Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-12-31
.-nor TO mo either, rs nst iatterins TO q

.-nor 10 mo elther it's MT iatterins to-
woman Of my age"
"She's handsomer than ever, rs, Of
sourse, she ought to be, - no added, smil-
Ing with a little bow to the elderly lady.
"You must take her in to dinner, Dir.
Lester. She'll think 1t a godsend to have
q new partftr In my house"
Mrs Marmont seemed q little surprised,
too, at seeing Mr.. Lester. She looked for
Just an instant as II he were a ghost, and
tnen she took his arm, saying gaylyi
"Why, 1 thought you were In South
America. Are you sure you are not and
that this Is not your astral body here
among your dull old friendsf"
~ know too we'll that Il Is my very
self, F." no answered quietly.
~ came back with q New Years reso-
luton to stay ut home" he continued.
IL suppose / ought to dothat. My mother
II my mothers affairs need me, and we
always resolve TO do what we ought at the
beginning Of tho new year, don't WEI
But I don't know; already I'm thinking
Of flight, OF going TO Egypt on something
that can BIO called business"
"Why, it's terrible to think how New
York must bore you" Mrs. Marmont
spoke half drawlingly-rather as IL she
were bored herself.
Bore meY You don't remember mo as
a bored person, do your
Mr.. Lester did not dance. He devoted
himself 20 whist with ancient and nervous
partners. Mrs. Marmont never played
whist, and she danced eagerly for awhile
with young cousins and old unclcs, but
she lost her interest In that exercise early.
Perhaps IL was too frivolous to suit "a bud
ding d%eaconncss. She sat down at n piano
I'm All alcove away from oil tho company
and softly played bits Of old melodies.
Lester turned his head and listened to the
taint sound OF n "song without words
till an indignant partner sternly recalled
him to business. Mrs. Marmont and her
father were among the first to leave. She
came UP to Lester just after the new year
began, looking very stately and yet very
kind and put out q straightforward little
hand.
81 hope you won't go away, " she said,
"and"-there was n little break in the
continuity Of her speech, then she won't on
land hope you'll come and sec me"
"Ihank YOU" said Lester and nothing
moro.
Let's not talk now she said YEARLY
WUen lOE lhlltT DcShu w hItdh VI uNI
wild scheme" on the way home. Sho
dismissed her maid aud quietly and swiftly
prepared for bed, but after the lights were
out, as she lay in tho dark, she began to
sob like little lonely, famished child, and
the gray winter dawn was creeping into
the room before the sobs sank into long
quiyering signs, that did not break the
light slumber that ut last blessed her.
Uhn y,axf Iau InGtar tyoa CfulNdinn liGf-
lessly at "a club window. He had tried to
talk to his mother that morning about the
probability Of his again leaving her, and
that lady had, first impatiently and then
plaintively, refused to listen TO any such
suggestion. AS he stood there Mrs. Mar
mont passed. s.
Testers face flushed and palod. He
turned from tho window, He called "a cab.
Drive where you like for ten minutes, ="
he said to the cabby, and at tho end oi
eight he told him where to 60, and pres.
emily tho cab drew up in front Of one Of
the old fashioned, luxurious houses OF
North Washington square.
"Mrs. Lindsay" said Lester when he
was shown into the presence Of tho white
haired, bright eyed old lady he had come
to see, u friend he had known from hi
childhood, "I'm not going to beat about
the bush. I've come to ask you some
thing. r.
"Sit down. Once I'd have thought il
must be an offer of marriage; now | sup
pose you've come to decide some wager &c
cording to my memory Of ancient hiftory. u
"No, but | have come because you know
everything, and because you are so dis
Greet. This is it: Where-no! Who did
Linda Marmont marry
(Which Linda MarmontE"
"What! There are two? Great JOve!'
Lester only brcathcd this apostrophc. II
was rs IL he had not strength left for vocal
effort.
"Of course there are two. Though it is
rather odd, with u name like that. You
didn't meet-no, you weren't here that
season that Tom Marmont's young niece
came here from back in the country some.
where, and Linda, our Linda, brought heI
out and married her OFF to Mark Weber.
They are travelling in Spain now"
"Howin the world did sho come TO dc
such a cheeky thing rs be named Linda
MarmontS'' Lester asked the question
with deep resentment. The old lady
dark eyes twlrklod as she looked at him
shrowdly.
"Why, she was named for Linda LELAND
tho families were very intimate, you
know. That was tho way that marriage
of Linda's came about; the families made
1t up. My son, your silence tells thai
you've said all you have to say, and beg
that no sense Of the duty of politeness vii
keep you here. Perhaps your wager is &
very important one"
"You are tho best woman in IT,
world
"And very discreet"
"And very discreet. And with q happy
laugh Lester stopped and kissed her with
cred hand and was gone.
But his happy mood was not to remain
unbroken through that winter afternoon
When he sent up his card to Mrs. Mar