Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1897-12-30
CHAPTER IY.-(Continued.l

CHAPTER IV.-(Continued.)
ooh, poor thingi Joe came home
drunk and knocked her about, and one
Of the neighbors, who couldn't bear it
any longer, went and fetched a police
man, and Joe was marched off, to poor
Janet's unutterable dismay," Miss
Dimsdale replied.
Poor Janet!" murmured Dorothy,
softly.
by the by, Joe Benham works for
you, David, does he not?" Miss Dlms-
dale asked.
Eyes, he does"
II wonder could you do something?
Poor Janet is in the most dreadful
trouble about him"
well, I'll go round and see If you
like" David answered; "but Benham's
an awful brute, and will drink all he
can get hold of to the end of the chap
ter. l don't know whether you have
ever noticed it, Miss Dimsdale, but
somehow it seems to me that almost
invariably the women prefer to marry
the wrong men, and vice versa. Look
at my own mother, for instance; a
sweeter creature did not live, but she
was never the right wife for my father,
and nobody knew it better than him
self. Yes, and she knew it, too. She
always used to tell father that when
he went from Graveleigh Hall to Dow
ercourt he made the greatest mistake
of his life"
Past GraVeleigh Hall, you mean,
David" put in Dorothy, sharply. II
dare say he knew very well what he
was about, and took the one because he
could not get the other"
my dears. my dears," cried Miss
Dimsdale, to whom all this was untold
agony, "let bygones be bygones. am
sure, David, that your father was in
love with your mother to the very end.
Really, the young people of today take
too much upon themselves and settle
the affairs of their elders in an off
hand way which is positively indie
cent"
There was sound Of tears in Miss
Dimsdale's voice which went near to
betraying that this subject had more
than common interest for her. Dor
othy recognized dimly that her aunt
was panied by something that had
been said, and never sorry to have
an excuse for finding fault with Da-
vid, she turned sharply upon him.
Really, David" she cried, "it is
very dishonorable of you to come tell
ing us what your mother used to say
to your father-it could never have
been meant for us to hear, probably
not for you, either They are both
dead and their mistakes are at an end.
We don't want to know anything about
them. For my part, David" she went
on, severely cycling the young man,
who had turned a fine scarlet hue at
her rather pointed remarks, 81 must
say that l am surprised to find you are
capable either of listening or Of tat
Ting about It afterwards"
He tried hard to laugh it off as if
she had uttered some wonderful joke,
but his face was burning with shame
and anger, too, and as soon as he
conveniently could he betook himself
away.
Dorothy, dear, you are little hard
on him." said Miss Dimsdale, with a
sigh; after all, he was her old loves
son, and his mother had been her dear
est friend.
mot at ALL" said Dorothy, sharply.
David should keep his "reminiscences
to himself"
II wish you liked David BETTER" said
Miss Dimsdale, rather wistfully.
so do I, auntie, for your sake" an
swered Dorothy. you know do. But
1 don't like him at all; 1 never did
never shall. can't bear him, and if
David was a man." with whitening
scorn, "he would take no for an answer
and leave me alone"
1t happened that two days later than
this our friend Dick Aylmer received
a letter, which ran thus:
"Your cousin"-there was no aftec-
tionate prefix-"Mary Annandale,
writes to me this morning to an
nounce her engagement and approach
ing marriage to Prince Louis Lorinoff
so there is half a million Of money
lost to the family and thrown clean
out of the country. 1 sent wire Of
congratulation, being too disguised TO
write letter. With you, you Internal
young idiot, 1 haven't got the patience
of a mouse-I hope you will live 20
bitterly repent it. Meantime keep
out of my way till I've got over it bit,
and don't expect a penny beyond your
four hundred year, because you won't
get 1t. And If l hear Of your marry
ing anybody under a hundred thou
sand pounds, I'll cut of your allow
ance. After you're forty we can think
about 1t, and you need never expect
me to fall in very quickly with your
views, as you have not troubled your
self to fall in with mine. And think
1t only just to tell you that If have a
chance l shall marry again, in the
hope of having an heir of my own.
Yours, "AYLMER."
DicL road II and read II again and