Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-09-15
AN ESCAPE.

AAA-' A%'~Sl - - -A~e
Major Owen passed almost with a
look of relief down the steps from the
crowded reception room into the garden.
Then he had left Philip Rutherford
and annexed Miss Phoebe Horton (much
the pIettiest of the three Miss Hortons),
and now passed into the garden, look
ing as one who passed out of the valley
of the shadow of death. Chinese Ian
terms twinkled everywhere. In general
condemnation of the ''fddling' in the
reception room Phoebe supported him
enthusiastically and the walk in the
garden would not have taken more than
3 minutes Is seconds by respectable
chronometer. And that was all there
was against the major = absolutely
nothing else. He returned Miss Phoebe
Horton to Philip Rutherford in excel
lent condition and sought out Chris
tine. He found her, and he judged by
appearances that there was a storm
gathering. Unquestionably the best
thing to do with gathering storm is
to take it in to supper By the time it
has finished its supper it has probably
forgotten the cause of its storminess
and holy calm follows.
So the major, who, though he had
few ideas, was not an impractical man,
suggested that he should take Christine
in to supper.
'No, thank you," said Christine, 81
don't want any supper. y
"Well," the major said vaguely,
Zone must do something"
81 don't want to do anything, +" said
Christine.
"Well. I" the major said again. it's
very hot in here, and this music doesn't
much appeal to me, you know. Will
you come out into the garden?''
Christine got up, sighed and said
that she only came because she was
tired of saying 'no" to everything
They passed out together. The garden
was almost empty now. Nearly every
body was in the supper room.
"You like this garden, don't your"
said Christine.
"Well, yes," he said. "These Ian
terms and things aren't bad. If you get
right up to the far end, you can hear
the music-at least, not enough to mat
ter. !"
"Did you go up to the far end just
now?" asked Christine.
"What do you mean?"
Nothing"
"Oh, come One doesn't say those
things for nothing
"Very well, then. For the last half
hour you've been hiding in the garden.
"Oh, come! You mustn't say such
things. F"
The passion deepened in her voice.
you've been hiding in the garden
with Phoebe Horton" She tried to
laugh. 81 thought you'd had time to
explore it. y
"As matter of fact, " said the ma
ior, 81 don't suppose / was out here
five minutes. If I'd been out here for
five fortnights, what would it have
mattered to you?''
Nothing, she said drearily. Moth
ing matters to me now.
Then he observed that things were
growing more serious. He took her two
hands.
"Tell me, z" he said, "what is it?"
She began to cry.
An hour and half later Major Owen
got out of a hanson in Jermyn street
and went up to his chambers. He
changed his dress coat for smoking
jacket, mixed himself a brandy and
soda, lit cheroot and sat down in an
easy chair But his mind was too dis
turbed for inaction. He got up again
and paced the room, circling like a
planet round the little table OH which
the tall glass sparkled like star under
the electric light AT last he stood still.
81 have done for myself, he said.
Freedom was at an end His comfort
able chambers, that early in the evening
he had regarded as his permanent abid-
ing place, now seemed the unsubstan-
tial fabric Of a vision; the breath of
Hymen, and they were gone.
The engagement was to be short. The
drudgery of it began at once. He had
to go to many places where he had new
er been before and did not want to go
again.
He waited, perfectly ghastly figure,
in the shops OF fashionable milliners,
feeling that every lady customer who
entered regarded him as an insult and
outrage.
He had to sit through concerts; they
were very good concerts, and very
good concert was, from the majors
point Of view, the very worst sort of
concert An ordinary tune, as he some
times observed, he could more or less
understand.
He was made to dance frequently,
and in the small hours of the morning,
when respectable, middle aged gentle
men should be in their beds. 1t was
all very trying, but gradually it dawn
ed on him that there were one or two
compensations.
Christine certainly behaved very
nicely to hi,n He bought her ring
diamonds aud sapphires), and her re-
ception of it gave him great pleasure.
He repeated this pleasure by buying
her other things After a fortnight he
owned to himself that things might
have been worse.
But he didn fall in love with Chris
tine definitely until she fell ill.
Then the major went temporarily
mad. He became a source of wonder
and panied surprise to his friends and
scourge and chastisement to his valet.
He lived chiefly in telegraph Offices,