Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-03-25
A TERRIBLE TEMPER.

eff there is anything especially OBJ
noxious to me" avowed Miss Murphy
In solemn conclusion, lit is interference
with the affairs of others; but in this
case said t9fmyself, Duty, Mary Anne
Murphy, duty"
''Oh!" gasped Jessica. She had sunk
back in her rose-ribboned rattan rocker
In quite tremor of dismay.
A very charming room this suburban
parior into which gold bars of sunshine
slanted through the half-closed Vene-
!, tians. Worthy even of pretty Jessica--
1t, with its tiled hardwood floor, its sill
ver-fox and bearskin rugs, its Madras
draped windows, its quantity modern
mantel of polished oak, its eccentric
chairs, it's grotesque tables, its dainty
aquarelles, its Chinese cabinets, its
slender but admirably chosen collection
of bisque and Limoges. And surely
eye, however critical, could crave no
sweeter picture than little Miss Ray
made in her pale blue surah tea-gown,
cascaded with Valenciennes, and all
her bronze-bright ripply hair braided in
childish fashion down her back. But
Just now the lovely face was curiously
colorless, the purple-blue eyes wide and
startled under their long lashes.
There was silence after that sharp
exclamation of Jessica's. Miss Murphy
could afford to be silent. She had
had dropped her small shell and it had
exploded with most satisfactory re-
port. She sat rigidly erect in the con-
seriousness of duty done, every fold of
her black silk visiting costume stiff
with propriety, every pompon on the
brown biege bonnet bristling with re-
spectability.
Il don't believe a word Of it," de-
clared Jessica, slowly.
If impolite, the remark was in no de-
gree insolent. 1t was simply the ut
terance of conviction. Miss Murphy
was not offended. She removed her
gaze from a gem of Van Elton's on the
opposite wall to fasten it on the agita-
ted little lady in the rocker. 1t took
some endurance on Jessica's part to
sit meekly under the scrutiny of those
faded blue eyes-eyes tolerant, placid,
OCdhlh6, 90 tnOOC VI d OChl6udhI Olu
. cow.
1T is true, my dear. He said it. i
heard him with my own ears!"
This really was unanswerable.
"They were in the front parlor," pur-
sued Miss Murphy, folding her plump,
tan-gloved hands with aggravating leis-
ure and serenity. II sat sewing just
mol ind hn 4x.1I
have stayed could / only have foretold
what was coming. They had been talk
ing about other things, and where sill
ent for awhile. Suddenly my Ned
burst out laughing. so you've seen
her. he said, and you don't fancy her,
eh?' Fancy her?' echoed Jack. We'll,
/ should say not!'"
"Well?" urged Jessica, steadily.
She would hear it out, she told her
self-she would-every word of it!
"Well, them" slowly, to heighten by
suspense the effect of her narrative,
Med said, The boys around here all
like her immensely. Roy Pates says
she's a daisy!'"
"Oh!" moaned Jessica. You must
excuse that nephew of mine, my dear;
you really must. Ned but repeats
what he hears. Besides, you know, he
is only boy yet-just eighteen. What
Ned said is Of no Importance. Please
go on"
She sat erect again very pale and i'm
perative, indeed.
''If you insist on hearing" hesitantly,
Jack replied, We'll, don't I did just
at first l confess for while she de-
ceived me. But few days gave me
enough of her. Ned said, why, we
all thought you were in great luck to
get her. 'Luck!' cried Jack in answer,
SO loud, my dear, fairly jumped.
Luck! Yes, the most confounded piece
of bad luck ever struck" am
ashamed to say, my dear, but to be
veracious 1 must say that here Ned,
quite carried away by his youthful SYM
pathies, inquired, Can't you get out of
IT,? And Jack said, 'Confound it, no!
That's the worst of 1t. / can't break
such contract with any honor to my
self. But / only wish some other fell
low stood in my shoes just now. I've
fsOsAaaoOa W tdhC hCi anu l. VIC kOI 10
do 1t, but it's deuced bad bargain
oh, my dear Jessica, you're not going
to paint!''
Jessica put out her hand with a
slight, REFRESHING gesture.
mo, Miss Murphy. am not going to
faint. Is that all?"
Miss Murphy was rather disconnected.
Her shell had mot ovpIodad oot.tIx, a.
is true. But now that the smoke was
clearing away she, at whose feet It had
been flung, was not dead-not even
wounded.
Eyes, / believe that was all, for Just
then someone summoned Jack. But as
he went out, he called back to Ned:
TIL see you at Bryane's tomorrow
night and talk this unfortunate blum
der over again. Be In my study at 10.
I'll meet you there"
"And that really is all?" queried Jes-
sica. quite her own possessed self
again.
Miss Murphy started. To once more
had sailed up so straightly and securely
at first had uddenly collapsed and was
falling with startling rapidity.
'I should think" severely, 1T would
be quite enough"
Enough ?" airily. That's Il! It's too
much! You know an overdose Of pois-
on occasionally counteracts the effect
of lesser quantity. and think" with