The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1893-02-02
CHAPTER ].

able boarding house in the neighbour
hood of Bloomsbury Square, at
which the speaker-Mr. Widgery-had
been long resident. 1t was breakfast
time, but his matutinal meal stood
on the table untouched, while with
the pale and haggard face OF one
whose last nights couch had brought
him neither rest nor comfort, he stood
on the hearthrug with his hair in dis
order, and his back to the fire.
"You have heard what / said, Mrs.
Nobler, and repeat it, reckless of
consequences. I'll have his blood"
"Oh, pray don't talk in that horri-
BILE way, sir. Why should you? Ask
yourself calmly, Mr.. Widgery, why
should your"
Mr.. Widgery gave utterance to a
brief derisive laugh, and first slapping
his forehead, wheeled round and ad-
dressed his reflected selfin the looking
glass:
"You hear that, Samuel Widgery,
With your brain like a glowing coal
and consuming with parching thirst
for revenge, you are requested to
question yourself calmly-to mediate
duu III
their present aspect with an unimpas
stoned gaze! But no matter, have
sworn it shall be done. / am not
blaming you, Mrs. Nobler," and he
faced round again to his landlady.
'"True, had you not broken your rule
and taken lady-Miss Dimpleton-
to board here my peace of mind
would probably have remained in
tact. But when you did so you were
unaware, as | was, that you were
harboring beneath your roof SER
pent.. in mans shape-a snake in the
grass, who would give Judas points
and beat him hollow at his own
game"
at appears to me, Mr.. Wldgery,
that if any one is to blame it is Miss
Dimpleton herself. Little did think
that when she first came here that she
would cause dissension between two
of my oldest and most esteemed"
"Ohl That is your opinion, Mrs.
Nobler, is it?" Mr.. Widgery savagely
interrup pied her, ''There is no one to
blame but Miss Dimpleton. And yet
am requested to remain calm! Pray
ma am, does it not occur to you that
Mr.. Flincher may be slightly-we
won't say much but just tiny morsel
to blame as well?'
'To be sure, sir, Mr.. FIincher ought
to have known" returned Mrs.
Nobler, who was threatened with the
loss of one of two good dodgers, che
ought to have known that Miss D.
had been out and about with you,
and had given you encouragement to
believe"
"He did not know it, ma am. As
you are aware Mrs. Nobler," and here
little Mr.. Widgery's voice grew husky,
and he put his handkerchief to his
eyes, "as you are aware, ma'am, we
are bosom friends and haveno secrets
from each other. There is the base
ness of it. I was always praisine her
to him. I can't understand q fellow
being so infatuated with girl, he
would remark. But you would not
be surprised if you became 80 we'll &C.
quainted with her as I am l made
answer. Her being pretty as peach,
Flincher, is theleast part ofit. Itisnot
until you have gained her confidence
a little that you learn what 3 bewitch
ing way she has, and how perfectly en-.
chanting is her manner and her con-
yersation.' And now he robs me of
her! Treacherously and underhanded-
| ly invites her to go to ball with him,
and she goes and makes light of it af
forwards when l reproach her. And
as for the villain FIincher -"
ooh, Mr.. Wild ery!"
81 beg pardon, ma'am. | was for
| ho+ e no Ri Of n 70
tie of yours. AS for that model Of
honesty and self-denial Mr.. Joseph
Flincher, you yourself heard what
were his parting words to me after
our row this morning? He declared
that she had merely been having a
bit of fun with me, and that he had
been the favored sutton from the
first"
But that was not until you had
threatened that you would do him a
mortal injury ifyou caught him speak
ing with Miss Dimpleton again. Most
likely, sir, he no more meant it than
you did"
"What he meant, Mrs. Nobler, is
his lookout" returned Mr.. Widgery,
looking as wicked as Cain. ~
| know what I mean, and he had best
| beware"
All the same, and despite Mr.. Wild
gery's complaint of having been
previously injured, it can notbe denied
that Daisy Dimpleton was not with
out Justification for having transferred
her smiles. Mr.. w. was not, to all in
tents and purposes, an eligible lover.
1t was no more than natural, perhaps,
that his lack of personal attractions
| should make him jealousy observant
of any NOTICE taksn by his hearts
idol of anybody better looking
than himself, and in this respect Mr..
Flincher had decidedly the advantages;
for. whereas the former, besides being
of insignificant stature, was melan-
| choly. and bilious temperament, with
weak-loeking apd wispy hair, sal
low complexion, and q nose SO much
too small as his mouth, was too
large, Joe Flincher was well-propor-
toned young fellow, of FIVE feet nine,
with pleasant face and manner to
say nothing OF his brown curly hair,
and a moustache with which no pos
sib1e fault might be found EXCEPT that
it partly concealed a set OF teeth
1 WAtNO ERifA SfOtf oS S4SPO W ~ pbA-
yeaF-old teBrisp.
But Flincher was not young man
easily captivated by female charms,
and when pretty Daisy Dimpleton
first came to live at the boarding
| house, and discovered that his friend
Widgery was deeply smitten, he was
content to mak6 himself agreeable
to her when occasion required, and
there was an end of 1t. Although Mr..
Widgery had somewhat exaggerated
the facts OF the case when he told
Mrs. Nobler he and Mr.. Flincher were
such bosom friends that they had no
secret from each other, it was true
that he made no secret of his
ardent affection for Miss Dimple-
| ton. Indeed, it became so
much the engrossing theme of his con-
versation that, quite bored with it,
Flincher had chaffed him on his infatl
nation. rnis, however, gas q state Of
| affairs that did not last very long.