The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-03-26

scant affairs by any means so light as it
looked from the outside. She kept up
faithfully to the blind man her fiction
of prosperity. and success in it meant
standing always between him and the
outer world. The decadence of their for
tunes touched her nearly. For all her
bravery, her own ragged horse furnish
ings and the shabby old carriage in
which sometimes she rode abroad were
engines of torture. Yet every year or so,
when her father insisted that the vehi-
Gle be refurbished, she acquiesced duti-
fully. made a pretense of sending it
away, and six weeks later had it driven
to the door, smelling of the fresh var
nish she herself had brushed over it,
with cushions beaten to puffy lightness
and straps and tassels set in new places.
Then the blind man said, with little
laugh:
''Next time, darling, you must have
a brand new equipage, for, after all,
equipage is truly the test of gentility.
If shabby, it stamps you either a mig
gard or pretender. Clothes hardly
matter, so they be clean and suitable
and not vulgarly fine.
Memory of such speech gave an edge
he did not dream Of to Mr. Topmark's
leering, significant laugh. But she
stood very upright and walked toward
the church door between the two men.
When she reached the step, each put out
a hand to help her. She ignored both,
sprang lightly upon the big stone, step
ped inside an sJvalked almost the length
of the aisle, HSth Mr.. Topmark making
strenuous efforts to fan her over her
shoulder. Usually she slipped into the
first vacant pew. Today she was fiercely
amused in the thought of making the
whole congregation cape and stare
When at last she sat down, it was in
such wise as to leave room beside her
for her adorer 1t was wholly against
the most rigid convention of the occasion
that any man should sit beside wom-
an, but Mr.. Topmark was unable to re.
sist the tacit invitation Of her glance
He pumped down upon the hard wood
en- seat so ponderously that SILVER ran
through the gazing throng. From the
door Jack noted it and swore under his
breath. But Miss Winfield, though she
dropped her eyes and made a pretense
of distress over the general tittering
the little fool! Isn't she doin beauti-
fully just the thing meant her to do?"
Then she settled herself into pose of
severe devotion, head bowed, eyes fast
OH the hymnbook Through the window
she had seen the Talbot carriage driving
up. She meant Mrs. Talbot to be able
to point with pride to the difference be-
tween her favorite and that Eighty Rob,
who sat, regardless Of time and place,
pouring flood of merry nonsense into
Mr.. Topmark's delighted ear. Miss
Winfield thought she must be possessed.
She had no comprehension of the agony,
the gnawing pain at the heart, which
made it necessary that Rob should laugh
and chatter if she would save herself
from shrieking.
Rob took no heed whatever of Mrs.
Talbot's entrance, but when the tap tap
of cane heralded her father she stepped
lightly down the aisle, met him at the
door, to which Jack Talbot had led him,
and took him to his accustomed place
in the pew next the pulpit She sat
down by him there, regardless of Mr..
Topmark's imploring looks, his beckon-
ings and wildly significant grimaoes.
She did not even shake her head, but
sat holding her fathers hand and now
and then patting it softly until the SER
mon began.
She had said to her father that morn
ing, in the face of her gallant: Daddy,
don't think I care particularly to 60
with Mr.. Topmark. On the contrary,
I'm afraid the ride will turn out cost
ly luxury when he comes to set price
on the tobacco this fall, but L do want
dreadfully to make lot Of other women
uncomfortable. Widows and maids Of
all ages will be setting caps at him to-
day, and l intend he shall not so much
as look at one of them"
'Now, amt she jest the beat Of all
brighter heap N new money!" Mr..
Topmark had said in the fathers ear.
"No, Miss Rob, honor bright, the trip
shan't be with no mo- ter me N jest the
pleasyer of it, that CANT valyer in
dollars an cents. But eff you'll help me
git the wife I want when I come ter
want her-why, give you my word the
ole gentleman here shall git twict the
price fer what grows in the place that
anybody else'll give"
"Now, just listenr' Rob had retorted.
Daddy, I think Mr.. Topmark is afraid
Of the big, grown up young ladies and
is practicing his pretty speeches on me-"
"No doubt, no doubt" her father had
answered, laughing mildly. Yet he was
troubled. He did not like his daughter
to be seen in such company, but to for
bid it outright was piece of rudeness
he would not venture upon now that
the matter had got so far. Of course
there could be no more to it than
piece of the ebullient folly normal to
the estate of new widowerhood. Rob
was so young, so whimsically full Of
pranks, it had no doubt seemed to her
an excellent jest to go along with him.
Doubtless other women would, as she
said. pull caps for him now that he was
said to be rich and growing yearly rich