The Dickinson press., 1895-04-27
.nard has taken a great fancy

;:1r: MAYNARD has taken a great fancy
to him."
HE Is getting on, Jane" said my
wife.
Eyes. ma'am." said Jane, thought
fully, 'he is getting on"
And she sighed.
That next Sunday, as I drank my
tea, l ~fnterrogated my wife. slow is
this Sunday different from NIL other
Sundays, little woman? What has
happened? Have you altered the cur
tatns, or rearranged the furniture, or
where is the lndefinable difference of
1t? Are you wearing your hair in a
new way without warning me? l
clearly perceive IL change in my en-
vironment, and I cannot for the life
Of me say what 1t Is"
Then my wife answered in her most
tragic voice: George" she said, "that
that William has not come near the
place to-day! And Jane is crying her
heart out up stairs"
There followed a period of silence.
lane, as l have said, stopped singing
about the house and began to care for
ONA UAASSAV PO00SSSAOASS WuASA 0SA
my wife Us being a very sad sign in
deed. The next Sunday, and the next.
Jane asked to go out ito walk with
William" and my wife, who never at
tempts to extort condolences, gave her
permission and asked no questions. On
each occasion Jane came back looking
flushed and very determined. At last
one day she became communicative.
"Wflliam'is being led away" she re-
marked, abruptly, with q catching of
bVeath, apropOs Of ta%blecloths.
Eyes, MN. She is a milliner, and
she can play on the piano."
II thought" said my wife, THAT you
went out With him on Sunday"
Not out with him, MN; after him.
I walked along by tue side OF them
aud told her lie was engaged to me-"
Dear HE, Jane, did you? what did
they do"
""Took no more notice of me than If
II was dirt. So l told her she should
suffer for it.
1T could not have been a very agree.
able walk, Janey"
mot for 10 parties, ma'am."
II wish," said Jane, 81 could play
the piano, ma'am. But, anyhow, I
don't mean to let her get him away
from me She's older than him, and
her hair amt gold to the roots,
ma'am."
1t was on the August bank holiday
that the crisis came. We do not clear
ly know the details of the fray but
only such fragments US poor Jane let
fall. She came home dusty, excited
and with her heart hot within her.
The milliner's mother, the milliner
md William had made a party to the
Art Museum at South Kensington, 1
think. Anyhow. Jane had calmly but
firmly accosted them somewhere in the
streets, and asserted her right to what,
she held to be her inalienable proper
ty. She did, l think, 20 as far as to
lay hands on him. They dealt with
her in a crushingly superior way.
They "called q cab" There was q
Scene" William being pulled away In
to the four-wheeler by his future wife
and mother-in-law from the reluctant
hands of III discarded Jane. There
were threats of giving her Gin CHARGE"
MY poor janet" said my wife, minc-
ing veal as though she was mincing
William. "It's a shame of them. 1
would think no more Of him. He is
not worthy of you"
mo, MN" said Jane. HE is weak"
"But it's that woman has done it."
said Jane. She was never known to
bring herself to pronounce that wOnl-
ans name or to admit her g%irlishness.
II can't think what minds some wom-
en- must have-to try and get q girls
young man away from her. But there,
it only hurts to talk about it," said
Jane.
Thereafter the house rested from
William. But there a something
in the manner of James scrubbing the
front doorstep OF sweeping out the
rooms Il certain vi%ciOusness, that per-
suaded me that the story had not yet
ended.
please, MIN, may I 60 and see a
wedding tomorrow" said Jane one
day.
My wife knew by instinct whose
wedding do you think it wise, Janey'
she said.
II would like to see the last of him."
said Jane.
my DEAR" said my wife, fiuttering
into my room about twenty minutes
after Jane had started, Jane has been
to the boot hole and taken all the left
off boots and shoes and gone Off to the
wedding with them in a bag. Surely,
she can not mean"
"Jane," 1 sud, sis developing char
acter. Let us hope for the best"
Jane came back with q pale, hard
face. All the boots seemed to be still
in her bag, at which my wife heaved
q premature sigh of relief We heard
her go upstairs and replace the boots
with considerable emphasis.
"Quite a crowd at the wedding,
ma'am," she said, presently, in a pure
~ conversational style, sitting in our
little kitchen, and %scrubbing the pota-
toes; land such a lovely day for Them"
She proceeded to numerous other.sie-
tails. clearly avoiding some cardinal
incidents.
at was all extremely respectable
and nice, ma'am; but her father didn't
wear a black coat. and looked quite
out Of place, ma'am, Mi. Pidding-
qulrk--'
"VVho?"
"Mr. Piddingquirk-William, that
was, ma'am,-had white gloves and Q
coat like a clergyman, and Il lovely
chrysanthemum.H He looked SO nice,
ma dul. Auu there WdS II Teu Carpet
down, just like for gcntlefolks. And
they say he gave the clerk four shill-
ings, ma'am. 1t was a real kerridge
they had-not Il fly. When they came
out of church there was rice-throwing
and her two little sisters dropping
dead flowers. And some one threw q
slipper, and then 1 threw a boot"
'"Threw a boot, janet!
"Yes, ma'am.. Aimed at her. But
It hit him. Yes. ma'am, hard. Gev'
him a black eye, l should think. l
only threw that one l hadn't the
heart to try 1t again. All the little
boys clleered when it hit him."
After an interval. II am sorry the
boot hit him."
Another pause. The potatoes were
being scrubbed violently. 'He oil.
always was a bit above me. you know
II am. And he was led away"
ne potatoes were more than finish.
ed. Jane o S sharply with a sigh,
and raped the basin down on the
table.