The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-04-17
SOUR GRAPES.


on the latchkey in the lock, her eyes
turned towards his face, with Il mo-
mentary look Of wistfulness which told
its own story-if not TO him, at any
rate to another person who was look
ing On.
It's rather late" Wyndham Scuba
more replied. taking out his watch and
looking at it by the light of the gas
lamp at Efie's door. Its 1880, you
know"
The locker on, Miss Marian Kemp,
came to the rescue. She noticed that
Eifie's face had grown trifle wan.
Miss Kemp was fond of Effie and she
knew Wyndham very we'll. she was
not going to see Effie disappointed
without reason
Tn coming in to look at that en-
craving you spoke off, she said alb
ruptly You can see me home after
ward if you like. We mustn't keep
you up, Eff1e. l know how hard You
work." she added, with a touch of
softness in her tone.
Wyndham laughed aloud in the lit
tie dark passage, waking the echoes
of the house in way which vaguely
alarmed Ef1ie Duncombe, who was half
nervous at having invited her friends
into the house She had not been long
in the city. and it's ways were at once
terror and a delight to her. y ter
ror because the habit of the journals
tic, half bohemian set into which she
! had fallen seemed to outrage all the
little conventionalities of the narrow
life which she had formerly known; de-
| light because her whole soul had re
VOTED against these cOnventionalities,
and she had to come here on purpose
to escape them. But she was as yet
IMMERSED in the new code; there We're
unwritten laws of which she did not
dream, and it was a joke among her
more intimate friends that Effie usually
drew the line in the wrong place. She
was sweet and innocent and unWorid-
ly, and in her desire to do as others
around her did she sometimes over
stepped even the liberty that they al
| lowed themselves.
Miss Kemp was secretly surprised
that she had asked her friends into
the boarding house, where she occupied
two rooms, at this late hour Of the
night. it was such a difference from
11QICOillDC way III NoAoPeC-i' -
was Miss Kemp who had persuaded her
away from Slopton and she knew what
it was like Perhaps that was why
she was always a little amused at the
progress that Effie was making in her
experience of the world.
Come in,' said Fife Hospitality; and,
turning into the citing room on the
left side of the door she turned up the
gas and revealed the apartment in all
it's glory After ALL for the room Of
lady journalist who has not q pri
vate income of any appreciate extent,
it was comfortable enough, and even
pretty with it's bits of quaint china, its
great bunch of ferns and grasses in a
pickle jar and its cheap fans. Jolly
little place." said Wyndham He was
a tall, dark, supercilious looking man
at least, so his enemies declared-ltis
friends made excuses for the critical
expression which they could not alto
gether deny and maintained that he
was exceedingly good at heart. He
was a critic on a leading paper, and
the habit of finding fault had perhaps
grown upon him.
Miss Kemp was journalist of the
most modern type; she wore her hair
short and used a pince-nez, she had a
clever, capable face, and she was be-
tween fifty and sixty years of age. She
looked as if she could go anywhere and
do anything, and everywhere be quite
able to take care of herself and her
own interests. She was well dressed,
neat and self-possessed. Eff1e was her
antithesis in most respects. She was
a slight little thing with loose fair hair
which had a way of straying over her
forehead at the wrong time; soft, blue
eyes and a wistful, unsatisfied look,
which, as Miss Kemp had already told
her, was very unsuitable to her pro-
fession For Effie had made up her
mind to follow the example of her dear
friend, Marian Kemp, and become a
journalist.
So far, by remarkable good luck, she
had been successful; but Marian some
times wondered whether the child as
she called her, had stuff" enough in
her for the work, and whether it would
not have been better to leave her in
that wearisome but soothing solitude
against which she had revolted. For
it had not been at all what Miss Kemp
contemplated, that Effie should at once
fall in love-especially with a man who
was so popular and SO exclusive as
Wyndham Scudamore. Yet this was
what Effie had done, and she had not
been able to hide the fact from her
friend Miss Marian Kemp.
So it was with flush of excitement
on her cheek that Effie set out her cake
and biscuit and, a little timidly, the
flask of whisky which she had been
told that all journalists (of the male
persuasion) believed in as the sign OF
good fellowship and asked her friends
to partake Miss Kemp nodded and
nibbled biscuits while Wyndham alb
sently mixed himself a weak glass of
spirits and water, and expressed his
views upon the drama. Eff1e ate and
drank nothing at all. She was much
absorbed in watching her hero.
That night she slept but little. The
fever of youth and love was in her
veins. When she fell asleep in the
gray dawn she dreamed of Wyndham,
and thought that he Knocked her, but
before she awoke pleasanter vision
took the place of the one which had at
first distressed her, and she fancied
herself happy in his love and with his
kisses OH her lips. She awoke with the
pleasurably tingling sense Of having
received her lovers vows.
But downstairs storm and trouble
awaited her Il wish to speak to you
for a moment, if you please, Miss Dun
combe," said the landlady, solemnly
Then, as Effie looked at her in silent