Daily camera., 1897-01-27

4
ex-officio head of the house he hadn t
touched a drop. Lambert was begin
ming to like him very much, but
couldn't induce him to come over to
camp. 81 cant stand that captain of
yours" was his sole explanation.
From frigid silence on Katesid's part
to occasional monosyllable and thence
to brief and caustic comments on the
| remarks of her sister and cousin the
transition was easy; but now that Lam
| bert addressed no remarks whatever to
her, yet chatted smilingly with the
others, the girls position became ex-
asperating. She was willing enough. at
the start, to keep at wide distance, bu.
that anybody should presume to hold
her there was a very different matter;
in fact, simply lntoierabIe. Esther
noted in silenu amusement how the girl
began to display unaccustomed So
| licitude as to the fit of her gown, the
effect of sucn poor little efforts at or
namentation as her simple store of lace
or ribbon afforded. Such quaint, old
fashioned bows and flounces as came
! forth, sucn queer combinations OF shade
and color! Esther caught her more
than once glancing up shyly from under
the long lashes and looking furtively al
her vis-a-vis, TOR Lamert, with malice
| prepense ana arorethought, began tell
ing Mrs. Scroggs of the bellies and
| beauties of last summer at the Point,
and one evening when the verbal block
ade had lasted perhaps three days he
turned to Esther as they were rising
| from the table-and if it wasn't taking
mean advantage of a defenseless foe,
what would be?
/ 81 brought over these two to show
you, Mrs. Scroggs," said he, producing
some carte-de-visite photographs from
an envelope. ''This is Miss Fordham,
who was considered the prettiest girl
at Cozzens' this year. though that fash
| ionable street suit is perhaps less be-
coming to her than evening dress. And
this is Miss Torrance. | think | told
you that our ladies are no longer wear
ing crinoline, and that these short
| dresses are worn even for calling in the
| daytime" "
And Katie Walton was halted at the
threshold as she would have left the
room. Wnap woman could resist peep
at these pictures of reigning bellies
garbed in the height of the fashion OF
the day-a fashion these fair southern
sisters had never seen, and had only
| vaguely heard of! Cousin Bart could
have laughed outright when he caught
a glimpse of Katesie's face, but merci
fully refrained. She flushed, stopped,
bit her lip, turned and fairly ran up
stairs, but came down five minutes
later, as Lambert knew she would,
looking for a book" and Esther
yearning over her, called her sister TO
her side Looking at northern girls
pictures wasn't making friends with
their friends anyhow "Ah don't see
anything pretty in that one" was
katesie's prompt comment. "And All
couldn't be hi-uhd to weah gown like
that BUT Lambert felt that he had
won the day, and the next evening
fetched over a whole album full. "Ce
nest que lie premier pas" etc. Miss
Walton, having looked at two, conclud-
cd she might as well see the others, but
she never meant to ask questions about
| Lhem-as she had to when Esther wen
in to see what mob would like for her
tea. Cousin Bart had brought in a bag
of plump and tempting ''partridges"
| that evening, and was beginning to
puzzle, Esther very much, when she re-
membered how impecunious a person
Bart had ever been, to account for the
supplies which he began to fetch from
| town.
And SO tnlngs We're going trifie bet
! ter at the old homestead towards the
end of December. Hopeful letters came
from Walton. The Parmelee party
were having difficulty in getting reli
able evidence against him; his friends
were making him entirely comfortable
in his confinement, and his lawyer as
sured him that his release would be
effected in very few days. Floyd wrote
that an aid-de-camp of the general COM
manding had come with Lieut.. Warning
10 see him, and to say that his case was
l
being investigated and that, as yet, no
charges had been preferred by the COM
mander of his troop. Little deiicacies
| and Injuries in the way of tea, Jellies
preserves and wine-things to which
they had been strangers since early in
the war-were finding their way in and
greatly comforting the invalid mother
and, could their doctor but say the dear
lady was really mending, the girls
would have had hope and courage, but
the doctor could not say.
'I've got to go to Quitman for two
DAYS on business, Esther said Cousin
Bart one keen morning, "and | reckon
| I'll ask DIR. Ialconer to come back with
me, # you don't mind and have day
at the birds They'll all be gone in q
week # this weather keeps on"
"You have deeper reason than that,
Barton. 1 saw you with DIR. Coleman
when he went out last night- It's con-
| sultation, is it not?'
"Why, of co'se want Coleman to have
chance to talk it over with Falconer,
/ MI ~v1xp