The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1898-12-31
81 to.xs, s,the.; rs. nys assts.lns 3 !

she's Handsome than ever Y, OF
sonrsiT.ss Il itlssav,ri iii ITO sbeg.y Ii ii added Sfnil-
Inn With nllEsfe how tosths siderlys1Adys
= You j takuIs her Id to dinner MI,
Issstur. She'll think IL d godsand 70 have
"a new partsscS1 In my bonss."
Mrs. MariMont seemed D little surprised,
too, at seeing Nr. Lester. h ooked for
Just an instant ms Il hd were a ghost .
then she took his srnls saying gayly;
why, 1 thought Q We're an cut
America. Areyon s,lrc you are not a
that this Ia not your astral body hero
among yonr dull old fricndsf
II know too wcll5that 1t II my very
cell, z he answered quietly.
II came back with d New Years roso-
luton to stay at home,,t he continued.
II suppose i ought to do that. My mother
and my mothers affairs need mc, and we
always resolve to do what We ought at the
beginning OF tne new year. don't WEI
But I don't know already I'm thinking
Of light,aof going to Egypt on somethtng
that can be called business. !
aWhy, It's terrible to think how New
York must boro you,' Mrs. Marmout
spoke hnlf NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. az IL Ehe.
were bored herself.
.'Bore moi You don't remember mo as
. bored person, doyoupn
Mr.. Lester did moi dance. He devoted
hiinself to whist with ancientand nervous
partners. Mrs. MnrIhont, never played
whist, and she danced eagerly for awhile
with young cousins and old uncles, but
she lost her interest In that exercise early.
Perhaps 1t was too frivolous to suit o bud
ding deaconness. She sat down at a piano
in an nlcoye away from NIL the company
and softly. played bits Of old melodies.
Lester turned his head and listened to the
saint sound Of o song without words''
till Al indignant partner sternly recalled
him to business. Mrs. Marmont and her
father were among the first to leave. She
came un to Lester just after the new year
began, looking very stately and yet very
kind and put out . straightforward little
hand.
81 hope you won't go away, she said,
snndn-there was o little break In tho
continuity other speech, then she went on
and 1 hope you'll como and see NO.
"Thank you,n said Lester and nothing
more.
Lets not talk now she said weariiy
when her father began to speak Of her
wild scheme on the way home. She
dismissed her maid and quietly and swiftly
prepared for bed, but after the lights were
out, rs she lay in the dark, she began to
sob like o little lonely, falnished child, and
the gray winter dawn was creeping into
the room before the sobs sank into long
qutvering signs, that did not break the
light slumber that at last blessed her.
Thu next day Lester was standing list
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.
Lsster's face flushed and paled. He
turned from the window. He called a cab.
(" Drive where you like for ten minutes,n
eight he told him where to 20, and pres.
entity tho cab drow up in front of one o.
the old fashioned, luxurious houses q
North Washington square,.
MRS. Lindsay" said Lester when he
was shown into tho presence Of the Whit
haired, bright Dyed old lady he had come
to see, a 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.
est down. Once I'd have thought ii
must be an offer of marriage; now l sup
pose you'vo come to decide solne wager aos
cording to my memory Of ancient history.n
mo, but l nave come because you know
everything, and because you are SO dis
Greet. This is 1t: Where-nol Who did
Linda Marmont marrys';
(Which Linda Marmcntf',
what! There are twoy Great Jove!',
Lester only breathed this apostrophe. It
was as II he had not strength left for vocal
effort. .
"of course there arc two. Though 1t is
rather odd, with q nano like that. You
didn't meet-no, You weren't here that
season that Tom Marmont's young niece
camc here from back in the country some
where, and Linda, Dur, Linda, brought her
out and married her of to Mark Weber.
They are travelling In Spain now.
FLOW in the world did she come to do
such u cheeky thing as be named Linda
Marmontf" Lester asked the question
with deep resentment. Tho old lady's
dark eyes twinkled ns she looked at him
shrowdly.
why, she was named for Linda Leland
tho families were very intimate, you
know. hat was tho way that marriage
OF Linda's came about; the families made
1t up. My son, your silence tells that
you've said all you have to say, and I beg
that no sense OF the duty Of p~oliteness viii
keep you here. Perhaps your wager is 8
very important one.'
You are the best woman In the
world'-
"And very discreet.
And very Discreet" And with a happy
laugh Lestor stopped and kissed her with.
cred hand and was gono.
But his happy mood was not to rrrnain
unbroken through that winter afternoon.
When be sent up his card to Mrs. Mar.