The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-07-10
The Fall Of the Elect. J
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BY DOROTHY coNYERS. :


The dean of Chichester peppered
his chop with a thoughtful air, and
Mrs Carberry poured out his tea with a
hand which absolutely shook with APP
prehension. Chirchester was q cathe-
dral town which had not travelled apace
with the rest of the world. The CHR
chestfians prided themselves on their
conservative ideas; they disapproved
even Of tennis, except when played
mildly on private grounds, and had
played croquet steadily when croquet
was dead, with a lordly disregard as to
their guests amusement Now hat it
had come in again, they played it joy
fully, but still with the old light mall
lets and wide hoops Of their youth.
The mothers Of C~hirchester read the
new library books with horror-stricken
looks, and little trickles of gailty en-
ioyment- Cricket, hunting, and the
new 'biking'' were things their daugh-
tiers might not do; riding gently along
the roads was ladyIike and permissible,
but the archdeacon's wife actually
blushed when a thoughtless person
asked her what safety habit her daugh-
ter wore, for Louisa Holroyd's pretty
figure was hidden in an ample gar
ment made by the local tailor, the
skirt of which came well below her
deepest grievance, her tiny buttoned
boots. The a~rchdeacon's wife was the
Sternest and most unbending OF the
select" as the country people dubbed
the church circle.
The bishop and his fat, merry wife
had no children, and were given to
laughing leniently at the vagaries of
the new So it fell on the
archdeacon and the dean to keep the
select circle together, and, though
there was q twinkle in the handsome
deans eye and a swing of his broad
shoulders that limited he had sometimes
played brighter games than croquet,
that as Rudyard Kipling would say,
was another story and, so far he
and the archdeacon had been equal to
their task.
To-day the dean was disturbed as
he looked on an open letter on the table.
The letter was from a cousin who was
obliged to go abroad for an indefinite
time. on business, and had written ask
ing the dean If he would give his only
daughter a home during his absence.
"A bright, pleasant, girl; / feel sure
you would like her as a companion to
your W GIRL and if the dean consent
ed she was to come in q week. How
was he to say no? He was to be liberal
~ paid for his guest, and her father was
an old friend. He must write to say
NE would be delighted.
"I am glad" said Mrs. Carberry, ner-
vously, shat Cissie is away; very glad.
More tea, dear?'' And in sheer absence
of mind she watered the teapot from
the hot milk jug and handed a cup OF
the strange liquor to the dean. who
looked at it resignedly and rose, for he
was an equally tempered man.
EYES, he said, "it is an excellent
thing, for then, if the girl is at all adj
yanced, there will be time to get her
out Of our way before Cissie returns"
A week later. The dean and Mrs.
Carberry stepped nervously forward
as the mail Numbered in from London
and discharged it's living freight on
the platform; then their eyes lit joy
ously on a girl clad in the quietest Of
travelling costumes, who was evidently
their guest
"sAre you Helen Adair?"
@Ah, yes, and you are Mrs. Carberry?"
The girl held out her hand, ~dexterously
evading the affectionate peck which the
elder lady would have bestowed on her.
She was a tall, slim girl, with big, mis-
chievous gray eyes and peculiarly
dainty hands and feet.
s'Such a tiresome journey" she said.
ssWould you see to my things for me,
Mr.. Dean2 Here is the list" and she
vanished in the crowd. The Dean made
his way to the luggage compartment,
and had Just finished his task when
Helen's voice sounded sweet and low at
his elbow.
"Everything's there, / see. Would
You get q special messenger to wheel
this up, or shall I ride it2" She had
her hand on a smart bicycle, which she
was rolling tenderly through the crowd.
If the box next to him had not been
q wicker one the Dean would have sat
on it and gasped; as it was he gasped
standing.
.AIy dear, a bicycle" he said, weakly.
"A bicycle in the innermost circle of the
select!
Helen Adair caught the stony despair
in Mrs. C~arberry's eyes, and saw the
Deans flushed cheek, and her eyes
danced suddenly as she took in the sit
uation.
"Don't you ride one, either of your"
she said, sweetly. perhaps I'd better
ride it up; I'm very precious CT it"
A girl ON a bicycle following the
Deanery carriage! The Dean gasped
again ami gave some hasty orders to a
porter, and Helen was bundled into the
Hvagonette, her eyes looking somewhat
anxiously back at her precious wheel.
Between hernatural hindlinesS and her
horror at receiving a new woman into
her home, Mrs. Carberry spent a rest
less evening, for they soon gathered
that Helen hunted and fshed and shot,
and yet she spoke Of none Of those
things, but drew the Dean into an ami
A. m-----M-r