The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-04-02
CHAPTER XII

AT Monday nights supper table Mrs.
Talbot said to Jack, "Son, if you have
not made other plans, will you go with
me tonight to church?'
"With pleasure, Jack said, making
great ado over the heat of his coffee.
"You surely don't think 1 prefer any
body s company to yours, nanny? How
shall we go-on horseback"
eyes, that will be BEST" Mrs. Tai
bot said, smiling fondly on her boy.
Jack made grim nee, but masked it
with pretense of swallowing awry.
His mothers simple wiles were plain
to him. She meant to go by Mrs. Win
folds place and make Miss Alice bear
them company. To object was for him
out of the question. and thus he would
seem to keep on with what he could not
deny went far to justify Rob in the
way she was behaving toward that con-
founded old fool Ben Topmark.
This, be it understood, is an exact
quotation from young Mr.. Talbot's men,
tai phraseology. Though he had been
in fever ever since the night before, a
glimmer Of light and common sense had
pierced his love clouded understanding
Rob was all he had believed her. There
was certainly something more than girl.
ish coquetry back of her seeming trans
formation. Even in her faults she was
noble. He would 60 to her, face the
thing out, and not leave her until he
hol mt <o Tho hDftO,,, nf ~
Not at once, of course. Cerintha
Payne was there for the meeting, which
might last two weeks and was certain
to hold for one. But until he could thus
see her he would take care 80 to act
that she should fVt be able again to
fling Miss Winfield IN his teeth. After
all, it was no more unreasonable that
she should feel aggrieved by his devo-
tion to the neighborhood paragon than
that he should grow furious over seeing
her the object of Mr.. Topmark's devo-
ton, though she must know how little
a free agent her lover was. She had
laughed with him times without num-
Der over his compulsory gallantry, but
that was before. What if she had
found out that she really did care and
was thus exigeant because Of the knowl-
edge?
There was comfort untold in tho
thought. Yes, he would be careful
show himself as friendly and kind as Of
old, until Rob was once more solitary
at Roscoe. Though widowers did strike
a tremendous gait in the lovemaking,
he had not much fear that this particu-
larry tormenting widower could carry
off Rob under his eyes in the space Of
one revival. Perhaps the man really
meant nothing serious-it might be he
had chosen Rob in the giddiness of a
first emancipation, but would let his
vagrant fancy range to some one more
suitable when it came to serious thought
Of matrimony.
Therefore it was trebly irritating to
find himself again constrained to seem
to do the thing he had vowed to leave
undone. But it was not worth while to
growl and look black over it when he
knew so we'll the dear mother had his
best good SO at heart. When they were
mounted and riding away, he talked to
her gayly of the things he knew she
best liked to hear. He could and would
give her new frocks and china and paint
the house anew, he said, now that the
worrying debts were so near done with.
The twins Frank and Billy, should
have q college course too. He might
even hope next year TO take his mother
upon the tour they had so often planned
among the Virginia kinfolk whom he
had never seen.
There Mrs. Talbot stopped him, say
ing half shyly: "Maybe you will make
it bridal tour, SON. You are the best
son any mother ever had, but because
of that we must not be selfish and never
let you think Of anything of your own.