hooked it wrong from top 10 bottom.
mistake which Binks's eyes took in in
dull and deadened sort Of way. In telling
me the story afterwards, he could de-
scribe every detail OF her costume-dOWn
to the shell neck ace round her throat,
and the rings on her fingers. To him she
had never seemed so vulgar and over
dressed. The fixed color in her cheeks,
the superabundance of iewery, the clink-
ing, impossible chatelaine that she wore
at her waist all combined to irritate
! him to an almost UNDESIRABLE degree. lie
told me afterwards that the thought of
having her for o mother-in-lRw almost
made him give up the idea OF taking Ger
/ trude for wife. 1t seems curious that
this thought should have flashed across
him Just then. but it did
Dear Mr. Binks," said the lady, seating
herself behind him on the sofa when the
first greetings had been interchanged, and
her bejeweled fingers had pressed for
moment Bnks' tight kid glove. how de-
lightful of you to come and see US at this
hour, before any horrid visitors are likely
to interrupt us So very friendlyW
Blnks grasped the stick rather tightly
and eazed down into the depths OF his hat.
Being on an unconventional footing with
the family, he usually left these articles in
the hall, but this afternoon he felt that
he must have support OF some kind, and
the stick seemed to help him somehow.
IL was at this junc.ure that he began to
breathe rather hard in little snorts aud
Rasps, as was his won't when excited and
Mrs. Huckwell hoped anxiously that he
"had not hurried himself"
mot at all-not at all, said Binks, re-
covering himself a little. "Er-what
charming window boxes you have, Mrs.
! Huckwell?"
Mrs Huckwel glanced out at the To-
bella and geranium with rather disap-
pointed air, and replied that they were
certainly effective. but that they were a
great deal of trouble.
II shouldn't be surprised now" said
Binks, with cumbrous attempt at jocu-
larity, IF come OF my fair young friends
took the trouble of your hands-Miss
Gertrude. for instance?"
"My darling Gertrude is devoted to
flowers" answered Mrs. Huckwell, "but
she does not love them as passionately as
her mother. To these poor fingers, Mr..
Binks." and she playfully wagGled them
before his face, is due the honor of any
amateur gardening done in this house."
"Ohp said Binks, rather blankly.
He had hoped that the question, cum
ningly devised, might lead smoothly on
to the proposal he intended making, but
he had travelled MP a blind alley, so to
speak, and he therefore hastily abandoned
the subject. He cleared his throat and
took a plunge.
CT dara aav Won ara surnriaad N asa m