Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-03-29
CHAPTER VIII
Make Coufexxrs.

D9AG
sae afternoon Of the day Of Dukes
return 1rorn the hospital. Leonard Har-
veg, who has been yeIy remlss IN hs
Attendance during b past fortnight
caEksa while Ccesy was dressing 20
start Minna, who was not gong with
her. was sitting at her embroidery n
the drawing room. When Leonard en-
tered, she glanced up with . flush On
her face. de was booking even more
solemn than usual. and, as usual. he
seemed 10 have nothing 10 say Nina
Of course. affected TO think his visit
was for Ciccly alone.
4 am afraid she viii have hardly a
roQneTr To spare o you. q said
SIRE Is going TO fetch Duke home from
the hospital and Is afraid of being late.
She Is very mitch obliged 70 you Cor a /
sng the other day-when she vas out
When yOa were out" corrected Leon
ard. Us solemDIy as eVer. You know
who my visits are for"
Whoever they are for. they haven't
been very frequent lately" returned
M1nrra, with a slight but naughty TURN
Of the head
Tiff that person had cared TO have
any more, she would not have had TO
complain Of any deficiency in that re
specE"
Leonard was sitting very stfiy and
staring straight before him out OF the
window.
81 you mean" said Nlinna,
with a light laugh and an assumption
OF grerr indifference, that your visits
were for NE and / didn't appreciate
Them
Yes" admitted Leonard, 81 suppose
7 did mean something like that You
tolerated me while my 6uilness was
mitlgated by Hurst's livelineSs; but
when his visits ceased-
He stopped abruptly for a quick
movement on the part OF Minna told
him what a dreadful biuIrieT he lad
made There was a dead pause.
Il see" said the girl al last, in a chill
ting tone, you take your cue from Mr..
Hurst"
IF / did" said Leonard. in a sort of
strangled voice. II should go and offer
my worthless attentions TO some other
girl, some girl with money"
Minna rose and walked TO the piano,
trying. not very successfully, 10 assume
the air Of being intensely bored By this
conversation
II don't think you could possibly do
better" She threw this speech care
IeSsdy at him as he passed
She began TO play a waltz, n OF
which Algy Hurst was fond. but the
tfnklIng emptiness Of which, as Leon
ard had often confessed nearly drove
the latter mad. So he stood bolt up
right In the bend Of the grand piano,
tapping the case ~ncrvonsly as he spoke.
ssYou don't think / should be capable
OF such q think, Miss Minna? In fact 1
need not ask you. For IL / were not
cursed with q dog-like fidelity which Is
proof against snubs, you would long
ago have had TO see that my devotion
10 you Is worth something
Perhaps I do know * now" she said
at last.
There was a dead silence again, Leon
ard being a great deal too shy 10 avail
himself Of this opening. although Min
IA waited for him obligingly.
But there limits to the patience OF
every girl. and especially TO that of n
who knows she is going 10 be proposed
20, and Is ready TO face the ordeal. So
at lasrshe heaved an ostentatious sigh
and went on softly playing nothing par
ticular.
Il wonder how shy men ever get mar
ried at air. she sighed forth at last,
with her head tilted a little on one side
In a pensive attitude.
you give me a kiSsg' said she.
"OT-and she affected to draw her
head back ~again-"or are you too shyy =
He was not. And although she took
great care, in the course of the next
half-hour, TO assure him mt she only
accepted him TO avoid the shame Of
being deserted by Algy Hurst for her
rich cousin, Richard took the explana-
ton quite imperturbably.
II shouldn't much mind ven IL II
were true" he had the courage TO say.
When you're very fond sf a girl. the
thing Is to get her. And we've all con-
ceited enough to think we can prove to
her afterward that she's made a good
choice"
1t came with a shock upon these two
people when. the door-bell having rung
without their noticing il, two visitors
anne in TO interrupt their tete-a-tete.
They were Mr.. William Bennington and
AIgy Hurst. The sight of them recalled
to Minna all the misery and mystery Of
the past fortnight, all her wondering
fears as 10 what Dukes return would
bring forth. For Mr.. Berrington's face
was full Of hard determination as well
as curiosity. He had. in truth. know
ing that Duke was expected 10 return
home on this day, come On purpose TO
prevent his nephew from getting into
the cellar alone before him.
Algy Hurst appeared not quite so
much at ease as usual; while, on the
other hand, Leonard Harvey came for
ward to shake hands with him with
quite un9scustomed warmth and hearti-
ness. Both men looked ar each other
as IL anxious to know what brought the
other there. II was Mr. BERN gton
who started the inevitable explanations.
1--WE brought AicernOn with me to-
day" be said presently. in order 10
Introduce to you what / may call 'au
I'D friend with a new face H6se Is
uy future soniniaw."
kIgy looked very uneomfort Ibie, but
Le5nard was radiant. Mlnna. too,
l-s1x cutie b-.n.a2..- ard easily.