The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1895-06-29

dow again on her way to their Gus
tomary walk. They were %arm-in-arm.
Jane looked exquisitely proud, happy
and uncomfortable, with new white
cotton gloves, and William In the silk
hat singularly genteel.
That was the elimination of James
happiness. When she returned, MIR.
Maynard has been talking to William,
ma'am." she said, and he is to serve
customers just like the young shop
gentlemen, during the next sale. And
If he gets on, he is to be made an as
sistant, ma'am at the first opportunity.
He has got to be as gentlemanly as he
can, ma'am, and if he amt ma'am, he
says. it won't be for want of trying.
Mr.. 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 mex Sunday. as I drank my
tea, l Intercepted my wife. "How is
this Sunday different from all other
Sundays. little woman? What has
happened? Have you altered the cur
tains, or %rearranged the furniture, or
where Is the indefinable difference of
1t? Are you wearing your hair in a
new way without warning me? /
clearly perceive a change in my en-
vironment, and / cannot for the life
of me say what 1t s."
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.
Jane, as l have said, stopped singing
about the house and began to care for
our brittle possessions. which struck
my wife as being a very sad sign in
deed. The next Sunday, and the next,
Jane asked to go out 'to 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
n day she became communicative.
william is being led away" she re-
marked. abruptly, with a catching of
breath, aprOpos of tablecloths.
Yes, MN. She Is a milliner, and
she car play on the piano."
81 thought" said my wife, that you
went out with him on Sunday"
Not out with him, MN; after him.
l walked along by the side of them
and told her he was engaged to me-"
Dear me, Jane, did you? what did
they do?"
'Took no more notice of me than If
1 was dirt. SO 1 told her she should
suffer for it,
.sIt could NOT hovo hoo, n rory a r.oo
able walk, JaneW
Not for no parties. ma'am."
81 WISH" said Jane, 81 could play
the piano, ma'am. But, anyhow. |
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 as poor Jane let
fall. She came home dusty, excited
and with her heart hot within her.
The milliner's mother, the milliner
and William had made a party to the
Art Museum at South Kensington, L
think. Anyhow, Jane had calmly out
firmly accosted them somewhere in the
ctt hIii hSoCI tCu hCI III W w Il
in spite of the consensus of literature,
she held to be her inalienable 0
ty. She did, 1 think, go as far as to
lay hands on him. They dealt with
her in a c%rushingly superior way.
They "called a cab" There was a
"scene," William being pulled away in
to the four-wheeler by his future wife
and mother-in-law from the reluctant
hands of u discarded Jane. There
were threats of giving her In charge"
My poor janet" said my wife, mine
ing veal as though she was mincing
William. ITS a shame of them. |
would think NJ 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 wOm-
ans" name or to admit her girliShness.
81 can't think what minds some wom-
en- must have-to try and get a girls
young a away from her. But there,
it only hurts to talk about it," said
Jane.
Thereafter the house rested from
William. But there was something
in the n of James %scrubbing the
front doorstep or sweeping out the
rooms a certain viciousness, that per-
suaded me that the story had not yet
ended.
please, MN, may T go and see a
wedding tomorrow said Jane one
day.
My wife knew by instinct whose
wedding "Do you think it wise, Jane?'
she said.
81 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
wedding with them in a bag. Surely,
she can not mean"
Jane" l said, sis developing char
acter. Lei us hope for the best"
Jane came back with a pale, hard
face. All the boots seemed to be still
in her bag, at which my wife heaved
a 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
ly conversational style, sitting in our
little kitchen, and scrubbing the pota-
toes; land such a lovely day for them
She proceeded to numerous Other'1e-
tails. clearly avoiding some cardinal
incidents.
1T 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, Mr.. Pidding-
Quirk-'