Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-10-14
should have obtained some semblance Of


Thus it came to pass that, although
the wedding Of Colonel Byng and Mrs.
Atherton was appointed to take place
on the approaching Tuesday in Whitsun
week, no date was fixed for the marriage
of their respective children-an arrange
ment which might very we'll have been
brought about had their respective chill
dren exercised a little skillful diplomacy.
."My good fellow" the colonel said
brusquely to his son, "you are kind
enAghtotell me that I make. myself
ridiculous by marrying lady who is
scarcely middle aged, who is undeniably
handsome and who has matter OF
e1OO, 900 Of her own. am unable to
see why that is ridiculous, but I cen
perfectly understand that you might
render me so if you were to espouse her
daughter simultaneously. Moreover,
she isn't at all a nice girl. have
changed my opinion about her. There
fore, if you think that her mother and
are going to deprive ourselves Of part
of our income for the sake Of making
match Of which we both disapprove,
must tell you with regret that you are
falling into very great error"
These very ungenerous sentiments
were echoed by Mrs Atherton, who had
fallen completely under the sway Of her
mature adorer, and who frankly con-
fessed to Blanche that she did not see
her way to disobey him. "Of course, "
she remarked, "my money is my own
to do what like with. but I must be
guided to some extent by his wishes,
and after all, dear, you might do a
great deal better for yourself than you
would by marrying O struggling barris-
ter. Ned is all very we'll in his way,
but he doesn't care about going into So
ciety, and he isn't half as distinguished
as his father in any respect.
81 have never yet been able to dis
cover in what his fathers distinction
consists" observed Blanche rather i'm
prudently. "You can't walk down Pic
cadilly without meeting dozen padded
and made up old men just like him."
"He is neither padded nor made up
nor old-and you are extremely imperti-
nent, Blanche" returned Mrs. Ather-
ton with pardonable acerbity.
Well, there was no use in being i'm
pertinent, nor was there apparently any
available cure for infatuation. Miss
Atherton relieved her feelings from time
to time by addressing cutting little
speeches to the colonel. But that was
scarcely the way to ingratiate herself
with him, and she could not but &C
knowledge ruefully that he was master
Of the situation. The knowledge that he
was so enabled him to keep his temper
with this rude young woman. He could
we'll afford to bide his time, and it was
in a mood of easy serenity that he was
dining at his club on Whitsunday
evening. when one Of those vexatious
little mishaps occurred to him which
play so disproportionately large a part
in the histories Of nations and individ-
uals.
Alas, it was only too true that Colo
mel Byng's beautiful teeth were not
his own save by right Of purchase. and
he ought never to have ordered hard
biscuits with his cheese. 1t became nec-
essary to leave the club precipitately,
and ca reaching home he found to his
dismay that something had gone very
seriously wrong with the elaborate piece
Of mechanism which had worked 80 ad'
mirably for number of years. Now,
this was really a grave matter. He was
to be married in the presence Of a large
circle of friends on the next day but
one. 1t was, therefore, absolutely essen
tial that the requisite repairs should be
executed within "a hours, and the NOR
row was Whitmonday. Do dentists ab'
stain from business on bank holidays!
This was the question which presented
itself again and again to the anxious
colonel's mind during night Of broken
rest, and he could only reply that it
was extremely vulgar and plebeian OF
them if they did.
But perhaps dentists, like a good
many other people, are willing to incu1
the stigma of vulgarity if, by doing so,
they can obtain temporary release from
the daily treadmilL At any rate, poor
Colonel Byng incurred disappointment
after disappointment as he drove wildly
through the deserted streets on that pit
ilessly sunny day, and never before o,
since can the fussy interference of Si1
John Lubbock have been mathematical
with more heartfelt earnestness. MOI
only was the colonel's own particular
artist out of town, but never another
dentist, equal or inferior to that unfeel'
ing absentee, could be run to earth.
What in the world was to be done? Te
walk up toothless to the altar and mum
BILE out inaudible responses from be-
tween contiguous nose and chin wai
manifestly impossible; to postpone the
ceremony would be almost equally so,
The distracted bridegroom, with Cour'
Guide in his hand and shivers Of appre
hension running up his spine, could but
persevere in what appeared to be hope
less quest, and no words can express the
relief with which he learned, on reaching
an address in South Kensington, thai
MI. Wainwright surgeon-dentist, hat
just come in
CONTINUED.
R6 One of the stories that followed
Ii Hung Chang from London related
as most of the anecdotes about hin