Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-09-22
No. To give your opinion about Lady


And that is?'
""That she's an extremely fascinating
damsel-a distinct jam tart.
Look here, Edmondson,' l remon-
strated. BE more choice in your ex-
pressionS, sir.
.'That point is not worth pursuing"
said Brownton. ''As a matter of fact,
Lady Gertie's personal charms were not
under discussion. Of course they admit
of no dis pute. What we wish to arrive
at is your opinion about Lady Gertie's
reprehensible, practice of allowing her es-
corts to pay her bets for her.
"Umph! AS to that, if she can get her
friends to do it she IS very wise
But the propriety of it, man! How
about the propriety of it?''
"Oh, the propriety of it? Well, if you
ask me, l should say that nowadays
cially, than to be improper, morally, and
of the truth of this Lady Gertie is
shining example"
1T is disgra cefulv' exclaimed Brown
tom ''She ought to be tabooed. l hear that
today she has invested $500 on Vertigo,
that rank outsider; and if she loseS-as
size is pretty sure to d0-Old Ursino will
have to pay up for her"
'There is no doubt [ remarked, "that
her ladyShip is an expensive friend. She
seems to be endued with a regular fatal
ity for backing wrong 'uns."
season already, if she has cost them a
penny" said Brownton.
Double that, if the gossips are any
where near the mark. You see she is
as obstinate as only a pretty woman can
be, and always will follow her own judg
ment. which, in racing matters, is sim
ply worthless
''If l were her men friends, should
decline to pay up" calculated Brownton.
"Then, my dear Brownton, you would
cease to be one of her men friends on
the instant"
Gas many have already done"
eyes, but rather from incapacity to
pay rather than from disinclination.
They seem to find it almost impossible
to resist her ladyship. Observe, / pray
you, how she is at this moment bewitch
ing old Ursino. A shrewd business man,
too. who cannot fail to detect the object
of her Establishments, and to be aware
that she does not care two pence for him
apart from his checkbook. And yet he
submits himself to her designs like
lamb"
sit is her eyes," said Edmondson.
''Nay. rather her voice. / protested.
At this point l strolled away from my
two friends. | must admit the truth
1t was only by something of an effort
that l had managed to bear my flip
pant share in the above conversation.
| had done So indeed, mainly as a blind,
and because l did not wish them to
have the smallest mixing of truth
which | was half ashamed to confess
to myself. l had not known Lady Ger
tie very long, but during our brief ac-
quaintance l had done very absurd
thing. | had fallen over head and ears
in love with her ladyship. 1t was ut
terly ridiculous, as my common sense
told me. That she-this society beau
ty-run after by hundreds of the
IL CHI YxlI
even look at an insignificant person like
myself, was on the face of it n fatuous
supposition; the more so, as it seemed
evident that she only valued her admir-
ers in relation to their Eecuniary ac-
commodatiOns.
SO common sense told me. But love
has precious little affinity with COM
mon sense, and my love rejected 1t al
together. My love. indeed, went much
further than that. 1t showed me things
which to eyes not specialized with love
would have been altogether invisible.
1t pointed out many little signs and
tokens in Lady Gertie's manner toward
me which implied an interest on her
part in my humble self never evinced
by her toward others To be sure, no
one else saw this or imagined the pos
sibility. But what of that? They had
not the eyes of love. [ alone could
see; these others could not. Had l
told them they would have laughed
my delusion, as they would have called
it, to utter scorn. That is why I was
at present so tenacious of my secret,
and why, when Lady Gertie's charac-
ter came up for discussion, | spoke of
her with as hippant Indifference as Of
any mere society acquaintance. But
my heart was beating fercely within
me all the while, aud it was only by
q. great effort that I preserved my de-
1opa nor of cUOiciSrn
After the big race for the cup was
over-in which the favorite got home an
easy winner and Vertigo was simply no
where-I was again joined by my two
friends.
Congratulate YOU" said Brownton,
''on having landed the oof.'
Lady Gertie, you note, has been less
fortunate" remarked Edmondson, with
grin.
'Well, it doesn't much matter this jour
ney. Ursino can afford it,
See! There he is now, having a con-
fab with Tom Trott, the bookie. Per
haps he is making arrangements with
Tom for the settlement Of her ladyship's
little account"
Very possibly. Tom is a shrewd fell
low. They say he is doing awfully we'll"
Dare say
The other two went off. But I Jagged
behind and escaped | did SO for a GER
tain purpose. In the distance I had
just caught sight of Lady Gertie, and
she appeared to be, for the first time
that afternoon, alone. / FASTENED to her
side. She greeted me with d friendly
smile
$50 this is the first time today, sir,
that you have seen fit to favor me with
your company" she said, in voice of
playful reprOach.
Lady Gertie,' I said, my heart beat
ing fast, for an irresistible impulse was
upon me to rush headiong to my fate.
Lady Gertie, l have a question to ask
you
"And that is?'
l won't tell you how I asked it. For
one thing l can't remember; for another,
if I could. it would look ridiculous in
black and white. All proposals do-even
in the hands of the ablest writer's. In
deed, SO conscious have many of them
been of this defect that they have usually
embodied their love scenes in line of
asterisks. followed by "Ten minutes
LATER" etc. etc.
l will go on at the ''Ten minutes later"