The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1894-09-29

3 shoe on t16 carpet With lmpatfenco
and looked pitchfotks and daggers.
"sFashion and Footlights,' ," he re-
flected aloud. ~'Fashion and Foot
lights Hal"
Comprehension stole over his face and
with it a slight amusement. He hshed
among a pile of volumes and brought
out three bound with an elegance des-
tined to win the hearts Of suburban cir
culating libraries.
Here it is. Reviewed it in The Cen
turion, didn't II"
NO." she said, "you hanged and
quartered it!'
Il an sor7y. May ] ~, how YOU
found ont that I was tho culp1lt?"
ooh, by accident. It's Il long story
and unimportant, since you don't deny
the imputation. Now, M. EveTdcne, |
know it is very impairment Of rae, a
stranger, to coIno to your private ad-
dress and worry you. lam doing a very
unusual thing, { am afraid, and Mrs.
Grundy would be Mortified. But fools
rush in, you know, and widows are
privileged. You mast have q little pa
J tiencc with me because'-for the first
time her lips relaxed, and she smiled a
smile that was sweetness itself-"well,
Just because I'm a and you're q
gentleman. Acknowledge the truth,
now, on your honor. Don't you think
YOU were unnecessarily harsh to ny
poor little literary cfort?'
NO" he said bluntly; 81 always
give my true opinion of things, and l
consider your book had many faults
Ii she had been q man, he would have
said, II thought it was - bad, with
the brusqueness of conviction and prob
ably declined to discuss the matter, but
to a lady it was impossible to be rude,
He regarded her absurdly unconvention-
al presence with a tolerant kindness.
"Of course, | admit that there are
faults, bat upon Il or two points III
your criticism / cannot agree with you.
I shorld very much like to discuss them
with you. May To-
Certainly" His mouth was twitch-
ing under his heavy mustache. But
don't you think, pending the verdict,
that you had better sit down? You will
be fatigued. If you'll permit me to
wheel this armchair nearer the fire for
you-so!'
Having carefully arranged it SO that
she should face the light, he seated HIM
self opposite her-the A. E. c.. of di-
plomacy, but she did not appear to no.
tice it. She was drawing arabesques on
the carpet with the point of her ivory
handled umbrella.
Il should very much like to know, =
she said, what you think of my com
ing here?"
81 think you are plucky-yes, and
recklessly unconventional.
Candid, at any rate! And l like
that" She looked up. "Now for the
first indictment on the list, MI. Ever
dene. You accuse me of improbability
] deny it"
His manner bordered OH preoccupa
ton. In truth, he was thinking what
wonderful lashes she had, and how be
coming a flush of excitement could bs
to a.clear, pale skin.
"You assert, - she continued warmly
that it is ridiculaus to suppose that
man and woman Of the world could fal
in love at first sight, as 1 make my here
and heroine do, and that such proceed
ings are limited to boys and girls il
their teens and the pages Of penny fc
ton. ! should have thought that Mr.
Aubrey Everdene would have show
wider sympathies.
"Then you really believe, Lady Hill
yard, that adult, sensible people cor
" ro;vn c,,os, chvunt ftaohnoofc2,
. Il am convinced that it happens FIRE
e quently."
IS "Oh, cnme, not frequently"
e "Well, sometimes" she amended. 4"
could give you q dozen instances"
n He lacked the heart to argue wit
her. 1t would have been like breakin
g a butterfly Gu a wheel. And, after all
there might be more sentiment in fl
de steele humanity than he thought
, Women have wonderful intuition il
. these matters.
q well, suppose we let that slide TO
A the moment and proceed to indict1nela
:, No. 2. What other phrase OF mine d
l. you take exception to-"
"You said that I had not the Temotes
II idea of construction, and that 'Fashio
g and F~ootlights' was evidently a speci
men of that Objectionable class of fietio?
which you regretted to see was grown
so p~revalent-the amateur novel, Dor.
of vanity and d lack OF wholesome oc
a cupation."
Her voice died away with 4 traraor
u He had only stated the truth, but tina
fact did not prevent the spoechless Nj
EverdcNe from feeling as il he had con