Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-10-14

| II haze never yet been Gbte 10 dtScOOeT ih
1uhat his fathers distinction consists"
Blanche, though nominally free, would
prove faithful; he thought himself'lucky
| in that he was still allowed to visit at
Queens Gate as freely as Of yore, and
he saw with much satisfaction the
rapidly ripening friendship between his
elders
But if Ned acquiesced contentedly
enough in situation which might cas-
lily have been worse, If he deemed it
most fortunate that the gay colonel
should have taken such fancy to the
Athertons as to dine with them once or
twice q week and escort them to the
theater or the opera afterward, and If
upon the strength of these foundations
he constructed sundry airy castles, there
was somebody else who held different
and less optimistic views. Blanche Ath-
erton was little more than child IN
years, and her experience had been OF
the slightest; yet, by reason OF her sex,
she was in many respects older than her
lover, and those innocent blue eyes OF
hers saw all manner Of things which re-
mained invisible to his masculine sim
plicity. She saw, for example, that her
mother had taken to assuming certain
smiling, self conscious air when Colonel
Byng entered the room; she saw also
that the colonel was prone to seek occa-
sions of conversing in an undertone with
his hostess, and, as it was not very diff
ficult to take that elderly gentleman's
measure, she guessed that his assiduous
attentions were not prompted by wholly
unselfish motives. AS matter Of fact,
Mrs. Atherton, who was by no means
too old to marry again, possessed COM
Portable fortune, whereas the colonel
was-or always said he was-distrcss-
ingly poor. It was, therefore, quite
upon the cards that Miss Blanche might
be about to receive stepfather in lieu
of husband, and if that was what she
was about to receive she could not feel
that there was any prospect of her being
made truly thankful for the boon.
However, she did not confide her sus-
picions to Ned, knowing that he would
only blurt them out clumsily and very
likely convert probability into real
ity. All she did was to draw her moth
er's attention incidentally to the facts
that the colonel dyed his hair and wore
false teeth, and perhaps this was not
very adroit Of her.
s'That is the sort Of silly thing that
girls of your age always think it clever
to say about man who is in the prime
of life" Mrs. Atherton rejoined rather
tartly. II doubt very much whether
Colonel Byng is more than year or
two older than T am. Anybody can see
that the color Of his hair is natural and
T am certain that his teeth are as sound
as my own. "
"They waggle when he laughs any
how" Blanche declared obstinately.
every we'll, my DEAR" said Mrs
Atherton, who was seldom out Of tenn
Der for more than minute at time.
keep your opinion and allow me to
keep mine. After all, it makes no diff
ference to me whether Colonel Byng Is
young or old"
But it made good deal Of difference
to her, and she had to confess as much
when the time came for her to make
another and more momentous confes-
sion. For the latter Blanche, as has
been said, was not altogether unpre-
pared. But Ned Byng was shocked to
hear that his father contemplated sec
ond matrimonial alliance and honesty
compelled him to say how supremely
ridiculous he thought it Of the old man.
This was unfortunate, for the colonel
did not like to be called either ridicu-
lous or old, and what was even more
unfortunate was that Blanche, who had
endeavored to speak dutifully upon the
subject to her mother, felt under no sort
of obligation to treat her stepfather
elect with forbearance. On the contrary,
she saw t1t to display the feeling of con-
tempt with which she regarded him in
30 unmistakable q manner that he soon
conceived hearty dislike for her and
| | .o,ol,,od fbot oha should ha taupht tC