Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-01-14
aL0YER Of THE Day.
CHAPTER XII.
Give Ne Another Chance

and rushed to his head as he re-
called his perfidy and weakness of
the night before.
Miss Patrice would be down in a
! few minutes Mary told him, and his
| guilty conscience made him fancy
that there was an accent of reproach
in the parlor maids tone. This irri-
tated him and made him try to
work himself into a rage with Patrice
for having allowed any fancied griev-
ance she might have against him to
be known to her servants.
He looked round the room. trying
to discover through the mediumship
of its arrangement whether Patrice
had altered in any way since he had
left her more than a month ago.
Everything was unaltered There
| was the same heterogeneous accumu-
| lation Of light literature in the shape
Of magazines, weekly and daily
papers and books from Nudes.
There were as usual flowers in every
| conceivable receptacle and place in
| which flowers could be put-with this
difference, that when he went away
they had been the flowers of spring.
and now they were the rich, ripe, red
and yellow roses of June.
He stood by her table in the win
dow recess, the table that held her
special belongings. On it was lying
| Temple Bar, an old-world novel
called THE Woman l Loved and the
Woman Who Loved Mer' Ghe title
smote him unpleasantly), and a small
writing pad with an unfolded and
! but recently written note on it. He
read the words unintentionally and
half-unconsciously; they were only:
! Dearest May: Dad and | are de-
| lighted to accept Mrs Thorbrn's in
vitation to dinner tonight. How
happy you must be to have your
brother back with you safe and sound
| and how proud you must be of him
| With love, yours, Patrice''
Curse the fellow! That she should
be going to dine with him the first
evening l have been able to come
hereI It's a little too much of a
joke he muttered in a sudden &C
cess of unreasonable Jealous wrath
At that moment the door opened and
Patrice came in. and he found him.
self scarcely able to lift his eyes to
hers. But he was a fairly good anna
teur actor. and he called his slight
histriOnic powers into play now.
"Patrice, my darling, are you as
glad as l am that we are together
again %
He had made a movement toward
her with outstretched arms, but a
gesture from Patrice checked him.
Are you glad, Sholto?' she asked,
in low, thrilling tone that made him
shiver. There was no 'gladness' in
your face when l came upon you &C
cidentally at the academy the other
day"
Il was staggered at seeing you
there alone he began to stammer
out, but she cut him short by saying:
oh, nonsense! Think Of some bet
ter excuse for the look of fury and
resentment you gave me when [ came
| UP to you and the woman you were
with, so unintentionally. Why didn't
you tell her who l was and what |
was to your
The woman as you term her, is
| Mrs. Cumberland, my sister Lady
| Gwenap's greatest friend" he said,
! stiff1y. eff you are going to get upon
stills every time you see me being
! civil to ladies | meet at my sister
| house l shall have a pleasant time of
| it,
| He spoke angrily, but underlying
! the superficial anger there was ye~y
real uneasiness and shame.
Are the ladies you meet at YOUR
sisters house unfit to De my $3.50
ciates that you passed my father ard
me as if we had been strangers"
You shall not insult Mrs Cumber-
land! Unfit to be your associate, IN
deed! Why, she's one OF the smartest
women i'll
Then you were ashamed of me?
Ashamed of the girl you nave asked
to be your wife
Her words cut in through his agi-
tated explanation clean AMI shalp
like a rapier. She seemed to have
grown in dignity, and stature, too
since last he had seen her, as she
stood there denouncing his cowardice
so quietly.
'If you'll only let me explain ke
entreated, almost humbly She was
looking so charming, wearing JUS
that subtle admiXture of gray anG
pink that he liked to see her in best
| Tharp Sni1~it onH hr,aDHj in q
too, about her, and with it such sweet
ness and gent1eness, though jealousy
and indignation at having beer
sighted had possession of her cor The
time. He could not bear to lose ftr
At least not yet!
Explain she said. Tell ME VIII!
you degraded yourself by offering an
insulting slight to my father and my
self"
81 didn't see Capt. Kelly Until h,
was looking in another direction, anC
then it was too late to nod recogni
ton"
Don't you see," he began, calmly
that to have introduced you TO Mrs
Cumberland then and there w-5tllC
, have involved an explanation.
could hardly blurt out the fact of n.
, being engaged to you then in {. crowd
, It would have been unpleasant TO
. you"
Not so unpleasant for me IS il We
to be first g1ared at as IN a1e1ny
. and then passed as a stranger bv you
But You shall never be called agail
~ Il -