The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-01-20
THREE H7Ou BOYS.
by W. T. MoRI.rs

l
II Ind the pleasure of being rather in
timately acquainted with Lady Bracknell
come years ago replied Jim, grimly.
s'0h, yes, Of course. Wen, she'll be
very glad to see you again. Come and
dine with us some evening. expect we're
pretty deeply engaged just now, but III
drop you q line"
When Jim had departed, could not
help remarking, at must be very con-
venient to have such o bad memory as
yours. :
Braeknell was apparently preoccupied.
"Bad memory How do You meanr' he
asked. ''Oh, seei But 1t would be more
to the purpose to pity Leigh for having
such confoundedly good one, wouldn'tits
He looked as sulky as bear. ] say, May
nard, will you do me o small fayorf'
"That depends on what 1t may be-" !
answered.
"Oh, 1t isn't much OF one. You know
the editor Of The Piocadilly Gazette, don't
your Well, just run your eye over this
paragraph that be has put into his sour
rilous paper"
He drew a newspaper from his pocket
and pointed to the following oracular an
nouncement:
"a certain noble earl is not quite 80
enfeebled in intelligence as Is sometimes
supposed. Not satisfied with knowing
that his son Is heir presumptive to vast
estate, he Is moving heaven and earth to
get his daughter married to the present
holder thereof; so that, In case Of the adj
vent OF an heir apparent upon the scene,
the property may at least remain in the
family. And yet the heir presumptive Is
not happy, they say."
II don't want All Beauchamp to read
that sort Of thing, you know, " said Brack-
nell.
II can well believe that you DON'T" !
answered; sbut how do you propose to
prevent him from reading II, since 1t Ia
already In printgn
'soh, that's nothing. Very likely he
won't see 1t; and II he does see 1t, the odds
are that he won't understand. What
want is TO stop this newspaper brute from
speaking more plainly. You might be a
good fellow and manage 1t for me. Tel
him we'll invite him TO dinner II he likes,
and II that won't do, find out what viii
do, I suppose he has his price,
Every likely he has, " answered, "and
lam much flattered by your intrusting me
with this delicate mission. But l am like
the editor--I demand my quid pro quo,
and II / do this for you, you will have to
do something for me-"
''With all the pleasure in life; but II
isn't much that can do for any man, ex.
cept ask him TO dinner"
''You can do little more for Jim Leigh,
whom / think you will admit that you
have treated rather badly. First Of all,
you can beg his pardon. Is that too bitter
pill for you to swallQwsn
''oh, I'll beg his pardon, II IL win make
him any happier answered Bracknell,
Laughing.
Secondly, you must promise that you
will neither ask him to play cards with
You nor borrow money Of him."
Braeknell opened his eyes. "Do you
know, Maynard, p" said he, s'that that Ia
not very far removed from being an i'm.
pertinent requestf''
/ replied that might have said much
the same thing Of the request which he
had addressed tome. Anyhow, must have
his promise, or should not 60 to the Office
of The Piccadilly Gazette.
So he laughed again and gave the re-
quired pledge, and went his way, leaving
me somewhat reassured as to Jim's future.
Lady Bracknell, ! knew, would try to
make him fall in love with her again; but
was not much afraid Of her succeeding.
Clever as she was, she was not quite
clever enough to understand that The
surest way Of disgusting Jim would be to
show him that she was no more true Il
tine husband whom she had chosen than
she had been in days gone by to himself.