The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-02-06
BY MUTUAL CONSENT.

LDeTe were TWO OT tnTee SdTuen DeHCIeS
standing about, but she said she prefer
red to sit on the grass-it made her feel
more country"
To intensity this feeling she had
clothed her fresh young beauty in a
marvellous %organdie, SO sheer that her
arms CLEANED through it like alabaster,
and had pinned Oh her bright head a
great hat dropping with roses. By her
side leaned a white parasol edged with
lace.
Her companion, a young man in ten
mis- 1annels, who was stretched at her
feet, had commented sarcastically upon
her rustic ATTIRE and a hot discus
sion had ensued, a discussion happily
interrupted by the arrival Of a servant
with a tray of iced lemonade.
"Ah," said Miss Gresham, helping
herself to one of the frosted glasses. IF
there is one person for whom l enter
tain an undying affection, it is Betty!
l know we are indebted to her for this.
She is one of those rare people who al
ways do the correct thing"
"Betty:' repeated MARYLAND, lazily
slipping his lemonade. And who is Bet
typ
He has forgotten Betty!' cried the
girl. And he has no more shame than
to confess it! Betty, who was always
his sworn champion and who has help
ed him ont of l know not how many
scrapes. This is the effect, l suppose, of
college and travel and society,"
Betty! - again repeated MARYLAND.
"Ah!'-a sudden light springing to his
eyes-"your old nurse, Of course Why,
certainly, l remember her; dear COM
panion Of my giddy youth! But I did
not recognize her by SO commonplace a
title. To me she always seemed a benefi-
cent genius, a good angel, rather thar
an ordinary mortal!' He lifted his
glass. "To Betty" he said; may her
shadow never grow less
Betty was asking me about you the
other day" said the girl. "She wanted
to know if you still rode and wan and
boated like you used to do. l told her
you had given up dancing, because of
the exertion." She looked at him inno-
Gently.
Did she ask you anything about
your own life?" said MARYLAND, sitting
up. "a resume of how you put in your
time during the winter season in town
might be interesting to her, and GER
tainly profitable"
Anything l do is interesting to her,
she responded coolly.
do you know" he said, II have
been marveling over you ever since I
came? / cannot quite realize that you
have been ten days in the country with
out being bored. How have you accom-
plished it: l thought that the day of
miracles was past
my good Tony" remarked Miss
Gresham patronizingly, you must not
judge other people by yourself; it is a
very foolish and narrow minded way Of
doing. Because you cannot exist happi-
ly without your clubs and your theaters
is no reason why l can't"
Il never knew you belonged to a
club" observed MARYLAND mildly.
Have you developed into that modern
wonder, a new woman"
"Oh, nonsense! You know I was
speaking figuratively! I mean that I
am not welded to any particular state
Of things-that l can adapt myself to
circumstances and enjoy whatever
comes"
Can you? How delightful! But,
testing aside, has it not been rather
slow for you here, without any girls for
you to see through and scorn and be
3 amused by-nor men to analyze and
draw out and get interested in?'
How do you know there have been
no men," :
Il have your own word for it. ]
heard you refuse four Of your best
friends permission to visit you down
here, and l inferred that the common
herd had been no better treated"
Yes she said, you were right.
Ny solitude has been %uninvaded. Il have
been resting and enjoying myself thor
oughly. BY the way'-suddenly-''whc
told you that you could Gomez
"No one, but l had to run down tt
my place on business, and l thought il
would look unneighborly not to drop il
and find out how you were getting on.
VERY thoughtful, indeed! So 20,
have remembered your old home at last
How long has it been since you wer,
here?''
Five years'-ponderipg-"five year
this June.
is it much ~changed?"
"a good deal; the old willow by tn
pond Is down; it fell in the Angus
storm, CASTOR tells me-
"Oh, l am so sorry! We used to-
she paused, olushing.
YES" he responded, $50 we did.
And he glanced at her laughingly.
And the house!'' she hurried on
chow does 1t look:"
"Awfully-everything gone to piece.
dust, cobwebs and mold everywher,
the family portraits white with mi
dew"
"Oh, Tony" she cried, ''how drea,
full! You really ought to do somethir
about them"
II shall, 4" he said. II was fond
the place as a lad, and this trip dow
here has awakened all the old fool;,