The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-05-16
THAT is my dog. Nj. Markham" snid
Mrs. FairlIp very sIyoetly

MRS. Falrlle, very SWcetly.
"Yoursfn he echoed-then looked Mt lie,
sharply, at the correct Dlrectorie costume
in which she was dressed, at the tbree
cornered felt hat with its long buckle of
cut steel at one side. at the soft white frilj
falling from her collar, ut her big buttons
her long stick, the broad silver buckles
on her shoes, then back ut the dog, ufte,
which he suddenly realized that the wo
man and the dog matched one another adj
mirably. With the realization came a
sense of the ridiculous side of the matter
and Bob straightway went into an eiab-
crate string OF questions: Did she put his
hair in papers ut mighty Did she have n
jewel-box for his jewelry? Wasn't she
afraid OF the gang paying her II visity And
a great many more such questions all
asked with such perfect good lumor that
the Lily had no opportunity of taking Of
fence. and then ut Inst they parted aud he
watched her go smiling up the street, he
with diffic nlty containing himself until
she had got out of hearing. Aud then
how he laughed, iu fact he had to go into
the gunsmith's near which they had stood
while they talked, and there in safe re-
treat he sat and laughed until, rs he told
the g%unsnith when he was able to speak,
he thought lie should have had u fit.
Bob, you really ought not to do it,'
cried Mrs. Bob, when her husband repeat
ed the story.
But have you ever seen the brutef"
he returned, chuckling Mt the very idea
of it.
coarse I have seen the dog" Mrs.
Bob replied, Everybody has seen it except
you, you dear old blind bat. That poodle
is just now the very light Of Mrs. Fairlie's
eyes-lts like her stick, Nil her own.
Why, not another woman In Blankhgmp-
ton would dare to be seen with either.
But all the same you must remember that
she ia q very important person in the
town, in her own estimation il in no
body else's, and 1t won't do for you to 20
offending Aer. Just fancy ii anybody
saw you n~ctunlly laughing at her In the
street."
'"rhey did" shouted Bob, with q great
laugh-'I Just roared. And I tell you l
had to go into Fulier's, the gunsmith's,
aud l laughed so I had to tell him what I
was laughing at. l couldn't help my
self"
ooh! Fuller is safe %cnough-he won't
talk about it to anybody likely to repeat
it to the Fnirlies," Mrs. Bob remarked.
"But, all the same, Bob, I shouldn't go
doing that kind Of thing again il l were
you. Remember we are new people here,
and it won't be very pleasant if we begin
by making ourselves Unpopular"
Bob put on n look of comic dismay.
'1hnt is the way Maimic always bullies
me- he remarked to Julia. That's the
way you will bully Steve when you have
been married as many years as we have"
ooh, very much Worse than that" m.
swered Julia, gaily: and then she looked
ut Stephen aud smiled and Stephen smiled
back at her, md this sent Bob into such
an ecstacy OF enjoyment that he was
obliged to wink ut his wife and then bolt
ont of the room to have his laugh out
elsewhere.
But nobody could be offended at Bob
Markham's fun and Julia found him the
most delightful brother-in-law in the
whole world in spite of the fact that An
thony Staunton had his own tender niche
within her heart.
Aud he was SO generous. too; for not
w~ithstanding that but II few weeks before
Julia's most beautiful wedding gift had
come from the Markhams, she found
among her letters on Christmas morning
II receipted bill from Botwood of Ipswich
for a charming single brougham, the like
Va hiS "a A4ssSA SthN ~ liz II
having the possession, that is II such II
word can be applied to II genuine cut
spoken admiration for the belongings of
another person.
Really there was ample grounds for the
remark which Mrs. Tratford at that time
WASH in the habit of making TO such per-
sons rs questioned her about the last mar.
riage. "Oh, yes. ! am perfectly satisfied
with the murriapo-Derfectly.b
Not that such an Endorsement in itself
was calculated to carry much weight with
the people of Blankhampton. When n
N talked about the happiness of her
n~ewly-married daughter. the words gem
orally conveyed that there WIS plenty of
money. and that if Mary or Margaret was
not happy she ought to be. But in this
instance there was the tail aud handsome
young husband to show that the bride
ought to thank Providence for her fate,
and also there was the BRIDES own happy
fnce and air of assured gaiety mud salts
fedncss. SO Blnnkhampton accepted Mrs.
Trafford's verdict on the marriage with
out Il word of disapproval or even Il sniff,
and once more the wore went round that
the little widow in St. Ewes was really .
very remarkable woman. @
CHAPTER xv.-A LITTLE CLOUD.
After remaining about II fortnight at
Brentwood, Stephen Howard and his wife
went buck to their London home aud al
most Immediately Mrs. Trafford paid them
n short visit on her way to Little Street
Hall, where lived the two Miss Stauntons,
two old ladies who were hnlf-aunts to Sir
Anthony Stanton. and from whom he
had great expectations.
Whilst Mrs. Trafford was in Victoria
Street. the Bob Markhams came up to
town and put up at the Metropole. "Why
coaldn't you come to us?' cried Julia, who
like all young wives was Hospitality unX-
ious to entertain all her friends.
"Oh, no, my dear; many thanks" Mrs.
Bob returned. "We are used to an hotel
aud am sure you and Stephen are better
off without MS. Visitors to young mar.
ried people nre q great mistake. No, my
dear Mrs. Trafford, you need not look up
Il do not mean you. You are n lady and
alone-it is different. l dare say | could
, come and stop u week or SO with julia
and she would never know l was In the
house. But a married couple are so diff.
ferent. II we are at an hotel Bob can
!, come in and out without consulting any
one, and somehow ~ man always does
, want to be boiling in and out of .i,c house
like Il dog ut a fair. He can have all sorts
of people coming to see HIM on business,
and really it is surprising what u lot OF
people he has to see about various i'm
, provemcnts at Manor Lodge. Aud besides
these things Bob often wants me to &c
, out and see something or buy something
and he would be sure to want to go jus,
when we We're going to do something
else: SO believe me, my dear, it is the best
IN every way for us to stop at the Metro
pole"
"Well, perhaps" Julia admitted. "Onl,
don't say that did not ask you, beg you
i, to come to u.s."
|. my dear, ] never WILL" Mrs. Bob re-
n pliod, smiling.
The following day Mrs. Trutrord wen
, off to Little Street aud Jnlia and Stephen
o were left alone again-after II few more
. days quite alone. for the Mnrkhams re
turned to BlanShampton.
They We're very happy-a good many
people were IN town TINT shey knew, there
8 always seemed to be dinners md othel
parties going on. every uay they II, came