Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-05-02
MRS. BOB
BY JOHN STRANGE WINTER.

complaisant OF prospective mother-in-l law:
indeed she was now so well used 20 this
kind OF thing that she felt herself on per
fectly familiar ground.
well, my dears." she said, ~ don't see
that we can arrange anything more to
night. Mr.. Howard, you will stay and
share our dinner. won't yorV
81 will with pleasure, Mrs. Trafford."
he answered-''on one condition-that you
won't call me Mr.. Howard any more"
'My dear Stephen. I will do rs you
wish" she said. in her W airy little way.
But do, my dears, 90 back TO the draw
ing-room. / have "A letter 10 write and one
or two trifles to attend to-"
They went out OF the room but Julin
ran back from the foot OF the stairs. as
your letter 10 Laurieg" she asked.
"Yes. thought Of writing TO let her
know. You don't mind, do You. dear'"
Not a bit. But give her my love and
tell her I am very happy" said Julia.
Mrs. Trafford threw her arms round her
daughter and held her tenderly to her. II
am so happy too, darling" she said, 'for
he is handsome and charming and good,
too. Julia. / am sure he is good"
Eyes. think he is good" Julia wits.
pered.
Mrs. Trafrord pulled out the bit OF fimsy
cambria again and wiped a few tears away
when Julia and her lover had gone up
stairs again. or course, she was glad that
this engagement had ON about. For
some time past she bad felt herself getting
GU In life, though she was not fifty yet,
end the thought OF leaving one or other
Of her girls alone In the world had worried
her not q little. Besides that she had al
ways believed firmly that the married
state was the happiest state, the mos
natural aud the most desirable, and she
felt sure that her girls would make goot
wives as they had made good daughters.
And yet, 10Y that il had come TO parting
with the last Of them II was an undeniable
wrench, even though this young man
seemed, so FAR as she could tell, 10 be all
hat she had said Of him in speaking OF
him TO Julia, handsome and charming and
good, too.
However, she did not allow herself TO
look very long upon the darker site of :he
picture-Julia was happy and she had
carried of another most desirable match
from the other matrons OF Blankhampton,
n she therefore soon dried her tears and
went downstairs TO consult with the cook
about sundry little additions TO that even.
ing's dinner.
At any other time she would have touch
ed the bell and have let the cook come "a
her: but the occasion had made her fee
the want Of human intercourse aud she
became more genial In consequence. 80
she went down into the comfortable ser
wants hall, where a bright little fire was
burning, and told cook that Mr.. Howard
was going 10 stay 10 dinner aud hat they
must have n little more added to- it.
The servants, OF course, knew very well
what was going on upstairs, though they
did not as yet know that Miss Julia and
the handsome young mau who had been
so much about the house OF late had act
ually come TO ar understanding. Cook
suggested that the thick soup and roasI
duck OF which her ladies' dinner was e
consist should be supplemented by a bit
OF fish and a little dish Of outlets aud rs
sured her mistress. to whom she was de-
voted that she had plenty Of time before
eight o'clock to manage it comfortably.
SO Mrs. Trafford left it to her aud turn.
ed TO go upstairs again. But at the door
she turned back. II must tell you what
has happened. " she said. "for you hay,
both been such good servants 10 me. Mis-,
Julia and Mr.. Howard are engaged"
II was very pleasant to hear their cou
CALCULATIONS, TO hear Cox descant on Mr.
Towards good looks and pleasant ways
81 am sure, ma'am." said Cox. half shyly
that the young ladies have got three a,
handsome gentlemen as ever married into
ydnfmngs ifantes as routi De round arrr.
said Smith. But IL you'll pardon m,
speaking what think. ma'am, Miss Julij
has always been my favorite."
"Yes, Smith, ! know it," answered Mrs
Trafford, with a certain suspicious dew
ness about her eyelids. 1T will be .
great loss 10 me. but IL II is for her happi
ness | shall not mind-mind, why | an
| delighted about it,"
"Yes, ma'am,' answered Smith. "Yot
said just now, ma'am that we have beer
good servants To you. | hope we have, fol
you've been a good kind mistress to us
and it's missises that have most To do with
the making OF servants. I've been in ser
vice a good many years now, mum, and
know by this time what missises and ser
wants and young ladies are. And oul
young ladies, they are ladies'"
Well, the result of this bit of confdenc,
was that when the W. ladies and StepheI
Howard went down to dinner, Julia fount
a nice little posy OF white flowers upon he
serviette and written on a card attached
to il was this messsge-'With respectful
love and good wishes, from Smith and
Cox"
'Oh. Cox!' cried Julia, the tears spring
ing into her eyes. AS for Stephen How
ard, he gave Cox a sovereign for herself
before he went away that night, and an
other one for Smith, aud perhaps never
in all this world did IA posy Of simple white
flowers give so much pleasure to five PEG
pie.