Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-01-06


she was extremely lively and playful
in her sallies.
This reached a pitch when she ben,
forward and, in a whisper, which she
did not perhaps intend to be quite con-
fdential, said, ''Oh, Mr.. Tweddle, you
never told me what became of the ring!
1t is off at last?'
''Off yesr' he said, iritably, very
nearly adding, land the statue too
Weren't you very glad?'' she said.
''Uncommonly,' he replied, grimly.
LET me see it again, now you've got
it back" she'pleaded.
You'll excuse me-" he said; but
after what has taken place, can't show
that ring to anybody"
"Then you're a cross thing" said Ada,
pouting.
whats the matter with you two
over there?" asked Bella, sleepily.
Ada's eyes sparkled with mischief
Let me tell them; it is too awfully
funny. I mustr' she whispered to
Leander. IT'S all about a ring" she
began, and enjoyed poor Tweddle's ev-
ident discomfort.
"A ring?' cried Bella, waking I'D.
Don't keep all the fun to yourselves;
we've not had so much of it this even
ing"
Miss Ada" said Leander in great
agitation, Il ask you as lady, to treat
what has happened this evening in the
strictest confidence for the present
Secrets, Ada?" cried her sister; 'up-
on MY world"
| "Why, where's the harm, Mr. lived
de, now it's all settled?" exclaimed
Ada. Bella, it is only this: he went
and put ring-now do wait till I've
done. Mr.. Tweddle-on a certain per-
sons finger out in those Roserwich Car
dens-you see I've not said whose
finger"
Hello, Tweddle!' cried Jauncy in
some bewilderment.
| Leander could only cast a look of
miserable appeal at him.
Shall I tell them any more, Mr..
! Tweddle?" said Ada, persistently.
Il don't think there's any necessity"
he pleaded.
''No more do l." said Bella, archly.
Il think we can guess the rest"
| Ada did not absolutely make any
further disclosures that evening; but
for the rest of the journey she amused
herself by keeping the hair-dresser in
perpetual torment by her pretended
revelations, until he was thoroughly
disguised.
| No longer could he admire her iveli-
ness; he could not even see that she was
good looking now. "She's nothing but
chaff, chaff, chaffr' he thought.
THANK goodness, Matilda isn't given
that way; chaff before marriage means
Eagging after!'
| They reached the terminus at last,
when he willingly said farewell to the
other three. ''Good-by, Mr.. Tweddle,"
said Bella, in rather a more cordial
tone. II needn't hope you've enjoyed
yourself"
You needn'tr' he replied, almost saw
agely.
Good night" said Ada, and added in
q whisper, don't so and dream Of
| your statute woman"
IF l dream at all tonight" he said,
| between his teeth, 1T will be night
marev'
Il suppose, Tweddle, old chap said
Jauncy, as he shook hands, you know
your own affairs best; but if you
meant what you told me coming down,
you've been going it, haven't you?"
| He left Leander wondering impa-
| tienly what he meant. Did he know
the truth? Well, everybody might
know it before long; there would prob
| ably be fuss about it all, and the best
thing he could do would be to tell Ma
| tilda at once, and throw himself upon
her mercy. After all, it was innocent
enough-if she could only be brought to
believe it.
He did not look forward to telling
her, and by the time he reached the
bank and got into an omnibus he was
in a highly nervous state, as the fol-
lowing incident may serve to show:
| He had taken one of those uncom-
| Portable private omnibuses, where the
| passengers are left in Enlightened
gloom. He sat by the door and, occu-
! pied as he was by his own misfor-
tunes, paid little attention to his su'
| rOundingS.
| By and by he became aware that the
conductor, in collecting the fares, was
| trying to attract the attention of some
one who sat in the further corner Of
the vehicle. Where are you for, lady,
please?" he asked repeatedly, and at
last, 'Will somebody ask the lady up
| f1ln r 10 1n,. n
to all Of which the eccentric person adj
dressed made no reply whatever.
! Lenders attention was thus directed
| to her; but although in the obscurity he
could make out nothing but dim form
| in gray, his nerves were SO unsettled
that he felt curiously uneasy fancy
! that eyes were being fixed upon him in
| the darkness
| This continued until a moment when
some electric lights suddenly flashed
! into the omnibus as it passed, and lit
up the whole interior with a CHASTITY
glare, in which the gray female be-
came distinctly visible
He caught his breath and shrunk into
the corner, for at that moment his ex-
cited Imagination had traced a strange
resemblance to the figure he had left In
Roserwich Gardens. The inherent i'm
probability of finding a classical statue
seated in an omnibus did not occur to
him in the state his mind was in just
then. He sat there fascinated, until
lights shone in once more, and he saw,
or thought he saw, the figure slowly
raise her hand and beckon to him.