Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-11-26

! He had gained slight insight INTO
the character of the latter while she
was entertaining him in the drawing
room previous to Capt. Kelly's appear
ance.
Il have heard that papa has told
you about the meteOr-which turns
out to have been fireworks at the pal
aoe?" she began, as soon as she had
shaken hands with him.
Capt. Kelly spoke to me this morn
ing about the strange appearance he
WITH essed in the sky last night" Ora
ham replied, guardedly and gravely.
And you knew about the fireworks
when he spoke to you of the meteor"
| Graham smiled acquiescence.
Why didn't you tell him at once
what it was that caused the me-the
! appearance in the sky? You ought to
have told him as you knew, and you
did know, and he's far, far too good to
be fooled by any one, she said, re
proachfully.
Miss Laugherne. How can you i'm
! agine-"
Hush! He's coming. You must out
with it at once about the fireworks!
He shall not go on thinking the mete-
or was real, and you silent"
So Sholto Graham, though he thought
it extremely unimportant, freed his
| hosts mind in a minute or two from
the mists of misrepresentation through
which the latter was cropping after the
meteor.
Have | been good and obedient?"
Sholto Graham whispered to his hostess
as he took her into the dining-room.
you ave been moderately good now,
the goodness is nothing in comparison
with the badness which made you
promise to use his notes as a basis for
your scientific paper"
You know how to be very severe.
Do relent. If 1 hadn't taken that met
cor under my protection this morning
| should not be here now
Are you glad that you're here
now?"
Can you ask? I am more than
glad"
"Why?"
Because you are herer' he wills
pered, as he bent down sideways to
pat a blond, bland dachshund, who
seemed to be travelling on his knees,
so benefcently had breeding bent his
! legs.
Bite him, Fritz, he doesn't mean it
any more than he did about the notes
about the meteor" Patrice laughed
ljCrh oh IN
give welcoming pat to Fritz. That
Mr.. GraIham's hand touched hers for
a moment must have been an accident
| she was sure. She forgave him the in
! advertent contact, because he had been
so promptly obedient in promising to
disabuse Capt. Kelly's mind about the
cherished meteor. After all the deceit
in the matter had been harmless and
! pardonable. His motive for making
believe to be interestd in the notes con-
corning a meteor, which he knew all
! the time was not a meteor but only
/ fireworks, was a mixture of kindly toll
erance for Capt. Kellys fad and de-
! wee TO see more of herself.
She took this view of the matter and
lOFSdNe MIN very Iully.
If there was one thing more than
another on which Capt. Kelly prided
himself it was upon the way in which
he had kept himself, his heart, mind
and sympathies, with all the advances
! the world was making hour by hour,
/ green. He had taken to Sholto Graham,
the promising, wide-awake young mag
azinist, at first because Graham looked
every inch a soldier, and afterward be-
cause Graham affably kept him up to
date with the news of the world in a
nutshell every evening, when they
travelled underground from Charing
Cross down to Baywater. In an airy,
sketchy way Sholto Graham had given
| the excitable, easily impressed old
naval man to understand that he ezra
ham, was not only ION the press" but
that he was a power thereon. In the
equally airy and sketchy way Capt.
Kelly had Haunted this impression be-
fore the mental eyes of his pretty step
daughter.
Mark my words, Patrice, Graham
holds a pen that may strengthen a
dynasty or shatter a ministry" Capt.
Kelly observed to Patrice more than
once. And Patrice, who cared little for
| dynasties, less for ministries, but
something already for Sholto Graham,
replied:
IF l thought as much of him as you
do. dad, I would rather hear of his
building up something good than all
the shattering that may be done. What
dynasty is he smiling upon?'
Capt. Kelly had the great gift of a
steady and thoughtful gaze when not
thinking about anything particular
He brought this special gaze to bear
upon his stepdaughter whenever she
got a bit beyond him. He brought it
to bear on her when she asked him
What dynasty was Graham smiling
on?"
! In the little drawing-room after sup
per that first night of his dining with
= Capt. Kelly, Sholto Graham had it al
his own way. There was no Other
guest the old sailor was very sleepy
after mis- coffee, and Miss Laugherne
noticing this, took the whole burden O
entertaining this stranger upon her
2 self
: Papa always smokes here after
: o'clock-if he isn't asleep. He i
5 asleep this evening, so you may TAKE
e his smoking place and have a cigarett