The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1893-12-14
stances would permit at the earliest


opportunity.
The same evening the family at
Beech Grove was assembled In the
pleasant drawing room after dinner.
The lamps were not lighted. The
moonlight and a sweet smell of flowers
were pouring In at the open windows.
Mr.. Warren liked this half gloom Of a
summer, twilight or moonlight because
it was favorable to reverie and tender
thoughts. Mr.. Boddington liked 1t,
since it did very well to smoke q CT
gar by Mrs. Boddington liked 1t, be-
cause no one could be expected to do
anything either in the way Of work or
reading by so dim light. So they all
agreed to postpone the lighting Of the
lamps as long as possible. Then, as
they sat thus, Mrs, Boddlngton spoke
from her easy chair.
"Oh! I've been to call on those Lillys
to-day, and I've found out lot about
the children's governess. should new
er have engaged her if I had known be-
fore"
Shouldn't your" said her husband.
Articulation was rendered somewhat
difficult and inconvenient to Mr.. Bod
dington by reason of his having his ci-
gar between his teeth. Nevertheless
further: "Why not?"
ooh, well, all her relations entirely
disapprove Of her teaching at all.
was not aware. The family is quite
respectable, it appears"
But, surely, my dear Jane" sair Mr..
Warren, from his place near the WIN
dow where he sat, with Nip at his feet
making a black patch of shadow In q
silver path Of moonlight, "since you did
not clearly and expressly stipulate for
a governess Of disreputable connections,
you have only yourself to blame.
dare say Mrs. Jack Lilly would have
confessed that she belongs to decent
people at once if you had asked her"
ooh! I know your sarcastic way,
Robert" returned his sister, blandly,
"but that doesn't alter the facts, you
know"
And the facts are-T'
''The truth is that this person Is very
headstrong and fighty. She Is rather
designing too. She Unanswered her
self into the Lilly family. Their eldest
son might have done better. She was
the daughter Of a half-pay naval Of
fer, and had not a penny. 1t was very
| disagreeable for the Lillys' and now
she won't take anybody's advice She
live on her income, and she is furious
because Mr.. Lilly would not allow her
thousands to squander, and tries to
spite the family by turning governess.
was quite astonished when I heard
it ALL" said Mrs. Boddington, winding
| up her speech, which she had delivered
| with great suavity from beginning to
end.
"Well, you might ber' exclaimed her
brother.
Mrs. Boddington settled herself more
| comfortably among her cushions and
stretched out her feet before proceed
ing. II don't know whether it's right
to go on employing her, really She
has such character in the town"
what do you mean, Jane" demand
ed Mr.. Warren, in so sudden and stern
| a manner that his sister started. why
are you joining in an attack Of this kind
against defenseless woman who has
never offended or injured you in the
| slightest degree"
Mr.. Boddington was heard to muir
muir that he thought the young govern
| ess a very jolly kind of woman and un-
commonly pretty.
"Oh! pretty? Yes, she's pretty enough;
and she has such a craving for admira-
ton that she will accept it from any
body. She is always playing off her
| airs upon some man or other. She
can't live without it. Why, just fancy,
| there's q common WorkiDgman who
| lodges in the same house with her who
| is quite desperate about her. He is
common printer, and she leads him on
and bamboozles him. And there Is
young man in a lawyers Office here
Muggins. l think, or some such name
he is called-Whom she flirts with out
rageouSly. She can never rest without
trying to set up Irritation with every
man she sees. She doesn't care who it
may be; old or young, it's all the same
to her. I don't think that kind of thing
is a good example for the children
Mr.. Warren got up, and walked out
into the garden, rising so abruptly
from his chair as to considerably dis
turb Nip, who staggered and shook
himself in drowsy surprise, and then
followed his master
But, after ALL" pleaded good-natured
Mr.. BOddington, II don't see why we
should turn the woman off Jenny is too
young to learn Irritation from her; and,
as to us, why her firtations can't do Us
any harm"
Cant they?'' returned Mrs. Bedding
ton. ooh! what geese men are!'
To which general proposition her hus-
band made no reply.
Meanwhile, Robert Warren was walk
ing up and down the garden paths In
the moonlight. The peace and pretti-
ness of the scene were spoiled for him.
Even the scent of the flowers seemed
somehow to have departed.
Its all spite and detestable petty
| YoipHaH inoIoI1cv on6 NTrc 5xfc,
on the part of those chattering women
Mt percival House." he said to himself,
adding one or two stronger epithets
than feel called upon to repeat to ears
polite. Nevertheless, the moonlight and
the fragrance were spoiled for him.
Mrs. Boddington had fired her first
shot with effect, and began the next
day to consider how she should follow
up the attack. She was not bitter or
malicious by nature; she did not wish
evil to Mrs. Jack on the whole. But the
was very averse to the idea of her
brother Roberts being SUCH fool as to
fall in love with the pretty young wild
ow who came to Beech Grove as gov
erness. At the bottom Of her heart
she was averse to the idea of her broth
err marrying at all. She and her hus-
band were amply endowed with the
| SObuS VI ILLS WOIlua not nduh-
err after Roberts money, she told her.
self; but still comfortably off bache-
Tor uncle for Jimmy and Jenny was a
pleasant kind Of relative to have and to
hold. And when Robert Warren had
to return to England after many years.
absence, Jane Boddington had proposed
to him to make his home with her and
her husband in their pretty villa on the
Thames. He should have his own
rooms, his own servants, and see as
much or as little Of the rest of the
family as pleased him. But Robert
had refused to accede to this arrange
ment, and had taken a house "in an
} out-of-the-way corner (hear it not, We
CodlingtoniansD his sister declared,
merely because he had been talked into
1t by specious house agent. If this
were true, however, the house agent
was the only person evtant who pos