Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-05-15
'If this Is one of your Jokes, ma'am-

PEELED 10 get rid OF him."
What do you meang'
my dear Randall, l have been Obliged 10
treat him like q character In a novel. | have
shipwrecked your brother. Vessel found i'm
the Atlantic bottom upward--all drowned,
my dear friend; all drowned"
Randall drew back a step. Mrs. Presty's
audacity was something more than he could
understand. is this woman madg' he said
to himself.
sit down." said Mrs. Presty. "If you are
determined TO make a seriou bushes of it
IL you insist on my justifying myself-you
are to be pltied for not possessing a sense Of
humOr, but you shall have your own way. I
am put on my defense. Very wen. You
shall hear hOw my poor divorced daughter
and my poor little grandchild were treated
at Sandyseal after yOV left us"
Having related the circumstances, she sug.
gested that Randall should put himself in
GATHERINGS place before he ventured on ex.
pressing an opinion. Would YOU have ex-
posed yourself to be- Inundated again in the
same wayY' she asked. and would you
have seen your child made TO suffer as well
as yourself?'
81 should have kept in retirement for the
future he answered. and not have trusted
my child and myself among strangers in
hotels"
"Ah, indeed? And you would have con-
demned your poor little daughter TO solitudep
You would have seen her pining for the com
pany Of other children and would have had
no mercy on her? 1 wonder what you would
have done when Capt. Bennydeck paid us a
visit at the seaside? He was introduced to
Mrs. Ormond and to Mrs. Ormond's little
girl, and we were all charmed with him.
When he and / happened TO be left together
he naturally wondered, after having seen the
charming wife, where the lucky husband
might be. Ii he had asked lou about Mr..
! Grmond how would you have answered
himp'
II should have told the truth"
"You would have said there was no Mr..
Ormondg'
Yes"
Exactly what / did! And the captain of
course concluded (after having been intro
duced to Kitty that Mrs. Ormond was a
widow. Ii l had said no, what would have
become OF my daughters reputation? II l
had told the truth al this hotel, when every
body wanted TO know what Mrs. Ormond,
that handsome lady, was-what would the
consequences have been TO Catherine and
her little girl? No! no! | have made the
best of a miserable situation; ! have consult
ed the tranquility OF a cruelty injured wo-
man and an innocent child-and the voice OF
my conscience says Well done, Mrs.
Prestyv 2"
Randall decided on leaving her. Have
you donea all this with GATHERINGS consent?'
he asked, as he got up from his chair.
Catherine submits to circumstances, like
a sensible woman
Does she submit to your telling Kitty that
her father Is dead?'
For the first time Mrs. Presty became Sc
rious.
'Wait a minute" she answered. Before
l consented TO answer the child's inquiries |
came to an understanding with the mother,
! said: viii you let Kitty see her father
AGAIN."
The very question which Randall had prom
ised to ask in his brothers interests! "And
how did Catherine answer your he inquired.
Honestly. She said: Il daren'tr After
that l had her mothers authority for telling
her that she would never see her father
again. She asked directly IL her father was
dead"
THAT will do. Mrs. Presty. Your defense
Is thoroughly worthy of your conduct in all
other respects"
Say thoroughly worthy of the course
forced upon me and my daughter by your
brothers infamous conduct and you will be-
nearer the markp
Randall passed this over without notice.
BE so good" he said, 'as to tell Catherine
that try 10 make every possible allowance
for her, but that l cannot consent 10 sit at
her dinner table, and that | dare n~otface my
poor little niece, after what | have heard"
Mrs. Presty recovered all her audacity. "A
very wise decision" she remarked. Your
face would spoil the best dinner that ever
was put on the tabs. Have you any mes
sage for Capt. Bennydecky'
Randall hesitated. The explanation which
he had thought OF seeking from the captain
appeared 10 DO needless now. ~Bennydeck
had a perfect right 10 please himself in the
choice of a wife. If Catherine represented
that choice but one doubt remained. Did she
give him encouragement? Randall asked if
his friend was then at the hotel.
Mrs. Presty smiled significantly. "Not At
the hotel, just now"
Where is hep
where he is every day about this time
out driving with Catherine and Kitty"
This answer finally disposed of RandaIs
last doubt. He took leave of Mrs. Presty
with the formslity due to stranger-he
merely bowed. That incorrigible old woman
treated him with atiectionate familiarity in
return.
'Good-by, dear Randall. One moment, be-
fore you go. Will IL be of any use if we ask
you To the marriage?'
Arrived at the station, Randall found that
he must wait for the train. While he was
walking up and down the platform, with a
MIND doubly distressed by anxiety about his
Brother and anxiety about Sydney, the train
from London came in. He stood looking
absently at the passengers leaving the ear
riages on the opposite side of the platform.
Suddenly a voice that he knew was audible,
asking the way to Bucks hotel. He crossed
the line in an instant, and found himself
face to face with Herbert