The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1898-11-26
BY CHARLES KENNETr sURRoW.

There were not more than half
dozen people whom / knew, and of
them not more than two whom ! cared
to talk to. Most of the men seemed
to have got together in the middle of
the tennis lawn, the ladies were Ian
gushing in the shade of the beeches;
only one or two couples seemed to be
engaged in occupation for which, sure
ly, garden parties alone were invented.
Mrs. Bristowe, my hostess, seemed very
much depressed.
"Why don't things move faster, Mr..
MildmayY she asked, plaintively.
"Why don't those wretched men do
something's"
'My dear lady," / said, "they never
do at these affairs. 1 don't know why
1t is; perhaps there's too much daylight
for them"
But one must give garden parties"
she said.
II thank Providence 1 have no gar
den," 1 said. 81 might manage little
dance, very little one, in my studio,
but a bachelor can't do that kind of
thing, you know"
81 wish you'd go and talk to Mrs.
Vivian" she said; "she's sitting all
alone there, and thinking of nasty
things to say afterward."
/ wanted to talk to Mrs. Vivian, so I
went. The fact is, I knew that Jack
had great talent for drawing and
wanted to cultivate it, and had a
vague idea that / might induce Mrs.
Vivian to allow me to give her daugh-
ter lessons, particularly as it would
cost her nothing. 1t was wild no.
ton, but worth trying, and Jack agreed
with me. 1 therefore strolled up to
Mrs. Vivian and sat down by her In a
casual way.
"The parties here are always so slow,
aren't they?" she asked.
"Are they slower here than anywhere
else?"
81 trust ours are not so dull" she
snapped.
"Ah, but you have a genius for social
organization" / said, unblushingly;
"and so few people have even talent"
1 do not wish to depreciate Mrs. Vivian.
but her love of fiattery was as great as
her capacity for small and totally I'M
necessary lying. She condescended to
smile upon me. "People are so differ
ent," she said.
after your stay in the country" l said.
"How charming the coast is at PEN
quite, and what glorious sketching
ground? 1 suppose Miss Vivian did
some work there?"
She ignored the last part of my ques-
ton.
do you know that part of the
world ?" she asked.
"Oh, yes" said, perfectly.
"That reminds me-" she said, smiling
again, "that / met Col. Mildmay at
my cousins house. 1t did not occur
to me that he might be relative of
yours. Is hep"
"He's my uncle, and dear old boy,
too; but don't see much of him now"
Her manner instantly thawed; I be-
-lieve she had an idea that an artist
must necessarily be the son of a fraud
ulent bankrupt or fourth-rate actor,
or something of that sort. Then she
condescended to answer my previous
question.
Indeed, how strange that we should
meet in that way! Phoebe painted a
good deal willie she was there"
/ wondered, for a moment, who
Phoebe was-I had called her Jack for
quite three months.
Ifelt that was getting on famously,
and was just arranging in my mind
how to make the next step when Mrs.
Vivian spoke again.
''What a charming place Lord st.
Alleyn has at Polgarth," she said.
"yery," answered, eying her fur
lively.
"And what delightful man he is, !"
she said; 1--WE dined there twice."
Hes an old chum of mine," said;
I'VE were up at Oxford together" /
saw her vince, and her manner re-
Taxed evenfurther. / felt profoundly
sorry for Jack.
'.How interesting" she said.
II see almost more of him than of
any of the old set," said. 1--WE used
to get into glorious scrapes together.
He never did any work"
"And 1 suppose you did?' she sug-
gested.
"a little," admitted
"Oh, you young men," she laughed.
and wagged her false old head.
have not, as rule, been particu-
larly lucky man, but certainly that aft
ernoon the fates were on my side. AS
I turned to see what had become of
Mrs. Bristowe ] beheld the familiar
figure of my old friend st. Alleyne
come round from the west side of the
house. He was strolling along in his
usual dreamy, casual way, very well
dressed. perfectly at ease. apparentlv